Wee wee wee all the way home

After one baby you'd expect to bounce back faily quickly.. isn't that what they all say? 9 months of pregnancy - 9 months to return to 'normal'!! Pigs bum! I have always been a fairly active person and during pregnancy I maintained a modified exercise regime. But no one tells you about the possible side effects of giving birth, what is normal, what is abnormal and how best to correct problems. I think POST natal care is an oxymoron in Australia (unless you know where to seek help from).

For example - during pregnancy people say "Make sure you do your pelvic floor exercises"... yeah yeah, whatever (says a 1st time pregnant'ee). Rarely do you learn what they are or how to do them properly, but some things can actually be counter-productive... like doing weight bearing exercise, or incorrect tummy exercises. To do a pelvic floor contraction, you must sqeeze (like stopping the flow of urine) and draw the muscle up up at the same time (it's a big muscle that takes up the whole pelvis cavity, holding all your organs up - LIKE YOUR BLADDER!!!). If you are doing abdominal exercies like sit ups, you put pressure on your pelvic floor muscles and that pushes it down.

It is important to exercise all tummy and pelvic muscles but make sure you learn to do them correctly and keep them up after birth. See a Physio specifically trained in this for more advice. Pilates is great if you learn from a pro.

__________________
Charlie

  #2      

trampoline

Yeah, I concur Charlie!

I have 2 kids and we bought a trampoline a year or two ago. My brother who was helping us erect the thing insisted that I get the first go. I said "Sure, right after I relieve any pressure on my bladder before I bounce" because I know the dirty little secret of many mothers!

Like you I do my pelvic floor exercises regularly : actually while brushing teeth, standing in a lift and often while sitting at traffic lights......just to maximise my time there......

But give me an unexpected coughing fit ( like I swallowed a fly while camping last year ) and I suddenly have a problem at both ends!

__________________
:::iona:::

  #3      

Never the same again

Yes, I agree, those pelvic floor exercises are very important! Before the first one it was hart to imagine that I would ever have such a problem....after the third one...well another story. Keep working those muscles!!!!
Mitzi

__________________
mitzi

  #4      

i'm sorry but i don't agree i have 4 children and have never had a problem. i have always done my exercises more so with the last two and continue to do them every day of my life as i have for the last 14 and half years. Tracy

  #5      

wow - I wish I was as disciplined as u cat4eva. I try and do mine when I think about it, but I can't say I'm as conscientious as I should be Do u have any ritual in the day that helps remind u to do them?

BTW - welcome to our board! looking forward to getting to know u.

ezcema in pregnancy

I've never had ezcema before but now that i'm pregnant I've covered in a red blotchy rash... I've heard I cannot use cortisone cream - any advise to stop the itchies!!

__________________
Charlie

  #2      

How about oatmeal in a stocking... my friend had it really bad all over her body and she found it to work best out of everything. You put oatmeal(homebrand is fine)and run a warm bath. rub it over the infected area/s. the oatmeal goes gooey(sp?) so dont worry its meant to be like that. After a few days of doing that she found it cleared up quite good.


Are you sure it is eczema..

I too have red blotchy rash like symptoms and it is known as spider viens or something I can't remember. It is joined with me capilliaries and it does get itchy i have alot of them over my chest.. When my Obs saw it he recgonised it straight away. I never got it last time. But I did get what I thought was eczema on my arms. He said it is related to alot of extra estrogen within my system alot of preg women get it . (I thik it is cos this time it is little gal)

  #3      

Thanks for the reply... i love oats - maybe i can eat my porridge in the bath next time!! of course I won't eat the oats from the stocking cos that would be just wrong!! I dont see my Obs for a while cos he's on holidays, but I will show him and see what he says. My rash doesnt look like my son's ezcema, it is more of a bunch of small red dots all grouped together under my arms, all over my back, chest and tummy... it's really not as itchy as it looks like it should be... just unsightly! Thanks Kaz I'll try your remedy and let you know how it goes.

__________________
Charlie