After two to three weeks following the birth of your baby, you can follow these three steps to aid in your recovery:

Rest: It is particularly important to rest after the birth of your baby to minimize discomfort and relieve the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles from weight. Lie down for 30 minutes, twice a day.

Use Ice: If you gave birth or attempted to give birth naturally, using ice or a clean panty liner soaked in cold water and placed in the refrigerator will help reduce swelling and pain in your perineum. Try to do this within the first 72 hours after giving birth to facilitate your recovery.

Exercise: Pelvic floor and abdominal muscle exercises will help you regain your form and restore the skin around stitches. Provided you are not in pain, you can start these exercises one or two days after the birth of your baby.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises: The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that form the base of the pelvis. It consists of muscles from the pubic bone at the front of your abdomen to the coccyx at the lower part of the spine. The pelvic floor muscles support the rectum, vagina, and urethra. The pelvic floor helps to tighten the vagina and close the urethra and anus to avoid leakage of urine, feces, or gases, to support the pelvic organs and abdominal contents, and to allow sexual intercourse. Your pelvic floor is under pressure during pregnancy, carrying the extra weight of your baby and being affected by hormones. During childbirth, the pelvic muscles experience significant strain. Pelvic floor exercises will help maintain muscle tone and improve muscle control.

Pelvic Floor Exercise 1: This exercise will help strengthen the muscle.

1. Tighten the muscles around your anus, vagina, and front of your perineum, as if you were trying to stop the gases and urine at the same time.

2. Hold this contraction for as long as you can.

3. Rest for 4 seconds and then repeat the contraction as many times as you can. Aim to hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Pelvic Floor Exercise 2:

1. It is important to practice the pelvic floor muscles quickly so that they can react to sudden events such as coughing, laughing, or exercising (which add pressure to the bladder).

2. Tighten the pelvic floor and hold for a second before loosening the muscles.

3. Repeat, tightening and loosening firmly as many times as you can, up to a maximum of 10 times. Try to tighten the muscles vigorously with each contraction.

Try to do a series of slow contractions (exercise 1) and then a series of quick contractions (exercise 2) at least 3 times a day. Practice when you are lying down, seated, and standing. Continue to practice the muscles of your pelvic floor for the rest of your life.

Caution: Do not stop and start the flow of urine while using the toilet. This is not a safe exercise.