The postpartum period for a woman is one of the most difficult in life. Not only that, worries about caring for the baby have been added, but also the state of the body leaves much to be desired. Especially a woman in labor is concerned about two problems associated with sexual life - this is dryness and uterine distension. The first is solved by using various creams and ointments, and over time it generally leaves itself. In the second case, help to reduce the size of the vagina after childbirth exercises to reduce the uterus.
Postpartum Physiology
The postpartum period is the stage of emotional and physical restructuring of the body. It lasts about three months. It was at this time that the state of all organs of the body returned to its original state. Gynecologists at this time measure the body temperature of a woman, her pulse, respiratory rate. Pay attention to the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and bladder. Particular attention is paid to the nature of the suckers and their number, as well as the reduction of the uterus.
The vagina during the period of involution returns to its previous parameters. This occurs within three months after delivery. Exercises for uterine contractions, massage and breastfeeding help to recover after childbirth.
The uterus quickly returns to its previous parameters, but the labia remain wider than they were, and change their color to darker.
Also, in women after childbirth, body temperature can rise, chills occur, and pressure decreases. A lady may feel a rise or loss of strength, emptiness, depression, fatigue, rapid mood swings. During this period, women especially need support and help.
Many women resort to traditional medicine to drink faster, drink vitamins, drugs (if prescribed by a doctor), and also perform exercises to reduce the uterus after childbirth.
Vaginal recovery after childbirth
All women want to bring their body after birth to their original state, but not all organs can be completely restored. So, the size of the vagina is unlikely to be able to return to its previous size.
This situation sometimes becomes a real problem for a woman, and she is looking for all kinds of ways to solve it, including performing exercises to quickly reduce the uterus after childbirth.
Stretching the pelvic muscles after pregnancy can lead to a decrease in the quality of sex, urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse. Also, a lady is able to lose self-confidence. They will help prevent a similar picture after childbirth exercises for uterine contractions. The most effective methods are listed below:
- Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles of the vagina ;
- special gymnastics;
- physiotherapeutic procedures;
- Plastic surgery.
The latter option allows you to achieve a quick narrowing of the uterus and remove scars that often occur during tears, incisions or with careless suturing. Despite the effectiveness of the procedure, it costs a lot and not everyone can afford it.
Postpartum Exercise Rules
Uterine contractions will certainly benefit after childbirth . When they are performed, the recovery of the body occurs faster. In addition, they cheer up and give a boost of energy. However, when implementing them, certain recommendations should be observed:
- adhere to the recommended pace and gradually increase the load;
- try to diversify gymnastics, as uniform movements can give a negative effect;
- regularity of classes;
- all movements should be slow, without sharpness and breath holding;
- the room for gymnastics needs to be aired;
- clothing should be free and not restrict movement;
- empty the bladder, intestines before doing the exercises;
- gymnastics is done an hour or a half before meals and after feeding;
- lifts from a horizontal position should be carried out by turning across the side;
- so that the exercises do not affect the decrease in the amount of milk, you should drink plenty of fluids during physical education and after.
All exercises for uterine contractions are relevant for 10-12 weeks after the birth of the baby. If possible, they can be started on the first day of birth. All actions are best performed on the abdomen, as this pose contributes to a faster recovery of the uterus. The faster a woman begins to get up and walk after delivery, the better the result.
Uterine contractions after childbirth: how to speed up Kegel exercises
Performing exercises developed by gynecologist Arnold Kegel, you can restore the tone of the uterus and strengthen the muscles of the vagina. They stimulate the blood supply to the genitals. Prevent and eliminate urinary incontinence. They help narrow the cervix, as a result, sensations during intimacy become more vivid. Women involved in the Kegel system are less susceptible to inflammatory processes in the pelvis. The complex quickly restores the uterus after childbirth and does not allow the body to fall. It makes the vagina more elastic, which will protect it from tearing during subsequent childbirth. These exercises are also shown to reduce the uterus after childbirth.
The lesson on this system is as follows:
- For 10 seconds, you need to reduce the vaginal muscles, and for the next 10 minutes, relax. Exercise for 5 minutes several times a day.
- After you can feel the muscles of the pelvis, you should mentally build them in a two-story staircase. The abbreviations are presented in the form of an elevator moving along the muscles in depth. On each floor, the vagina muscles contract from bottom to top for five seconds. Then back in the same order, only the reduction goes from top to bottom.
