postpartum workout technique ?

kristenmichelle9214
kristenmichelle9214 Posts: 30 Member
edited November 10 in Fitness and Exercise
This might be a stupid question but anyway.. I had a c section four months ago (9/2/14) and my stomach muscles are like gone .. I can't do situps/crunches anymore and I was just thinking .. Would doing sit-ups while laying on a couch help get my stomach muscles back together, like slowly start off doing them on the couch and then move to the floor when I feel comfortable ? Or will that not do anything ?

Replies

  • jr235
    jr235 Posts: 201 Member
    Have you seen a doctor to make sure you don't have muscle separation? If you haven't you should go before starting any sort of abdominal exercise regime.

    We are nearly post partpartum twins. I had my baby 9/4, also by c section. ;)
  • kristenmichelle9214
    kristenmichelle9214 Posts: 30 Member
    My doctor said I'm good to do whatever I want to do and that I'm healed (at my 6 week checkup) haven't seen her since then but my thought is that it could also be from not working out for like a year lol (core workouts at least) I feel like I need to re train my body . I try and do a situp and all I can do is lift my head and it strains my neck . on a couch I can actually do a situp though .
    And that's awesome ! Boy or girl ?
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    edited January 2015
    "Healed" referring to the c section or abdominal muscles?

    From what I know, it takes quite some time for the abs to get back close to each other, to cover the gap formed during pregnancy.

    The abs can keep even normally fit ladies from doing situps and such for up to a year after having given birth.
  • Slasher09
    Slasher09 Posts: 316 Member
    You need to be careful with your ab muscles, esp after having a section. I read a lot about this after my son was born July 2013 (not a c-section). Most of the reading I had done suggested no ab work at all for up to four months for a non-section, and doing special workouts to get back into it. They were pilate type moves that were to help "re-knit" your ab muscles together. If you have a separation of these muscles and you just go into crunches you can permanently damage them and they will never get any better without surgery. I believe there was something where you could lie on your back with knees bent and very very subtly lift your torso. Feel between the left and right parts of your abs. If there was a gap of larger than one finger width than you had a separation that you had to be gentle with.

    He is 18m now and I have very nice abs now. I don't know if what I did made a difference as I will admit I have always had a nice torso even before kids.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories