Pregnancy and childbirth inevitably lead to stretching of the intimate muscles and slight displacement of organs in the pelvis. The reason is the constant pressure of the uterus, which only increases with each trimester. After the baby is born, the mother should think about how to quickly return the body to its previous shape. You can speed up the process and improve sexual health with the help of Kegel exercises (after labor, they can only be started with the permission of a doctor).
Dr. Kegel developed a special complex for the treatment of women who suffered from urinary incontinence during coughing, exercise and laughter. The system is aimed at increasing the tone of the perineal muscles. In practice, it has been found that regular contractions help get rid of not only incontinence, but also other problems. Around the world, millions of women practice Kegel exercises after childbirth. The effectiveness of this technique is confirmed by a large number of positive reviews, both from patients themselves and from doctors.
Why do you need Dr. Kegel exercises after childbirth?
The benefits of specially designed exercises to strengthen the vaginal muscles are invaluable. By practicing regularly, you can achieve the following results:
- quickly return the uterus to its prenatal form or as close to it as possible;
- prevent prolapse of organs in the pelvis or help them return to their physiological position;
- train the muscles of the vagina - it will narrow slightly and become more sensitive. Such changes will change your sex life for the better;
- reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system;
- accelerate the cleansing of the body from postpartum discharge;
- reduce the risk of developing urinary incontinence;
- increase blood circulation in the pelvis, which indirectly helps prevent hemorrhoids.
Before you train the muscles, the vagina should return to normal slightly. During the examination, the doctor will assess the condition of the woman in labor and give recommendations. Indications are individual and depend on how the birth took place, whether there are other diseases that cause complications, etc. Indications for training: planning pregnancy and the preparatory prenatal stage, recovery after the birth of the baby. It is also useful to perform a set of exercises for the prevention and treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence, hemorrhoids, and inflammatory processes.
Features of the recovery period
The contraction of the uterus is provided by the hormone oxytocin. Against this background, the woman feels a nagging or aching pain that manifests itself in the lower abdomen. During breastfeeding, the intensity of the pain syndrome increases because hormone production increases during lactation. There is no need to worry about this; feeding helps speed up the regeneration process.
The woman is discharged from the maternity hospital on the third day. Before this, an ultrasound examination is mandatory. A manual examination is also carried out to assess the condition of the organ after childbirth. Normally, ultrasound shows blood clots in the upper part of the uterus. The weight of the organ is about 750 g, length and width are about 140 mm.
The cervix of the reproductive organ takes much longer to recover and no longer takes its original shape. Immediately after birth, the dilation remains at 12 cm, and by the end of 3 months the section takes on a cylindrical shape. The expansion goes away gradually, the woman may feel a slight pulling pain in the perineal area. The cervical canal looks slit-like, as can be seen in the photo. Such changes are not noticeable during sexual intercourse; only a gynecologist can see them.
Features during repeated births
The process of restoration of the uterus after the second, third or subsequent births is accompanied by peculiarities. Most often, the uterus contracts with greater intensity, which is why the woman experiences intense pain in the postpartum period. At this time, the woman has severe pain in the lower abdomen, and the mammary glands noticeably increase in size. The patient’s well-being improves by taking painkillers.
Attention! The process of restoration of the uterus after a cesarean section also differs from that characteristic of natural childbirth.
In some cases, against the background of weak labor or rapid labor, uterine contractions in the postpartum period are regarded as weak. In this case, doctors recommend taking special medications. Oxytocin helps ensure the restoration of the natural tone of the uterus after childbirth. Doctors often recommend the additional use of decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs. It is recommended to do exercises no earlier than the second week.
During the third or fourth birth, the cervical canal remains more stretched than after the first. The size of the uterus itself also changes, its weight increases by 50-70 g from the original. Recovery does not always follow a certain pattern, without complications, therefore the risk of their occurrence cannot be excluded. A mandatory gynecological examination, carried out after 2-3 months, will help reduce the risk of progression of pathologies.
How to quickly strengthen your vaginal muscles with exercises?
The main condition for achieving results from Kegel exercises after labor is regularity. Several approaches are performed daily. The first positive changes will become noticeable after about 5 weeks. They begin to train with 4 daily approaches, gradually increasing the number of training sessions to 7 each day.
