Postnatal gymnastics
Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Postnatal gymnastics includes specific exercises for mothers after giving birth. The aim is to strengthen the muscles that are particularly stressed, such as the pelvic floor and the stomach. Read here how new mothers get fit again with postnatal postnatal exercises and when they should start doing them.
Postnatal training exercises make you fit again
Postural gymnastics strengthens the pelvic floor in particular. It is not about getting the "after-baby body" back into shape as quickly as possible. Targeted postnatal gymnastics strengthens the pelvic floor, among other things. It counteracts various ailments.
- (Stress) incontinence (affects 20 to 30 percent of new mothers!)
- Rectus diastasis (gap between the straight cords of the abdominal muscles),
- Lowering of the uterus or bladder
- Back and pelvic pain
Even mothers who do not have any of the symptoms mentioned should not do without postnatal exercise. It prevents symptoms such as incontinence in later years. In addition, studies have shown that both the young mother's general fitness and wellbeing benefit. And: regression after the birth can also make the sensations during sex more intense.
Postural gymnastics - the best exercises
Even if new mothers usually have little time left, you should definitely invest 15 minutes three times a week in postnatal exercises. With some variants, your baby even knows how to “do the gymnastics”.
You can read about which exercises are particularly suitable and how exactly to carry them out in the article Post-training exercises.
Postural gymnastics - the right time
Theoretically, new mothers can start with light pelvic floor training as early as two or three days after the birth, as an introduction to postnatal gymnastics. The point at which regression makes sense primarily depends on how the young mother is doing and whether she is physically able to be active.
If everything is in order, it is recommended as a guideline to attend a postnatal exercise class in the sixth week after a vaginal birth. But it is never too late to start regression. Ask your gynecologist for their assessment and don't start without being OK.
Postnatal exercise after a caesarean section
You should give yourself a little more time for regression after a caesarean section. Experts recommend starting postnatal exercise after a caesarean section eight to ten weeks after the birth. You should not do without it completely, but you should not do postural gymnastics even after a caesarean birth. The exercises are extremely important for strengthening the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, which are heavily stressed by pregnancy. Without the gymnastics you risk incontinence later on.
Postnatal exercise - what to look out for
When choosing the course, make sure that it is led by an experienced physiotherapist or midwife. She knows which exercises new mothers are allowed to do and when and can cater to your individual needs / problems.
Only do exercises that you do not feel pain. Postnatal gymnastics is not a competition, excessive ambition is definitely out of place here. Exercises that put a lot of strain on the straight abdominal muscles such as sit-ups should not be performed by new mothers until the overstretched abdominal wall (diastasis) has closed. Otherwise there is a risk of postural damage and back problems.
Postgraduate gymnastics - in class or at home?
A combination of course and postnatal gymnastics at home is ideal for post-pregnancy regression. For postnatal gymnastics, in addition to one lesson per week, you should take around 15 minutes every day if possible, but at least three times a week, for recovery.
Abdominal, pelvic floor, back, etc. are best strengthened initially under the guidance of an experienced midwife or physiotherapist. She knows which exercises are possible and can correct them when they are carried out in order to avoid incorrect or overloading.
As a rule, health insurance companies cover the costs for up to ten hours (usually 45 minutes) of postnatal exercise. A course also has the advantage that new mums can exchange ideas with one another.
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