Most moms are familiar with prenatal care and well-baby visits, but not enough know about postnatal care to help moms recover after childbirth. I’m Toni Drinkard, a physical therapist here at Rebound Physical Therapy in Topeka, Kansas. And today we’re going to talk about our fourth trimester program for moms.
Should We Naturally Weaken After Childbirth?
Oftentimes, it’s been my experience that ladies come in here in their fifties or sixties, and I’ll say, “Activate your core.” Then they’re like, “I’ve had three babies,” and they laugh. It’s a common belief that our core muscles will just naturally weaken after childbirth; and while that’s true, what’s not true is that there’s nothing we can do about it. Most women just never really trained their bodies after having children, which is why the core muscles stay weakened.
What Is the Fourth Trimester Program?
People often ask, “What is that fourth trimester time period?” And that’s usually the first three months after delivery. Our fourth trimester program is all about strengthening the body and trying to get those core muscles activated or woken up. We also want to make sure that we’re moving in a way that’s not going to promote limitations or dysfunction.
If you think about all the repetitive movements during all those years of childcare, that can tax the body. And we want to make sure that we’re doing those movements not only efficiently, but also with strength and power. It’s the same thing in sports with athletes, but I’m saying to you, mommas are athletes. We just have a different sports field.
Call Rebound for an Evaluation
In our fourth trimester program, we’re going to look at how you move, where your limitations are and how to help you with your specific goals or with your specific load. What’s your family plate look like? What activities do you have to do? And our goal is to help you get back to those successfully, safely, and pain-free. If you’re interested, give us a call at (785)-271-5533 and we’ll be happy to help you get back in action.
Tags: Healthy lifestyle, pregnancy, pregnant, women, birth
