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Postpartum pelvic floor

The slow, ordered work of reconnecting the belly and the pelvic floor.

How to workHave your six-week check before starting anything, and if you had a caesarean, start only when your doctor says so. What follows is gentle, but both the order and the timing matter.
See a doctor, not a stretch
Belly breathing
पेट से साँस
  1. Lie comfortably on your side or back.
  2. Breathe in through the nose, letting the ribs widen all round.
  3. Breathing out, let the pelvic floor and belly draw gently up on their own.
  4. This is the first exercise — everything else is built on it.
Where you should feel it: The ribs widening, and a light lift from within as you breathe out.
10 breaths, three times a day
Pelvic floor squeeze
पेड़ू की माँसपेशी कसना
  1. Sitting or lying, breathe out and draw the pelvic floor up and in — as if stopping wind.
  2. Hold for three to five, then let go completely.
  3. The releasing matters as much as the squeezing.
  4. Do not practise by stopping the flow while passing urine.
Where you should feel it: A gentle lift from below and within — without gripping the buttocks or thighs.
10 reps × 3 sets, daily
Pelvic tilt
कमर का झुकाव
  1. Lie on your back with the knees bent.
  2. Breathing out, flatten the low back to the floor and draw the lower belly in.
  3. Hold five.
  4. Release.
Where you should feel it: Light work in the deepest layer of the belly.
10 reps × 2 sets
Walking, built up slowly
चलना — धीरे-धीरे बढ़ाते हुए
  1. Five to ten minutes indoors at first.
  2. Add a little each week.
  3. If heaviness increases or bleeding returns, drop back to last week's amount.
  4. Running and jumping wait at least three months, and even then take advice.
Where you should feel it: Stamina building without the heaviness increasing.
Daily, increasing weekly

Alongside

To check for a gap in the belly wall: lie on your back with knees bent, lift the head slightly and feel above and below the navel for how many fingers fit. More than two, and sit-ups and planks wait — get it looked at first.

What this is for

Postpartum Recovery

See also

Knee exercisesNeck exercisesShoulder exercisesLow back and sciatica exercisesHeel pain exercisesWrist and hand exercises