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There are three major essentials for a fast postpartum recovery, if you want to completely heal your body fast, and allow your body to recover, gain strength and thrive postpartum. I believe a fast postpartum recovery depends on nourishing yourself, rehabilitating yourself and ultimately strengthening your body again. I learned the essentials for a fast postpartum recovery the hard way because I didn’t focus on these components until I had my third baby. T

Postpartum recovery is like healing from major surgery. Your body basically exploded a baby it carried for 9 months, it now needs special attention, nourishment and care to put itself back together. Think about this, your insides game out…this only happens if someone goes into surgery to get something removed…and that is a big deal. I created a whole program to help mamas nourish their bodies, heal their core and pelvic floor, and start working out again. It is based on all my knowledge and experience from failing at postpartum recovery to totally handling it this time around.

So, I highly suggest focusing on these three essential components to recovering postpartum because I didn’t after my first two! 

3 Essential Components for A Fast Postpartum Recovery After Birth:

First Component – Nutrients:

I probably over-stress this in my program and here on the blog, but eating the right nutrients is so important to giving your body the building blocks it needs to repair muscles and skin. I go over the 20 most-healing foods in my program, and you can read 5 of them to get started. By focusing on these nutrients and foods, you can give your body what it needs through food. The reason I am such a stickler about food is that your body knows exactly what to do with food. From the process of chewing all the way through digestion, it can extract the nutrients and send them off where they need to go. Supplements are a great help, but your body isn’t as accustomed to digesting supplements, and some added vitamins and minerals don’t even get absorbed. The supplement that I LOVE is this protein powder because it has so many essential nutrients, clean and healthy protein which is essential for building your cells, skin and muscles, and digestive enzymes to help you absorb your nutrients. The other supplement I am a huge fan of is probiotics because of their major benefits in keeping your gut, you and your baby much healthier. I wrote more on nutrients for postpartum and breastfeeding here.

Eating healthy postpartum can be difficult because it takes time to shop, think and prepare healthy meals. I still have trouble with three boys running around, but in my program, I did create a specialized meal plan to help you heal, keep a healthy milk supply and lose the baby weight.

Second Component, Rehabilitation:

Taking care of your body to heal quickly involves more than making super healing pads. Your body will stop bleeding on its own, but it won’t necessarily repair your muscles without help from you. Muscles are naturally lazy. If you don’t exercise and challenge them, they waste away. The same with stretching during pregnancy; they don’t necessarily go back to normal on their own. If you are breastfeeding, you may be feeling some intense post-birth contractions. I didn’t feel them with my first, but I did with my second and third. This is wonderful, though, because breastfeeding sets off a chemical that makes your uterus contract back to normal. BUT, it isn’t contracting your abs. Just the uterus. So, the contractions stop when your uterus sizes back down to what your body says is the normal size. Your abs are still left loose and flabby. This is where rehabilitation comes into play. I go over specific core work through Pilates and the correct way to do Kegels in my program. I didn’t do any of this regularly after my first and second babies. I ended up with an umbilical hernia and a major pooch to work through, and then I was pregnant with my third. After my third, through rehabilitation and staying active through pregnancy, I got my abs back much faster. Focusing on rehabilitating your abs and pelvic floor after birth is so important. I mean super important to recovery. No recovery/weight loss program should skip this part. If you are clear to work out, try this Pilates/Cardio blend workout to see how you do! Here’s an article on finding your pelvic floor muscles, in case you have no clue where to start.

Third Component, Strength + Fitness:

This component is not for weight loss, though it helps if you need to lose some baby weight. Regaining strength and fitness as a new mom is important for your mind and body. The more strength you have to hold the baby, carry the car seat, push the stroller and carry one million and fifty-seven things, the better you will be able to cope with becoming a new mom or a mom again. The more energy you have, the less frustrated and exhausted you will feel with your new baby or children. Working out gives you more energy and positive endorphins to manage the difficulties of mom life! For mamas who have no access to a gym with child care or can’t afford a gym membership, I highly recommend the workouts in my program because they involve a lot of cardio. Cardio burns massive calories and really bumps your mood when you are done. Moms need to be doing cardio to keep their hearts strong! I also involve Pilates and core work that is safe and will protect your core throughout the workout. Walking with a baby is your best bet if you are just getting started. Bundle up for the weather, or wear the baby around the house and get your steps in. Walking activates the lymphatic system for healing and promotes the burning of fat. I highly recommend cardio, whether it is higher intensity for melting fat like my program’s workouts or lower intensity for walking. It is essential to healing your mind and body after the baby completely.

There you have the three most important components to postpartum recovery to heal quickly after baby. 

Healing postpartum does take time, no matter what you do, because your body needs to rest and put itself back together. You can also help its recovery through nutrition, rehabilitation, and strength work. This will help you thrive as a new mama and come out of the fourth trimester rocking motherhood!

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