Mamas on Bedrest: Ease Back into Exercise Post Bedrest
May 16th, 2012Bedrest Coach Darline Turner-Lee shares some tips and simple exercises to help Mamas who have been on bed rest ease into exercise following bed rest, labor and delivery. First and foremost, she recommends not starting this program until mamas are at least 6 weeks post partum to give themselves time to heal and/or recuperate after bed rest, labor and delivery. Then, using a straight back chair and a wall, Darline shares a few simple exercises to begin engaging the body’s large muscle groups. Darline emphasizes standing and sitting up straight, shoulders back and chest up and out to improve posture. She also emphasizes a slight pelvic tilt that will aid in pelvic floor and core strengthening without being too taxing on the abdominal muscles. As always, Darline recommends going slowly and not taxing your body beyond what is comfortable.
*NOTE: Be sure to check with your OB or midwife before starting any exercise program post partum!
Mamas on Bedrest: What is the best way to ease back into life after bed rest?
May 14th, 2012
Last week I received an e-mail from a former mama on bed rest, recently delivered, now resuming her life post partum. Her newborn is 7 1/2 weeks old and she also has a 2 1/2 year old. Almost immediately since delivering, she has thrown herself back into her “family routine” citing the need to restore normalcy for her older daughter and the need to “get back to her life.” Unfortunately, now she is exhausted as she is breastfeeding round the clock and notes she doesn’t have the strength she had pre-pregnancy. She was on bed rest for 6 weeks. She e-mailed me asking what she can do to “regain her energy, strength and stamina”.
It’s a call (or e-mail) that I’ve come to know well. A former mama on bed rest has delivered and immediately throws herself full throttle into caring for her home and baby. Some mamas have even gone back to work full time within the six week window of post partum recuperation. They ignore (or are unaware of the fact) that their bodies have undergone a major transformation; not only have they developed and given birth to new human being, they have also been deconditioned in the process by being on bed rest.
What many women don’t know and what most obstetricians don’t tell women who have been on bed rest is that their bodies have undergone fundamental changes-changes in addition to their pregnancies. According to Judith Maloni, PhD,
Bed rest for as little as 14 days results in:
- Muscle loss
- Bone loss
- Wt loss (and this can become problematic if the baby doesn’t gain weight as expected)
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Backaches
- Depression
- Shortness of breath
- Lower Extremity Swelling/circulatory changes
Women, unaware of these physiologic changes who try to resume their pre-pregnancy levels of activity are at increased risk of injury. Many women in the early post partum have sustained back strains, perineal tears, hemorrhoids or hernias.
So what is the safest way to ease back into life after bed rest?
Begin Slowly. As previously stated, significant bone and muscle loss can result in as little as 14 days in addition to circulation and respiratory changes. If you have been on very strict bed rest for more than 60 days, chances are you are quite deconditioned and are at increased risk of injury if you push yourself. If at all possible, do very little in those initial post partum days. Simply walking around your hospital room or home will be sufficient. Your task now is to nurse and bond with your baby and gradually increase your strength.
Get Help. The United States is one of a very few countries that provides no support for new mamas and families. In Asian culture for example, the first 40 days post partum are considered sacred and called “The Golden Month”. Women from the community come and care for mama and her family so that mama does nothing but recuperate for an entire month after pregnancy, labor and delivery. Many countries provide nursing visits to new mamas and families to ensure that mama is recovering well, that breastfeeding is becoming well established and that the family is transitioning well. The fact that the US also has no universal paid family leave is another reason that many mamas rush back to work. But taking on too much too soon often does more harm than good, so if at all possible, get help.
Sleep. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many new mamas become sleep deprived early in post partum trying to recuperate, establish breastfeeding and resume tending to their family’s needs. Again, in the early post partum, it is imperative that mama get enough rest to allow her body to heal from pregnancy, labor and delivery and then establish healthy milk production and breastfeeding, then re-establish her health and strength to regain her baseline level of health. Get help with home chores and activities so that you can rest and regain your strength.
Nutrition. Many mamas tell me that they barely have time to eat during the day and find themselves grabbing meals on the go. This can lead to “mal” nutrition, i.e. eating lots of fast and/or processed foods which we know are often laden with fats, sugar and empty calories. Preparing meals can be difficult during this time. Again, get help. See if a family member, neighbor or friend can help with grocery shopping and food preparation, preparing individual portions and readily (quickly) heated foods will help mama eat well and nourish her body back to health.
