5 Safe and Effective Core Exercises for New Moms
When you're pregnant, your abdominal muscles get stretched and pushed aside to make room for the growing baby in your uterus. In many cases, though not all, the two sides of the main abdominal muscle, the rectus abdominis, will separate. This condition, called diastasis recti, creates a gap between the two sides of the abs and can leave a visible bulge or gap after delivery.
Another physical change that's less visible (but super important to address) happens in the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is made up of the major muscles that support your pelvic organs—including the vagina, bladder, and rectum. Just like your abs are stretched, strained, and weakened, your pelvic-floor muscles are impacted by pregnancy. When these muscles don't function properly, it leads to problems like urinary and fecal incontinence or something called pelvic organ prolapse, which is when the pelvic organs slip out of place and create a bulge (like a hernia).
"Your focus as a new mom is to first close [the abdominal] separation and heal the muscles of the pelvic floor that suffered significant trauma over your pregnancy and labor," Ali Handley, founder of BodyLove Pilates, an online source for pre- and postnatal workout videos, tells SELF. Strengthening your core post pregnancy is important first and foremost because your core is the powerhouse of your body. Without basic strength in your midsection, your posture can suffer, you may develop back pain, and it can be more difficult to complete everyday tasks. Your pelvic floor will also benefit from core work if you know how to engage the right muscles. (More on that later.)
Most physical therapists recommend focusing on maintaining core and pelvic-floor strength throughout pregnancy to help lessen the separation and weakening, but even if you do that, rebuilding those muscles is not a quick process. "It takes patience and repetition; there are no shortcuts in postnatal core recovery," Handley says.
Here, Handley shares five Pilates exercises that are safe for new moms and effective for rehabbing the core and pelvic floor.