EMS Postpartum Training for Recovery After Childbirth

The journey from conception to childbirth is filled with memorable milestones for expectant mothers – some exhilarating and some overwhelming. During that time, the female body goes through multiple changes as the fetus develops and grows. Once your baby is born, the postpartum period begins – a time for your body to heal and recover. But getting back in shape can be a challenge. 

Learn how EMS fitness can help you overcome common postpartum challenges and accelerate your recovery from pregnancy and childbirth. 

During pregnancy, your body goes through multiple hormonal and biological changes, and they don’t disappear as soon as the baby is born. In fact, the postpartum period is often referred to as the “fourth trimester,” because it is part and parcel of the childbirth experience. There are several common changes during pregnancy that linger postpartum.

Hormonal changes:

Hormones are chemical messengers that tell your cells and systems what to do. Your body releases them in response to both external and internal stimuli. Hormones tell your body when the baby is ready to be born, and they signal the tissues to prepare for the birth. Hormones that are elevated during pregnancy gradually decrease after childbirth, and others become elevated during the postpartum period. 

Hormones that play a role during pregnancy and postpartum include:

• Relaxin, a hormone that makes your ligaments more elastic, softening the pelvic ligaments and enabling the birth canal to open. Relaxin affects joints throughout your body, making them less stable, which can increase your risk of injury during physical activity. Relaxin also causes the ligaments of your feet to splay, and you may need a larger shoe size after childbirth.
• Estrogen levels are elevated during pregnancy and dramatically drop by 90% in the first week postpartum. Estrogen is essential during breastfeeding, and plays a critical role in postpartum tissue healing.  
• Progesterone prepares the uterine lining for implantation of the fertilized egg and supports the growth of the fetus. It prevents the uterus from contracting until the baby reaches full term, and prepares the mammaries for lactation. Progesterone levels are about 10 times greater than normal during pregnancy, and dramatically drop postpartum.
• Vasopressin helps to maintain proper fluid balance in the body and expands the mother’s blood volume to support the growing fetus. Excess fluid retention typically drops in the days immediately after childbirth.
• Testosterone is essential to sexual differentiation in the body and brain in early fetal development. Testosterone levels taper off after childbirth.
• Cortisol plays a key role in fetal brain and neural development, and in the maturation of the baby’s vital organs. 
• Prolactin levels rise throughout pregnancy, stimulating breast tissue development to prepare the mammary glands for milk production once the baby is born.
• Oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone,” stimulates uterine contraction and facilitates the delivery of the baby and placenta. After childbirth, oxytocin levels remain elevated to promote uterine shrinkage and vaginal healing. Oxytocin is responsible for the nurturing instincts that bond mother and baby, and levels remain elevated for as long as the mother continues to nurse the baby. 

Physical changes:

As the fetus grows, the mother’s center of gravity begins to shift, and the muscles adapt to support the extra weight of the baby. Consequently, postural changes may occur that must be corrected after childbirth. A well-structured resistance training program can help restore muscle balance and realign your posture. 

As pregnancy progresses, the abdominal and pelvic muscles stretch, along with the skin, as the baby continues to grow. The rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle) may split down the middle along the linea alba – the membrane that separates the right and left sides, to make more room for the baby. 

Factors in Postpartum Recovery

Over the first six weeks postpartum, the body is in recovery mode as the uterus shrinks back to normal size and vaginal tissue heals. During this time, vigorous exercise and heavy lifting are discouraged, to ensure proper healing. Moderate walking is encouraged during this time, to help restore muscle balance, tone and function. 

However, certain complications during childbirth can influence postpartum recovery:

• Tearing of the perineal tissue as the baby exits the birth canal can affect the ability of the perineum to support the pelvic floor. Not all women tear, and sometimes the doctor opts to make a small surgical incision to prevent tearing, but healing time can vary.
• Cesarean section (C-Section) involves a surgical incision through skin, fat, fascia, and the uterus, and separation of the abdominal muscles. It can take some time for the incision and tissues to fully heal, which can delay your return to physical activity. 
• Uterine prolapse is a common postpartum condition related to perineum tearing, scar tissue, and pelvic muscle tone,  and it may affect exercise programming. Some exercises can make the condition worse. 
• Many new mothers experience urinary incontinence when they laugh, sneeze or do physical activities due to a weakened pelvic floor and lax abdominal muscles. This typically self-resolves over time, especially if the mother is physically active, but severe cases may require pelvic floor rehabilitation. 
• Diastasis recti where the ab muscles split is normal for most pregnancies, and most cases spontaneously resolve within the first 12 weeks postpartum. However, severe cases may need to be rehabilitated before beginning strenuous physical activity.

It is recommended that healthy mothers with no complications wait until weeks 7-12 postpartum to resume resistance training and vigorous exercise. A well-designed resistance training program can help to restore muscular balance throughout the body, and tone up the pelvic and core muscles. 

Most women experience weight gain during pregnancy, and shedding extra pounds becomes a primary concern postpartum. Women who continue to nurse their babies have greater success with weight loss during the postpartum period. After the seven-week marker, most new mothers are ready to exercise normally. However, there are many new factors that make getting back in shape a challenge.

Challenges to Getting Back in Shape After Childbirth

No matter how well prepared you think you are, most new parents are quickly overwhelmed by the changes a new baby brings into their lives. Many new mothers are faced with the reality that going to the gym is at best a big production. 

Challenges to postpartum exercise include:

• Erratic sleep patterns due to night feedings and diaper changes that leave you chronically fatigued.
• A demanding schedule that leaves little time for self-care.
• Embarrassing urinary incontinence during physical activity.
• Self-consciousness about extra weight and reduced muscle tone. 
• Need for childcare during exercise sessions.

For women who were physically active before and during pregnancy, these challenges may force them to rethink how they approach exercise in the postpartum phase.

Postnatal EMS: An Ideal Solution for Postpartum Exercise

Electric muscle stimulation (EMS) targets the major muscle groups, stimulating maximal muscle contraction during exercise to accelerate training benefits in a fraction of the time of traditional workouts. Postpartum EMS training is ideal for new mothers who have limited time for exercise and want a structured exercise program.

Advantages of EMS postpartum include:

• Support and guidance from a certified personal trainer.
• Fast results in as little as two 20-minute sessions per week.
• Scheduled workouts for accountability and equipment availability.
• Adaptive programming as your body recovers. 

EMS training for postpartum recovery will help you tone and strengthen your core and pelvic floor, and restore muscle balance in the trunk and pelvic region. EMS promotes fat burning during and after exercise, and training adaptations gradually increase your metabolism, to promote long-term postpartum weight loss. 

Get Your Body Back on Track with Postpartum EMS Fitness

Pregnancy and childbirth bring big changes into your life, physically, mentally and emotionally. Streamlining your exercise program with postpartum EMS will help to accelerate recovery and restore your fitness with minimal time commitment. Our certified personal trainers take the guesswork out of postpartum training with personalized exercise routines, customized to your unique needs. 

Getting in shape after childbirth has never been easier. Contact Amplified EMS today, and speed up postpartum recovery so you can enjoy your life to the fullest as a new mom.