Exercise. One of the most common requests I get from mamas is “How do I get back into exercise?“ Mamas feel that since they’ve been “lying around” they need to get back to physical activity as soon as possible. Additionally, many mamas wish to regain their pre-pregnancy weight quickly. First and foremost, I remind mamas that it took 9 months for their bodies to grow and develop their babies, so they should allow at least 9 months to regain their pre-pregnancy bodies. Also, just as you wouldn’t start an obese person on marathon training, as a new mama coming off of bed rest, you too must start slowly. Walking Gets Mama into Shape After Bed Rest and 5 Tips to Enhance your Post Bedrest Post Partum Workout provide great information to get you started.
These 5 tips will surely get you started, but for more detailed or customized help, take advantage of our coaching programs. You can also ask questions at info@mamasonbedrest.com.
Mamas on Bedrest: The Best and Worst Countries for Mamas
May 11th, 2012A lot of mamas are still dying in childbirth globally and many children won’t see their first birthdays. It’s a shocking truth. While watching the Newshour on PBS the other evening they had a report on the best and worst countries for moms. I already know a lot of this information, but I love to listen to reports and glean whatever new information that I can. Reporter Gwen Ifill interviewed Carolyn Miles, President of the non-profit organization Save the Children and Ms. Miles provided some really good nuggets of information that I’ll share and summarize.
At the top of the list is Norway, which has one of the highest rates of contraceptive use in the world and one of the most generous maternity-leave policies among developed nations. Women in Norway are highly educated and well represented in government. The country also boasts the highest female-to-male income ratio and is tied for the second-lowest under-5 mortality rate among developed countries.
- Infant/Child Mortality. Many countries have staggering infant and child mortality rates. In Niger for example,virtually every mother will lose a child before the age of 5. This is primarily due to malnutrition and lack of health care resources. Unfortunately, children in the poorest countries will die from some of the most easily treatable diseases because they are malnourished and lack access to health care when they do in fact become ill.
- Maternal Mortality. Many mothers worldwide are dying in childbirth or as a result of complications from childbirth. In the United States, One in 2,100 births result in the death of the mother which is a shocking statistic given the resources in this country. However, despite our vast resources, many women and children live in poverty in the United States and poverty is a strong indicator of mortality in both mothers and babies worldwide. In the US, the big gap in health care that’s available for well-off women vs. very poor women is the driving force behind the maternal (and infant) mortality numbers.
- Economic Empowerment. It’s a known fact, when women can earn a living wage, they fare better and so do their children. In countries where women are able to earn a substantial income-nearly equal to that of a man, her health goes up and her mortality (risk of early death) goes down.
- Education of Women and Girls. It stands to reason that if women aren’t educated, they cannot attain high paying jobs, cannot earn a living wage and cannot support themselves and their children. It’s a vicious cycle. In countries like Norway where women are highly educated, we see women economically secure and thriving. In countries like Mali, Afghanistan and Niger, where education of women and girls is scanty at best, we see a high rate of maternal and infant mortality and and those women and children that are “surviving” are living in abject poverty. Ms. Miles added,
- “The longer you keep girls in school, the longer they delay having their first child. And that child will be much healthier. A girl who has a baby at 14 is a much higher risk pregnancy, and her baby is at much higher risk of death, than a girl who gets pregnant at 17 or 18. If she stays in school, it’s much more likely she’ll she’s going to wait until she’s older. That’s why education of girls is so important.”
- Political Involvement. In countries where women are allowed to be involved in the setting of political and social policies, women are doing much better. No surprise. When you have no representation, you have no voice and no way of making your needs known.
- Access to HealthCare. When women have readily accessible access to health care, their health and the health of their children is markedly improved. According to Ms. Miles, one of the reasons that Afghanistan was able to move from 165th to 164th is because of a surge in community health clinics. “And a lot of these health centers are in the places where moms and babies do die, kind of at the end of the health system, if you will, at the end of the road, really remote areas where these moms are oftentimes giving birth at home. So, having a health clinic close at hand really saves lives.”
- Maternity Leave. We also know that when women are allowed time off to give birth, recuperate from that birth and spend time with their babies bonding and breast feeding, both mothers and babies do well. One of the reasons that the United States ranked 25th in the Save the Children report is because of it’s poor maternity leave policy.”The report also notes that the U.S. has one of the least generous maternity leave policies of any wealthy nation. It is the only developed country — and one of only a handful of countries worldwide — that does not guarantee paid leave for working moms. Instead, by law, new mothers get 12 weeks of unpaid leave.”
We now know what it takes to make mamas and babies healthy. Now its time to implement these practices globally. It’s being done very successfully in many countries and very poorly in many more. Let’s hope that this new knowledge will bring forth improved standards of living and care for women and babies.
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