Post-birth recovery from a caesarian section can take time with
wound healing occurring in the first 2-3 weeks, then scar tissue
formation deepening over the next 2-3 weeks.
6 weeks to 3 – 4 months
Regaining core and pelvic floor control and building fitness
During this time your client’s pelvic floor strength, endurance and
supportive capacity is being regained, so it is essential to work
closely with her to ensure there is protection of the pelvic floor during
training.
Focus on:
• rebuilding abdominal tone, strength and endurance capacity
• shortening the abdominal wall
• ensuring no strain on an excessive abdominal separation (if <
2cm, and no tenting or doming of the separation, then this doesn’t
require caution)
• enhancing recovery of excessive abdominal wall separation.
MATCHING YOUR
FEMALE CLIENT’S
TRAINING TO HER
LIFE STAGE
Click HERE to listen to the UK’s leading
female health and fitness educator,
Jenny Burrell, talking with The Fitness
Industry Podcast about post-natal
recovery, pelvic floor screening and the
need for self-compassion.
This is done through appropriate post-natal levels of abdominal
wall retraining and load progressions. Progressively build strength,
resistance and cardio training levels that can be adjusted to the
client’s energy levels, core recovery levels and desired outcomes.
One main precaution
Studies show that in Australia one in three women who have ever had
a baby wet themselves, according to The Continence Foundation of
Australia. Protection of the pelvic floor to promote optimal recovery
when working with post-natal women will help to protect your client
from becoming one of these women.
THE BOAT THEORY
Diagram reproduced with permission from The Continence Foundation of Australia
Depending on the rate of recovery of your client, it
can take between four to six months or longer for
them to feel ‘back to normal’.
40 | NETWORK AUTUMN 2019
One in two women who have had a baby
have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse.
The Boat Theory is a good way to explain
to women about their pelvic floor recovery
process.
Imagine that ‘the boat’ represents the
internal pelvic organs and that as it sits on
top of the water it is attached by ropes to the
jetty, which are the ligaments that support
the pelvic organs. The pelvic floor is the
water level, so when the pelvic floor has
normal supportive tone, there is no tension
on the ropes.
After pregnancy and birth, if the pelvic
floor muscles are stretched, the ‘water level
is lower’. If jumping, running, bouncing or
impact exercises are added, tension will
soon be placed on the ‘ropes’. With time,
this could cause the ropes to overstretch,
and if the ‘water level’ remains lower, the
‘boat’ or pelvic organs are less supported.
This can lead to a pelvic organ prolapse, if
the pelvic floor is not restrengthened and the
supportive internal ligaments not protected.
This can occur for some women soon after
the birth, or even months later. For others, a
prolapse can develop years later.
Pelvic floor retraining and protection
to improve pelvic floor function during the
post-natal recovery stages can help to
reduce the risk of a pelvic organ prolapse
from occurring.
4 months to 8 - 12 months
Testing and strengthening with training
progressions
Depending on the rate of recovery of your
client, it can take between four to six months
or longer for them to feel ‘back to normal’
and to be able to return to previous activity
levels. Some women may choose to modify