Weight loss is a priority for most women after childbirth. Some moms get in shape fast and shed those pesky pounds within weeks. Others keep struggling for years to achieve the desired weight. Regardless of what category you fall into, exercise should be part of your routine. The benefits of physical activity go beyond weight loss. Working out will boost your energy and stamina, lift your mood, keep your brain sharp, and balance your hormones.
Here are five benefits of postpartum exercise other than weight loss:
Restore Muscle Tone and Strength
Postnatal exercise helps restore muscle tone and strength while shaping your body. In just a few weeks, you'll look more toned and shed belly fat. Strength training is particularly effective. Although
Granted during this time, it will be extremely modified, but maintaining her health will help maintain the baby’s health as well. This can be done within the first trimester by maintaining your normal workout routine. Many don’t even know they are pregnant until halfway through the first trimester. By the second trimester, you would want to greatly decrease the weight and maybe even begin some modified exercises. Within the third trimester, you would want to fully modify your routine so as not to over stress the baby. Some exercises that can be done throughout the whole pregnancy though, may consist of: Pull ups with band assistance, chin ups with band assistance, kegels, chair dips (body weight only) basic squat from chair, wall sits, alternating reverse lunges with hands on a chair, alternating leg extensions to the back with hands on a chair, heel slides, single heel drop, double heel drop, side single leg raises, the clam (legs bent and slightly elevated, heels together, slightly open and close at the knees), side bicycles to the front and the back, scissor kicks back and fourth, speed bicep posture curls with 5lb – 7.5lb hand weights (one armed, hammer curl, fully extended two arm curl), internal/external rotator cuff exercise with bands or 2lb – 5lb hand weights, Single arm, and 45 degree bent over, tricep kickbacks with 2lb – 7.5lb hand weights. If you do not have diastasis recti, (the splitting of the abs) it
Another important factor is doing daily activities as tolerated. Exercise in moderation, and incorporate stretching lower and upper extremities with rest period. Also monitor daily weight daily and notify physician if any critical change. The pregnant woman will be encouraged to practice deep breathing exercises and this can be used to minimize anxieties and promote energy. This will also prepare the pregnant woman for proper fitness and endurance during delivery and caring for the newborn. These regimens mentioned will minimizes fatigues both on the mother and the developing fetus.
To stay fit and firm during your pregnancy and banish wobbly fat and cellulite forever?
Second daily activity, start up a low impact exercise routine to obtain pre-pregnancy weight. This will help both mentally and physically once you are closer to your pre-pregnancy weight. The lack of physical activity contributes to excess weight gain during pregnancy and weight retention during postpartum. Many gyms have child care, and as your child ages this will help him or her fine tune attachment social skills early.
The women in the intervention and control groups were between the ages of 21 and 53 years and had a child within the last 18 years, while the pre-pregnancy group consisted of “younger women who did not have children” (Petrofsky et al., p. 42). The intervention group participated in the diet and exercise program, while the control group participated in all measurements, and the pre-pregnancy group only participated in the initial measurements. The intervention included a diet and exercise program that was specifically designed to allow for weight loss over the 2 month period of the study and the exercise program consisted of a specifically designed program to focus on areas of the body that are affected during pregnancy. The primary focus was on increasing muscle mass and increasing overall strength. The exercise program was clearly outlined and consisted of 30 minute exercise periods, which would increase each week, and was taken from a program of videos consisting of a combination of core training and aerobic and strength exercise. In addition, the workout schedule is clearly identified in Table-2 on p. 43 of the Petrofsky study for the entire 2 month period. The diet was clearly defined as well, consisting of a mild caloric restricted diet balanced between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats established by a nutritionist to further ensure proper balance of vitamins and minerals, while promoting a moderate
Depending on your circumstance, they may recommend a variety of exercises you can do at home to keep your muscles, tendons and ligaments where they need to be, all while strengthening your body. This added strength is a great way to stay healthy and active during pregnancy. Your chiropractor may recommend:
Certainly exercise has, in combination with a proper diet, the benefit of helping you lose baby weight, but from an emotional perspective, being active gives you the opportunity to do something for yourself at a time when much of your energy is directed toward the care of a
Our citation for the systematic review is APA . The researchers in this review are looking at home based interventions for post partum depression because of the numerous in home programs that are now established for mothers for prenatal care or before they give birth (Leis, Mendelson, Tandon, & Perry, 2009). Post partum depression is a form of depression new mothers can be affected by after giving birth; this makes them less likely to demonstrate active care and affection for newborns. Most women do spontaneously recover from this kind of depression. Many people will not seek out treatment for depression or mental disorders which is a reason for in home programs. Detection and treatment for depression to new mothers is a problem area still. Families that are low income are often high risk and cannot afford outside treatment due to many barriers such as affordability and transportation.
