We're SO excited to hand over our Instagram page to Our Fit Family Life on Wednesday, July 11th. Tune in as pre and postnatal fitness specialist, Julie Baird shares her tips on how to look and feel your best during pregnancy and postpartum. Here's a preview!
During the 3rd trimester of my last pregnancy my body felt heavy and my core super weak. I was a personal trainer and a PE teacher, so standing and moving wasn't avoidable. I used a band to support and relieve my back and low belly for a few hours every day. I only post about products I love and I kept bragging about this one. The Upsie Belly is made from bamboo and is super comfy. At the end of the day, the hot gel pack was a luxury for my sore back... I also used it post-delivery!
DIASTASIS RECTI:
"What if I told you that pregnancy alters a woman’s abdomen? I know, this is not big news... pregnancy and delivery modify the abs position, but also organs and other muscles. When you’re pregnant the growing uterus forces the abs to make some room. Your 6-pack muscles need to stretch lengthwise, but also width wise (to an extent) to allow your baby to grow – that’s what we call a diastasis recti. Then, during delivery, your abs work extremely hard to push this precious baby out. In short, they really need some love after these full 9 months of adaptation and hard work. Re-educating your abs as early as possible is key to avoiding back pain, correcting a diastasis recti (DR), solving incontinence issues and getting back to our favorite physical activities safely! Because let’s be real, even if we’re walking on clouds with our new baby, we also want to feel ourselves again and get that flat tummy back!I used Dr. De Gasquet, L'Original ’s method to correct my Diastasis Recti and pelvic floor issues - here are the keys:
- sit tall and keep your back flat
- contract your pelvic floor and exhale
- try to open your arms against the resistance of the band on the exhale
- relax on the inhale
- you should never feel pressure on your pelvic floor.
To read more of Julie's amazing tips head here.