- The bladder should be emptied gradually, alternating the compression of the vaginal floor with the release of small doses of urine. Over time, this muscle will hold urine effortlessly and will become stronger.
There are many variations in the implementation of these exercises, and each woman can always find the right option for herself.
Exercises for uterine contractions after childbirth
A photo of beautiful, slender, fit, smiling and young mothers who are happy with life and themselves is a direct confirmation of the fact that if you want to regain your former forms, it is quite possible. You can do gymnastics immediately after the birth of a child, this will allow you to recover faster. The main thing is to observe the measure and not to make sudden movements that are contraindicated in this period. Below are four complexes that will help a woman tidy herself up.
The first complex . Prevents the development of thrombosis. You can perform exercises immediately after childbirth.
Take a horizontal position on your back. Bend your legs at the knees. Next, straighten the limbs so that the knees of both legs with the inner side touch each other and do not move away from each other. Ten times tightly and slowly squeeze your toes, then relax them. Next, you need to straighten one leg and slowly pull the socks ten times toward you and in the opposite direction. Do the same with the second leg. After that, you should perform the previous exercise with two legs extended. The limbs do not tear off the floor, you need to lie directly on your back.
The second complex . These exercises to reduce the uterus after childbirth (photo attached) are performed while breathing in the stomach. They begin on the next day after delivery. To perform them, they lie on their backs and bend their knees. Hands lie on the lower abdomen. Slow inhalation with the nose and the same exhalation with the exclamation "ha-ha-ha-ha-ha". Inhalation - the abdomen rises; during exhalation, hands should be drawn from the pubis to the navel and along the lower abdomen. A forward movement is made without bending the torso.
The next exercise is performed on the side. Place the head, chest and pelvis in one line. Put a small pillow under the neck. Lay the upper arm on the lower abdomen. Breathing and hand manipulation are the same as in the previous exercise. For greater tension, when exhaling, you can exclaim "pfff" or "puuh", imagining that the stomach is contracting. Then roll over on your stomach and put a pillow under the lower abdomen. The main thing is that there is no pressure on the chest. Breathe in the lower abdomen. When exhaling, they say “ha-ha” (“pf-f” or “fluff”) and the pelvis is directed upwards.
The third complex . Here, efforts are directed to the perineum and the bottom of the pelvis. Caution should be exercised when performing postpartum exercises to reduce the uterus. Gymnastics is not intended for women after an episiotomy. The load is very significant, and the seam can go apart.
Lie on a bed or sit comfortably in an armchair. Alternately strain the muscles of the anus and vagina. As soon as this can be done without difficulty, a muscle tissue should conduct a wave from the pubis to the anus. The movement not only strengthens the vaginal floor, but also helps to get rid of hemorrhoids and prevent its development. During the exercise, the face, namely the tongue, lips and palate, needs to be relaxed as much as possible, this helps to soften breathing and relieve the vagina of tension.
The following movements are done sitting or half-sitting. Slowly, by tensioning the muscles of the pelvis and perineum, a wave is conducted from the bottom up, starting from the pubis and ending with the navel. In this case, you need to make a small movement of the pelvis forward. You should do the exercise in the opposite direction. Even breathing without delay. Exercise is performed effortlessly, the load increases gradually.
The fourth complex . It involves not only breathing, but also the muscles of the pelvis and abdomen. Movement is done on exhalation and with gentle tension of muscle tissue.
Lie on your side and place the pelvis, chest and head in line. Bend your legs at the knees. One hand needs to be bent and put under the head. The second brush rests on the bed and is on the same level as the navel. Palm clenched into a fist. On exhalation, raise the pelvis and rest it on a fist, then return to its original position. Move several times, repeat the same on the other side.
Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knees. Pull the socks up. Exhale - socks stretch alternately to the right, then to the left hand. Chest and socks fit snugly to the floor.
Standing on all fours, place the head, torso and hips in one line. Knees removed from each other a short distance. Exhale - draw in the stomach. To enhance the effect, raise the left knee and right hand. The same thing needs to be done with the right knee and left hand.
Standing on all fours, on the exhale, the legs are straightened as much as possible, the back is kept straight. Body weight goes to the palm and the inside of the foot.
Lie on your side. Bend your legs at the knees. Lower the upper arm along the body, and lean the lower one on the floor. When exhaling, retract the stomach, and raise the body. The same exercise is performed on the other hand. On the one hand, the stomach sags more than on the other. This position is associated with the intrauterine finding of the child. Where the stomach is more voluminous, movements are performed more often.