The cycle consists of several variations of muscle contractions, each of which is repeated 10 times to begin with. Beginners are recommended to hold the position for 4 seconds, after a few days increase the time to 5, then to 10 seconds. First, all tasks from the complex are performed from a lying position. This way the muscles of the vagina and perineum are better felt. Subsequently, the posture changes to sitting and standing. The convenience of these workouts is that they can be performed anywhere.
A prerequisite is to empty the bladder in advance, otherwise inflammatory processes in the ureters may be provoked. Breathing must be kept even and calm.
What will an ultrasound of the uterus show after childbirth?
Diagnosis of the condition of the uterus, as well as the pelvic organs, after childbirth is performed to detect possible disorders that can lead to complications. The doctor analyzes and studies the woman’s health status according to several parameters:
- the size of the uterus, how it contracts, where and how it is located at the time of examination;
- whether there are any formations or fragments in the cavity inside the uterus (for example, blood clots, parts of the fetal membrane or remaining placenta may be found);
- what is the volume of fluid in the uterus, is it excessive;
- assessment of the endometrium: is there any development of inflammatory phenomena;
- assessment of the suture at the surgical site (if the birth took place by cesarean section);
- general condition of all pelvic organs.
How and when should women perform Kegel exercises after childbirth?
Your doctor will tell you when to perform a set of Kegel exercises after childbirth. If no contraindications are found, then the sooner the better. Training is not only allowed, but also necessary. In addition, when sitting at home for a long time, it is not difficult to allocate 10–15 minutes, especially since you can do this while washing dishes, rocking a baby, while walking with a stroller, etc. There is no need for special clothing, equipment or visiting the gym . Regarding nursing mothers, there is a recommendation - do not train on a full stomach and it is better after the breasts have been emptied (after feeding the baby).
What are the contraindications?
Not every woman can strengthen her pelvic floor after childbirth using the Kegel method. There are a number of contraindications that should be discussed with your gynecologist and your doctor:
- inflammation of hemorrhoidal veins during exacerbation;
- varicose veins in the intimate area and on the legs;
- oncological neoplasms in the genital area, suspected cancer;
- infectious diseases in the acute stage of their course;
- sexually transmitted infections, diseases.
If contraindications are ignored, the result may be unpredictable.
Manifestations of uterine subinvolution
One of the first manifestations of uterine subinvolution is profuse lochia (bloody discharge) of a brown color. This bleeding can last for 3-4 weeks after birth. Another symptom that indirectly indicates a violation of uterine contractions is the absence of cramping pain during breastfeeding. In some cases, patients complain of nagging pain in the lower abdomen, which is not associated with putting the baby to the breast. If there are also predisposing factors against the background of these symptoms, the likelihood of a diagnosis of subinvolution is very high.
Fever with chills indicates infection and the development of endometritis. The temperature can be low-grade or rise to high numbers - 39-40 degrees. If pus appears in the bloody discharge, this indicates a severe course of the disease. In such cases, the pain in the uterine area is strong, constant, and is accompanied by symptoms of intoxication - severe weakness, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea. How pronounced the manifestations of the disease will depend on the type of pathogen and the characteristics of the woman’s body.
Correct exercise technique
The complex, developed by Dr. Kegel, strengthens the muscles of the pelvic floor and perineum. To understand which muscles need to be tensed, it is enough to stop the process several times while urinating. Those muscles that tensed to interrupt the process must contract purposefully. The technique of stopping urination is used once; in no case should this be experimented with constantly - this is fraught with infection of the urinary organs and the development of inflammatory processes.
Kegel exercises after childbirth are a sequence of contractions and relaxations of specific muscles. The effectiveness and speed of achieving your goals depends on how correctly the equipment is selected.
The starting position for beginners is lying with your back on the floor. Bend your legs and spread them, placing your feet close to each other. The position of the feet is chosen such that the legs bent at the knees do not slip, and the stomach and hips are relaxed. It is advisable to place one hand on your stomach to control its relaxation. It is more convenient to place the second hand under the buttocks. To restore intimate muscles after childbirth, perform the following complex:
- First exercise "Hold"
Squeeze the muscles of the perineum, hold for 3 seconds and relax. Repeat after 3 seconds. The number of repetitions is from 10 to 15. Over time, the delay is extended to 5 seconds, then to 10.