The purpose of this paper is present a synopsis of the article titled, The Effect of a Home-Based Exercise Intervention on Postnatal Depression and Fatigue: A Randomized Control Trial. This synopsis addresses the following items: purpose or objective, background, primary independent and dependent variables, main findings of the literature review, methods, statistical tests used and rationale for each, primary outcomes, results or findings, conclusions, and evidence rating using the SORT and GRADE evidence rating methods.
Postpartum depression is the epitome of grief, strife, and angst which slithers and knots its cruel intentions through every inch of your body and soul. It 's a predominant force in the daily life of mother 's suffering with PPD, relentlessly taunting its innocent victims to an extremely lonely, dark breaking point. Feeding psychologically, this tenacious monster 's very existence depending entirely on its host; much like a parasite.
Throughout the first few weeks, being assigned to the different nurses, I had the opportunity to overlook and observe about six patients they were caring for. These mothers in postpartum care were from around the same gestation time period but most had undergone one of both childbirth procedures—either vaginal delivery or caesarean section. All the mothers were kind and tolerant to allow me to care for them or to aid the nurses to care for them, in which I consider myself to be grateful—in return I did my best to by amiable and tried my best to carry out the given tasks in the best of my abilities.
One of the biggest decisions for a new mom is whether or not she will breast feed her newborn. This decision will not only impact the mother but it will also have many great affects on the baby. In the media we only see advertisements about formula which costs more money and is artificial. Why is it that the most natural source of food for our baby’s does not have the same kind of attention, if not more? Nurses need to help spread the awareness of the major differences between formula and breastfeeding to help higher the rates of breastfeeding, The purpose of this paper is to discuss how nurses can help to promote healthy breastfeeding to postpartum moms through three main roles which are, providing research that confirms the benefits of breastfeeding,
Hello, Muna thank you for your post. I am glad to hear that you experienced minimal medical problems while pregnant. However, you and I both were surprised to read the effects of inadequate nutrition while pregnant. Likewise, we learned specific cheeses and dairy products to avoid during pregnancy. According to the National Honor Society (NHS), pregnant women should avoid soft cheeses because they often contain listeriosis. The term Listeriosis occurs when foods eaten become contaminated with bacteria. However, it safe to eat hard cheeses made from pasteurized milk. In the article titled “Listeria and Pregnancy” at American pregnancy.org, it shares a pregnant woman infected with Listeriosis may experience flu-like symptoms (headaches, nausea, and vomiting). However, during the third trimester of pregnancy, the immune system is suppressed. Therefore, the best way to determine if a pregnant woman is ill from listeriosis is to take a blood test (NHS).
Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication of childbirth, affecting 10-15% of postpartum women. (Murray & McKinney, 2014) The American Psychiatric Association (2013) defines “peripartum depression” as a period of depression with onset during pregnancy or within 4 weeks after childbirth that lasts at least 2 weeks. Women of all ages, ethnic groups, educational levels, and social status are affected by PPD. According to Murray & McKinney (2014) there are a number of risk factors that contribute to PPD including: depression during pregnancy or previous PPD (strong predictors), first pregnancy, hormonal fluctuations that follow childbirth, medical problems during pregnancy, personality characteristics, marital dysfunction, anger
It has been shown through studies that exercising aids in strength, flexibility, muscle tone and endurance, all in which help in areas such as carrying extra weight, preparing for the physical stresses of labor and contributing in shedding the pounds postpartum (Gulino 2). Exercise also helps in relieving that excess weight gain, swelling, varicose veins, fatigue and leg cramps. It helps to prevent depression and establish confidence both before and after labor. Exercise lowers stress and improves emotional health. It has been shown through studies that women who exercise during pregnancy have shorter labors as well as a decreased need for painkillers and an epidural during labor and delivery (Hudson 1).