Protect the pelvic floor muscles For the first 3-4 weeks after giving birth, your tear must be given the time and care it needs to heal. You should therefore relieve your pelvic floor muscles as much as possible. It is not possible to completely avoid straining your pelvic floor, as it is subjected to extra pressure every time you stand up and sit down, cough, sneeze, laugh, etc. You will probably also find that it hurts to sit or stand for long periods. However, this varies from person to person, so see how you go and pay attention to the signals your body sends you. Try to relieve it as much as you can during the first month by: Avoiding sitting or standing for too long. Only walking short distances Lying down and relaxing when you experience pain, feel swollen or need a break Lying down to breastfeed Avoiding lifting more than your childs weight Avoiding heavy housework such as vacuuming, washing floors or carrying heavy shopping Doing pelvic floor exercises and exercises for blood circulation every day. After the first month, you can gradually begin to push yourself more. If you experience soreness when doing something, it is a sign that you have been too hard on your pelvic floor muscles, and you should reduce thestrain by sitting down briefly (rather than for a long period). Remember that it is better to walk and lie than to sit and stand. If you have to sit down, try sitting on a small, firm cushion. Avoid sitting on a rubber ring as it places a strain on your pelvic floor muscles. Venous pump exercises If your pelvic floor is sore and swollen, venous pump exercises may help. It is also a good idea to do the exercises before doing the pelvic floor exercises, as they make it easier to squeeze. It is important to lie flat on the bed with your upper body and raise the foot of the bed. When you come home, you can place blankets or quilts under your legs. Lie on your back, knees bent and your feet flat on the bed. Take 5–10 deep, steady breaths. Tilt the foot 30 times or lift one leg up and bend and stretch the knee 10–15 times. Hold the leg up and pump the foot backwards and forwards 10 to 15 times. Lower the leg, shake it a bit and repeat the exercise with the other leg. Pelvic floor exercises You can start doing pelvic floor exercises right away. If you are squeezing correctly, you can feel it in the rectum. Start simply by doing what is called a pump squeeze, i.e. squeeze for 1 second, then relax. Repeat up to 10 times. This is how you will achieve a pump function, bringing fresh blood to the area, which will aid the healing process. Remember to stop squeezing if it hurts. After 1-2 weeks, you can begin to hold the squeeze for several seconds, gradually building up to e.g. 10 8-second squeezes. Remember to take a short break between squeezes. 4
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