- Second exercise “Elevator”
Squeeze the muscles in the perineum, as in the first point. After 3, 5 or 10 seconds, increase the compression and hold. Imagine this is the second stage. Repeat up to the fifth step until the tension is maximum and the intimate muscles are pulled towards the uterus. Next is a gradual loosening of the contracted muscles in imaginary steps, stopping at each stage of relaxation.
- Third exercise "Contraction"
Contract and relax the muscles as quickly as possible for 5 seconds, then rest for 5 seconds and repeat. Do several approaches.
In addition to those listed, there are a dozen more useful workouts, but to get started, it’s enough to focus on these three.
Treatment
Treatment with lochiometers is based on the following prescriptions:
- ice on the lower abdomen (for several hours intermittently);
- lying on your stomach 2-3 times a day;
- antispasmodics - to relax the uterine os;
- uterotonics - to stimulate uterine contractions;
- antibiotics - to prevent infectious complications.
Lochiometra after cesarean section is stopped using similar methods - treatment is carried out using conservative therapy.
If improvement does not occur within 2-3 days, the accumulated contents of the uterus are removed with a curette or vacuum apparatus.
If an advanced purulent process has developed, in severe cases it may be an indication for hysterectomy - removal of the uterus.
Possible mistakes during training
Before the pelvic floor muscles recover after childbirth, women may repeatedly experience ineffective exercise. The reason is the wrong technique. Common mistakes:
- The gluteal muscles and abs tense. The work should involve exclusively intimate muscles;
- abnormal breathing rhythm or delay due to tension;
- full bladder;
- failure in the training schedule, performing them from time to time, without a systematic approach.
Before you restore the vaginal muscles after childbirth, you have to work long and seriously. Training should be carried out daily, several times. Excessive zeal is not encouraged - you cannot do the whole complex at once or exercise at an too fast pace. First there are simple basic workouts, and then they are supplemented with new, more complicated ones.
Useful tips
An important point for every woman in labor is to consult a doctor about any innovations in her usual lifestyle. This way you can avoid potential problems and achieve the desired results. To decide when to start actively working on yourself, you can follow the recommendations of specialists, taking into account the state in which the woman in labor is. There are three common conditions that doctors talk about.
The natural birth took place without any complications, the mother feels well. If there are no contraindications, you can train on the second day, starting with minimal loads. There is no need to rush to increase them; the body needs time to recover from stress. When a woman in labor is weakened, she needs to wait until she returns home from the hospital. The main rule is to listen to your own feelings, and if activities provoke pain or discomfort, consult a doctor and stop the activity.- Natural childbirth was accompanied by rupture of the perineal muscles (or the doctor performed a dissection to prevent ruptures). You can't do anything until the stitches have healed. This requires at least 10 days. You won’t be able to determine the degree of healing on your own; you need to consult a gynecologist.
- The patient underwent a cesarean section for medical reasons. You will have to refrain from any activity for about a month. It is important to wait until the suture on the uterus heals and a scar forms. Be sure to consult a gynecologist, otherwise unauthorized training will cause the sutures to come apart.
The right approach to training, timely consultation with a doctor and regular work on yourself are the main conditions that must be observed in order to return to prenatal shape.
Causes of disruption of natural recovery processes
Nature has designed it so that the process of delivery and recovery occurs naturally without outside intervention. This is indeed possible, but only on condition. That there are no complications during childbirth. The list of the most common aggravating factors includes:
- multiple pregnancy;
- improper separation of the placenta (for example, placenta previa);
- Uterine overactivity is a common cause of precipitate labor;
- intestinal obstruction in the postpartum period (complications of the bowel movement can also alter the natural recovery process);
- C-section;
- presence of diseases or decreased immunity;
- previous abortions.
Attention! The reproductive organ should narrow and decrease in size gradually; a doctor will help distinguish normal from pathology and assess the need for medical intervention.
