Standing Leg Extension with arms in Front (Exercise Classification: Intermediate)
Difficulty: Beginner
Standing Rotation with band Original
Modifications
You can increase or decrease the difficulty of this exercise by shortening or lengthening the distance of the band between your foot and hand.
Dip and Turn (Exercise Classification: Advanced)
Modifications
You can increase or decrease the difficulty of this exercise by shortening or lengthening the distance of the band between your hands. If you have trouble dipping down to 90 degrees, you can decrease how far you dip your front knee down.
Ball Sit with Overhead Reach with Band (Exercise Classification: Advanced)
Modifications
You can increase or decrease the difficulty of this exercise by shortening or lengthening the distance of the band between your feet and your hands.
Exercise Classification: Beginner
You’re a day past your due date and anxious to get the show on the road. You may have wondered what you can do to get things started and questioned whether a fast walk around the block may do the trick.
If you’ve been exercising throughout your pregnancy, it’s fine (and even advisable) to continue with your routine past your due date. Even if you haven’t been keeping fit, short walks are an excellent way to keep yourself focused and reduce pre-labor anxiety. As long as your feeling good and your doctor or midwife hasn’t asked you to avoid exercise, keep doing whatever activity feels best.
Although you may have heard other pregnancy women say that a run or fast walk brought on labor, the jury is out regarding whether exercise in itself can nudge labor. What little data there is on this subject hasn’t shown an association between physical activity and going into labor, but that doesn’t mean exercise isn’t helpful during those long days of waiting.
Many women who’ve exercising throughout their pregnancy have biked, ran, walked, or worked out in a gym the day they went into labor. We even know one woman who biked into the hospital to deliver her baby. These women would probably agree that exercising right up to when labor started made a big difference in how they felt during and after labor and delivery. Here are just a few of the perks:
Although you may feel impatient for your labor to start once you’ve reached your due date, it’s important to remember that normal gestation can vary between 38-42 weeks, with some pregnancies (called post-term) can go beyond 42 weeks. The following factors can increase the incidence of going past your due date:
With that in mind, don’t feel that you’re abnormal if you don’t feel anything happening at your due date—you and your healthcare provider can best determine whether you need to be induced or just sit tight until nature takes its course.
Internet Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
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Breast engorgement is one of the leading causes of postpartum pain. It is caused by high volumes of breast milk in the breast ducts or a clogged milk duct. Symptoms include skin redness, warmth to touch and pain. You may also notice flattening of the nipple and difficulty of latching for newborn. Many women find relief with increased frequency of breast feeding, pumping or hand expression of breast milk before and after breastfeeding. You can also try cold packs and breast massage to decrease swelling. Some women may also benefit from anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen.
In some situations, women may develop a condition called mastitis (inflammation and/or infection in breast tissue). If you experience the above symptoms (skin redness, warmth to touch, pain) as well as fever and fatigue, you should contact your healthcare provider immediately. You may need an antibiotic to treat the infection. Mastitis can make you feel very sick, so do not delay getting help!
Need help learning how to hand express breast milk? Click here to see a video from Breastfeeding Medicine of Northeast Ohio: The Basics of Breast Massage and Hand Expression
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Your return to fertility (when you might get pregnant again) after having a baby is unpredictable. It is even possible to get pregnant before your first period after having your baby.
For your health and the health of your baby, it is recommended to wait at least a year and a half before trying to get pregnant again. Leaving time between pregnancies allows your body and mind time to heal which can improve your health and your baby’s health.
It is also recommended that women wait 6 weeks postpartum before having sex. This recommendation, along with using contraception (also commonly called “birth control”), can help you heal and plan your family. There are a variety of contraceptive options. Ultimately, only you can decide which method is best for you and your family.
Many women are not ready for sex at 6 weeks postpartum- that is very normal! Here are some reasons why:
If you are ready to have sex and don’t already have a postpartum contraception plan, now is a great time to learn about your options. That way you can be ready to talk to your health care provider at your postpartum follow-up visit.
Here are some things to think about:
Here are some great resources to learn more about your options:
Authors: Nikki B. Zite MD MPH, Megan Lacy MPH, Laurel Carbone MD, Samantha F. Ehrlich PhD, Jill M. Maples PhD, & Jenny LaCross, PT, DPT, PhD(c), WCS, ATC, CLT-LANA
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Congratulations, Mom! Now, some considerations for medications during postpartum. If you are breast feeding, remember that some medications you take can pass to your baby in breast milk. Medications to avoid if you’re breastfeeding include chemotherapy drugs, some mood stabilizers and antipsychotics, certain antibiotics (Metronidazole, Tetracyclines, Sulfa drugs, Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin), Atenolol, Retinoids, and Radiocontrast media. If you consume alcohol, delay consumption until after feeding and wait at least 2 hours after a single serving to feed again. High caffeine intake can cause infant irritability and poor sleep. Avoid illegal drugs, including marijuana, and smoking around your baby. Remember drugs that make you sleepy or altered can have the same effect on your baby! Avoid estrogen containing birth control or medications immediately after delivery as this can increase your risk for a blood clot and decrease milk production. Let all medical providers know you are breast feeding before starting any new medication and refer to free LactMed website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501922/) or app for a full list of medications and recommendations.
Resources:
Breastfeeding and Maternal Medication, Recommendations for Drugs in the 11th WHO Model List of Essential Drugs, Dept of Child and Adolescent Health and Development
Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2006.- LactMed App. [Updated 2019 Dec 16]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547435/
Author: Laurel Carbone, MD
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After vaginal delivery, the most common pain is from breast swelling (also called engorgement), uterine contractions, and vaginal tears. Cold packs and increasing the frequency of breast feeding can help with engorgement. Pain relievers like Tylenol and Motrin can decrease inflammation to relieve pain. Heating pads can help relieve pain associated with uterine cramps, which are most common during breastfeeding in the first few postpartum days. To help reduce pain associated with vaginal tears, ice packs can be applied to the perineum (the area between the vagina and anus). Topical astringents, like witch hazel pads, or numbing creams can improve hemorrhoid symptoms.
Following cesarean delivery, it is important to take pain medication as recommended or prescribed by your health care provider. If NSAID dosing every 3 hours does not treat your pain, low dose opiates may be used. The goal is to use low dose opiates only as needed for break through pain. Codeine containing medications pass through the breast milk and adequate precaution must be taken if breast feeding. Choosing a breastfeeding position that puts less pressure on your incision and/or using a heating pad or compression belt may also provide incision pain relief. When you poop, sneeze/cough, or vomit in the first few weeks it can be helpful to use a small pillow (i.e. a throw pill from a couch) to brace/hold against your incision. This helps to absorb force to the incision. You can also hug the small pillow against your incision when rolling to get in and out of bed as well as when standing up from a chair.
Remember, constipation is common in the postpartum period (regardless of mode of delivery) and can make pain worse so stool softeners and certain laxatives can be helpful during this time.
Tips for managing constipation:
For vaginal or C-Section deliveries: slow deep breathing, focusing on the lower rib cage expanding in all directions, for a few minutes can help to decrease pain and promote reduction of swelling. This also sometimes helps mid to upper back pain.
For more information: https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/postpartum-pain-management
Postpartum pain Management, ACOG Committee Opinion 742, July 2018
Author: Laurel Carbone, MD and Jill M. Maples, PhD, and Jenny LaCross, PT, DPT, PhD(c), WCS, ATC, CLT-LANA
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