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Welcome to the first six weeks post partum, what an exciting and tiring time. With doctor’s permission, you can do these very gentle exercises during the two to six week post partum period, to prevent stiffness and prepare your body for the time when you are able to start the fit mom and baby in DVD.
Victoria and baby Avery whose just a little over two weeks post partum, will demonstrate these exercises for you.
First of we have seated leg extensions. Sit in a comfortable but up right position, extend one leg at a time, and hold the extended leg briefly at the top of the movement.
On day one, begin with as little as ten, and by week six, you may be up to about 50 repetitions. This exercise helps to re stabilize the ligaments in your knees and strengthen the quads with no impact, whatsoever.
Shoulder rolls. Next we have shoulder rolls. Many at night and day will be spent sitting and feeding although we know we should have good posture, it is easier said than done on less than two hour sleep.
Baby Avery is snuggled in Victoria’s arms while mommy gently lifts and rolls the shoulders backwards. To open the chest, strengthen the middle and upper back and help maintain postural awareness. Once a good latch in breast feeding has been established, this could be done during a feeding as well.
Seated pelvic tilts. Seated pelvic tilts again can be done with your baby in your arms. Gently pull your pelvic bone forward, exhaling at the same time, reverse the movement by pushing your hips backwards, exhaling and lengthening your torso upwards, this helps to rehabilitate core strength gently and releases the lower back tension.
Side line leg lifts. The first side line leg lift or doctors strengthens the muscles on the inner thigh. You can do this when lying down with baby. Even as you feed, once you become an expert. Gently lift your leg against gravity and lower. The second side line leg lift targets the outer thigh and helps to stabilize the hips as your body begins to slow transition back to pre pregnancy shape.
Lying down, pelvic tilts. Relaxing with baby is snuggled up you can mimic the seated version of the pelvic tilt. The benefits of core strength rehabilitation and lower tension release are the same as the seated version. This may be more comfortable however during the healing stage post partum.
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