Post Pregnancy Healing Core Exercises
The effects of pregnancy on the body can have you looking in the mirror at someone new. Your whole body has changed to accommodate this new bundle of joy, but it also feels like it took your identity. Now that your stomach doesn’t have a baby in it anymore, it’s deflated, sagging, and holding extra fat for no reason.
It can be a struggle to look in the mirror and see a body you don’t recognize, but it is possible to lose the mommy pooch and have a strong, healthy core. Incorporating core strengthening exercises shortly after birth can help heal your stretched abdominals and shrink your stomach. Feel confident and at peace with your post-baby body after trying these exercises.
Core Changes During Pregnancy
Throughout pregnancy, your stomach expands to make room for your growing baby. The middle of our abdominals, called the linea alba, stretches and separates the left and right rectus abdominis creating what is known as diastasis recti.
Most women see diastasis recti heal on its own, but if you notice abdominal separation after 3 months postpartum, you should contact a pelvic floor physical therapist for help healing the separation.
How Long After Giving Birth Can You Do Core Exercises?
You can start core exercises after birth as soon as you feel ready. You should always consult your healthcare provider (they usually recommend six weeks postpartum), but if you had a delivery with no complications and you feel ready at two weeks, start incorporating a few exercises and see how your body feels.
How Do I Strengthen My Core Postpartum?
You can strengthen your abdominals after birth with diaphragmatic breathing and core exercises. Diaphragmatic breathing can help bring back the connection of the tissue with the mind so that your pelvic floor and abdominals work together automatically.
Also, exercises that turn on your inner abdominal muscles, such as modified dead bugs, bridges, and clamshells. Consistent breathwork and core exercises will strengthen your abdominals and lessen back pain.
Check out my two-week postpartum workout plan to help you get started.
Do Planks Strengthen My Core?
Planks are a great exercise to perform for core strength, but while working to rebuild your core, they may be too strenuous.
Also, if you see signs of coning or doming while doing planks, that is a sign of intolerance, and you should not continue to do them.
Can I Work Out 1 Month Postpartum?
You may be able to start working out one month postpartum if you have had no complications during birth and are feeling well.
The ACOG recommends starting exercise when you feel ready but if you are unsure, check with your doctor before starting a new routine.
Postpartum Abdominal Exercises For First-time Moms
Each exercise has an in-depth description and the recommended sets and reps. Choose 3-5 exercises and practice them for a few minutes a day. For a more structured plan, get my postpartum workout plan with a free PDF.
Exercise Ball Breathing
- Begin sitting on an exercise ball (or a chair) with your feet on the floor, knees at 90°, and sitting up straight.
- Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach so you can feel the movement of your breath.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor.
- To feel if your pelvic floor is activating, put your index and middle fingers inside your hip bones and feel a gentle activation of your muscles.
- Repeat for 10 breaths or 2 minutes.
Supine Breathing
- Begin lying on your mat with your knees bent and your pelvis tucked, ensuring your back is flat on the floor.
- Put your index and middle fingers just inside your hip bones to feel for the activation of your transverse abdominals.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor.
- Repeat for 10 breaths or 2 minutes.
Sidelying TA Bracing
- Start on your right side with your right arm extended and your knees slightly bent, stacked on top of each other. Your head is resting on your right arm.
- Put your left index and middle fingers inside your left hip bone to check for activation.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor.
- Switch to the left side and repeat for 10 breaths or 2 minutes on each side.
TA March
- Begin lying on your back with your knees bent 90°.
- Pull your belly button toward your spine to brace your core and breathe normally.
- You can place your hands on your hips upwards to ensure they are not rotating during the movement.
- Slowly lift one leg in the air, keeping the knees bent, stopping when your thigh is vertical.
- Lower your leg back down and repeat on the other side.
- Repeat this for 20 repetitions, 10 on each leg.
Rolling Bridge
- Begin on your back with your knees hip-width apart and bent 90°.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor. While exhaling, slowly bring your back off the floor one vertebrae at a time until your back is in a straight line.
- Slowly roll your back down to the floor, one vertebra at a time.
- Repeat for 10 breaths or 2 minutes
Modified Quad TA Bracing
- Start by sitting on your heels and having your hands on your mat shoulder-width apart.
- Make sure you have a neutral spine without rib flaring or tilting your pelvis.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor.
- Repeat for 10 repetitions.
Bent Knee Fall Out
- Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and your back completely flat on the mat.
- Brace your core by bringing the pelvic floor up and in, and breathe normally.
- Bring your right knee out about 45° or as far as it is comfortable for you while holding that brace, and then bring it back to the center.
- You can place your hands on your hips upwards to ensure they are not rotating during the movement. You want to focus the movement only on your legs.
- Alternate bringing your left and right legs out while keeping your core braced. If you don’t feel your core engaged, reset and begin again.
- Perform this movement for 20 repetitions, 10 on each leg.
Clamshell with Bracing
- Begin lying on your right side with your right arm stretched out and your head resting on it. Your knees are bent 45° and stacked.
- Place your index and middle fingers on the inside of your left hip bone to check for engagement.
- Engage your core by pulling your stomach towards your spine and breathing normally.
- While keeping your feet together, raise your left knee as high as possible without shifting your hips and keeping your right leg on the floor.
- Repeat for 10 repetitions and then perform this on the left side.
Deadbug-Arms Only
- Begin lying with your arms straight above you, and your lower back pressed to the floor. Bend your knees 90°.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor. Then, bring your right arm towards the floor above your head and back to the starting position.
- If you notice your back is coming off the floor during the reach, only bring your arm back as far as you can without lifting your back off the floor.
- Make sure you are keeping your legs at a 90° to avoid letting the core relax.
- Repeat this for 10 repetitions on each arm, 20 total.
One Leg Bridge Extension
- Begin on your back with your knees bent 90° hip-width apart.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor. While exhaling, bring your back off the floor until your back is in a straight line.
- While keeping your core braced, lift your right leg until it is in a straight line. Avoid letting your right hip dip during the movement.
- Bring your right leg down and continue to brace while lifting the left leg.
- Bring your left leg down and lower your spine back to the floor.
- Repeat for 10 repetitions.
Hip Hike
- Begin standing straight with your hands at your sides and your feet hip-width apart.
- Keep your left foot flat on the ground while pointing with your right toe, creating a slight bend at the knee.
- Engage your core by pulling your stomach towards your spine and breathing normally.
- Lift your right hip slightly, causing your right foot to gently lift off the ground and come back down. This movement is all in the hips and avoids lifting your leg.
- Perform 10 repetitions and then repeat on the left leg.
Wall Plank
- Begin facing a wall with your feet a few inches away, hip-width apart.
- Put your forearms on the wall shoulder-width apart, keeping your arms perpendicular to your shoulders.
- Keep a neutral spine, engage your core by pulling your stomach towards your spine, and breathe normally.
- If this seems too easy, you can walk your feet a little further from the wall with your arms in the same position.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds.
Postnatal Core Exercises to Eliminate Mommy Pooch
Rebuilding your abdominal muscles after having a baby can feel overwhelming. But with a list of safe & effective exercises, you can feel confident in healing your core and losing the dreaded mommy pooch. When you have a desire for change and a game plan, you will be unstoppable.
Work on adding these exercises into your day whenever possible. During nap time, while the baby is doing tummy time, waking up 15 minutes earlier or going to bed 15 minutes later can set you on your way to a stronger core before you know it.
Which exercise helped the most? Let me know in the comments.