A Quick Guide for Safe Exercise After A C-Section

By Jago Holmes

C-section births are becoming more common these days for a wide variety of reasons ranging from a fear or the pain of delivery, designing a perfectly timed birth and finally the reason why the technique was originally developed in emergency births because the baby may have to be taken out as quickly as possible to avoid potential harm to either mother or baby.

For many women, the addition of an ugly scar to an already bigger stomach area can be a very big concern, one which causes many to choose the wrong types of exercise after c section.

There are certain things that can be done to help promote recovery and repair the damaged cells but unfortunately many women unknowingly choose the wrong exercises to do.

The damage and injury caused to the abs after c section isn't as bad as most people believe because the incision used during a typical c section doesn't normally cut through the muscles, it's just the outer sheath covering of the abdominal muscles (the aponeurosis) which is affected.  Then both sides of the rectus muscles are pulled apart.

When the baby has been taken out, the rectus sheath is repaired and then the muscles are realigned. From this point onwards the recovery of the abdominals is exactly the same as for a vaginal birth.

For both types of delivery the muscles will start to realign themselves within three to four days. During this time only pelvic tilting movements should be performed which will help to further tighten, strengthen and realign the abdominal muscles.

Within about six weeks the abdominal muscles should have fully recovered although this could take much more time if they were weak prior to surgery or the pelvic tilting techniques haven't been done on a regular basis.

Pelvic tilting exercises should start immediately after delivery. 

Pelvic tilting exercises are gentle movements which can be done seated, standing or lying, they don't require a lot of effort, but can make a huge difference in both the speed of recovery, but also the tightness of the abdominal area afterwards.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you do sit ups or crunches until the muscles have realigned and become stronger.

Doing this could lead to potential doming of the stomach as the gap between the muscles may be forced apart, possibly stretching the muscles wider, leading to long term damage and a rounded tummy which has very little or no chance of ever being flat again.

It is quite normal to feel numbness around the abdomen and a tingling or tightening around the scar, but you should be fine to do the pelvic tilting exercises that you feel comfortable with.

For most new moms the biggest area of concern will be the stomach, and what do most people do when they want to flatten their stomach, that's right you've guessed it - sit ups.

Now whilst you may have more common sense than to attempt doing sit ups during the early stages of your c section recovery, there are a selection of abdominal tightening or pelvic tilting movements that can be done and really in order to make a full and complete recovery should be done almost straight after giving birth.

In truth it is by not doing these tummy tightening exercises regularly in the early stages that may even cause a rounded and bulbous tummy, with little shape or definition not only during your c section recovery but possibly forever.

Almost any type of exercise after c section other than gentle walking and low level pelvic tilting movements needs to be left until after your post pregnancy check up. After this time you will need to make the decision as to whether or not you feel like doing more.