Is it okay to do it every day during postpartum recovery

Whether postpartum recovery can be done every day, there is never a one-size-fits-all standard answer. It all depends on the postpartum stage you are in, the type of program you choose, and your own body tolerance.

When several people around me were discharged from the hospital after normal delivery, the nurse specifically told them that if there was no tear and side incision, there was no need to wait for abdominal breathing and Kegel exercises. They could just do it for three to five minutes while lying down. It would be no problem to do it three or four times a day. My best friend gave birth to her first child last year, and she had no wounds during the natural delivery. She started doing abdominal breathing intermittently after coming out of the delivery room. She could hold the Kegels for 3 seconds every time before she was out of confinement. The pelvic floor muscle strength in the 42-day review was directly at level 2, which is better than many that take half a year to recover. People recover much faster. This kind of low-intensity program that does not increase abdominal pressure and does not stretch the wound can actually help the body regain muscle memory if done every day. Just like practicing standing postures in daily life, consciously adjusting every day will definitely have better results than just practicing once every other week.

But on the other hand, if you cram items into your daily list regardless of the items, it will be easy to do bad things with good intentions. Two months ago, I met a mother at a postpartum repair center near my home. She was in a hurry to tighten her belly just after her confinement. She did abdominal fascia compressions and core activation every day. After doing this for six days, she suddenly had bright red blood. After going to the hospital for a checkup, she found out that the endometrium had not been completely repaired. Frequent pressing on the abdomen had irritated the wound. There are also many people who follow the online tutorials to practice Kegels, more than a dozen times a day, but they hold it in so hard every time that they have difficulty urinating after half a month of practice. Only after doing a pelvic floor muscle evaluation did they find out that the muscles were overly tense and that something was wrong.

In fact, there is no absolute consensus on this matter in the field of obstetrics. Some people think that low-load programs can be carried out every day and are more efficient. Some doctors recommend that any program with a certain intensity, such as postpartum yoga, weight-bearing core training, and pelvic floor muscle electrical stimulation, should be done 3-4 times a week. Sufficient time should be left for the muscles to rest and repair. After all, the changes brought to the body by ten months of pregnancy cannot be made up for in one month.

To judge whether you can do it every day, the most reliable criterion is your own physical sensation. If you don’t have backache, lower abdominal distension, wound tingling or abnormal bleeding after completing the project that day, and you don’t feel weak and tired when you wake up the next day, then it’s absolutely fine to continue doing it. If you feel any discomfort, don’t bear it, stop and rest immediately, and if it’s serious, go see a doctor. After all, stability is more important than speed in recovery.