The following exercise tones and restores the muscles of the abdomen and back. Become facing the wall, and legs spread shoulder-width apart. Bend slightly in the knee joints. Palms rest against the wall. Movement to perform mentally. In reality, no manipulations are performed. Exhale - the elbows are mentally directed to the navel. Then, by the power of imagination, they send the right elbow towards the left knee. The same thing is done with another pair of limbs.
Uterus muscle contraction movements
After the baby is born, the doctor recommends not having a sex life for at least three months, otherwise the vagina will not recover to its normal size and will be stretched. If there is no way to abstain from an intimate life for a hundred days, then the following exercises should be performed.
Squat. Take a deep breath and slowly cut the anus. The movement will give to the crotch. Stop breathing for a few seconds, slowly inhale and relax the anal muscles. Here, alternating relaxation and contraction, accompanying exhalation and inhalation, is sharp. Gradually bring the number of exercises to 10-15. 5 seconds are allotted for each
Take a comfortable pose. Squeeze the buttocks and try to tightly connect them together. Tighten the muscles so that there is a feeling that the buttocks have decreased in size.
According to reviews, exercises to reduce the uterus have a very effective effect on the body after childbirth. At home, every woman will be able to perform these complexes, there would be a desire. They will not only make sexual life better, but also strengthen the walls of the vaginal floor, prevent hemorrhoids, and massage the intestines.
Post episiotomy exercises
If the woman had a perineal incision, then you can not perform exercises after birth to reduce the uterus. The restoration of the genital organ in this case proceeds more slowly, and the wounds heal for 7-10 days.
In order to reduce pain, it is recommended that before you sit down, strain your buttocks. It is useful to sit on a large balloon after an episiotomy. You must not stand or sit for too long during this period.
Kegel exercises will be of particular benefit, they not only do not provoke the divergence of the muscles of the walls of the vagina, but contribute to the speedy healing of wounds, tone the walls of the uterus.
Caesarean section and movement
The body does not recover after caesarean section as fast as after natural birth. This procedure can be equated to a band operation. In this situation, immediately after the appearance of the child, you can not do gymnastics, but constantly lying is also not recommended.
After mom is allowed to get up, you need to try to walk as much as possible. These movements will strengthen muscles, stimulate blood circulation, improve breathing, and activate the activity of the stomach and intestines.
Getting out of bed with a cesarean section should be gradual. First you need to draw in the muscles of the peritoneum and help your hands turn on your side, help yourself sit down with your hands. The head assumes the vertical position of the latter. All tension when lifting the body goes to the hands, and not to the abdominal muscles.
It is recommended for cesarean section several times a day to cough, which will get rid of unnecessary discomfort in the chest.
Until the suture heals, immediately after birth, exercises to reduce the uterus (at home, including) should be excluded.
Physiotherapeutic procedures
You can not only perform exercises for the abdomen after childbirth (to reduce the uterus), but also resort to physiotherapy. This method allows you to affect the muscles of the perineum, which in combination with gymnastics gives a more tangible result.
Physiotherapy is prescribed by a gynecologist. The effectiveness of the procedure is checked by a special sensor, which is inserted into the vagina, after which the woman compresses the muscles of the uterus.
Move as much as possible
Many doctors recommend that their patients perform simple exercises after birth to reduce the uterus. During this period, physical activity is simply necessary for a woman. Each lady, taking into account her individual characteristics, must herself choose for herself a set of exercises and their intensity. Spending some time daily on the implementation of the complex described above, the young mother will quickly return to her previous forms, gain confidence in herself, and will be happy to look at herself in the mirror. Postpartum bed rest is indicated only in special cases.
Often, all the exercises that are offered to be performed by women in labor are quite soft and are not able to harm the body. They stimulate blood circulation in the uterus, contribute to the complete discharge of the lochia, and also activate the contraction of the vagina, remove stagnation and prevent the occurrence of constipation.
Do not be afraid of movements, you need not only to do gymnastics, but also walk as much as possible. Hiking with a stroller in the fresh air will be welcome and will benefit both mom and baby.
What do postpartum exercises to reduce the uterus, you already know (they are described above), now it remains to go from theory to practice. You can be sure: with a little effort, you will soon notice changes for the better: the results will not be long in coming, and the uterus will quickly return to its previous size.