5 Postpartum Exercises to Fix Your Mom Posture

If you’ve given birth in your lifetime, you are postpartum. Some of the issues women experience postpartum can stick with them for years if they do not get help to heal and rehab. One of the more common and long-term postpartum conditions is “mom posture”. This is caused by the extra weight women carry on their front when we are growing a baby. It is compounded by the lifting and the carrying-on-the-hip of said baby once they are in the world.

This muscle imbalance in your hips results in an overextended pelvis and rounded shoulders when you are standing or sitting. The muscles on the front of your hips are flexed and in a shortened state, while your glute muscles are in a lengthened and weakened state. Additionally, your shoulders have rolled forward and out of the body’s ideal alignment.

But the good news is that it is highly fixable.

Here are 5 of Dr. Nelson’s favorite postpartum exercises to fix mom posture.

Postnatal Pelvic Tilts to Help Mom Posture

This is a stretch and an exercise to help build core support and reset the pelvis into a neutral posture from a posterior tilt.
Lie on your back with knees bent.
Keeping pelvis on the ground tuck your tail under by pushing your belly button into the ground and hold for one second.
Keeping your pelvis on the ground, now arch your low back. You should be about to slide your hand between your low back and the ground. Hold for one second.
Repeat the process 20 times aiming for three times a day.

Bridge Pose to Strengthen Glutes and Help Correct Mom Posture

This pose helps with that pelvic tilt and it will also strengthen the glute muscles that were weakened during pregnancy. Strong glutesl help with posture and alleviate lower back pain.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Next, posteriorly tilt your pelvis by bracing your abs and flattening out the curve in your lower back.
From here, squeeze your glutes hard to extend your hips.
Be careful not to go too far (which can cause you to arch your lower back, and we don’t want that).
Aim for a two count up, one count squeeze at the top and a two count down.
You can do this exercise for time, or for repetitions.

Modified Cobra Stretch

This stretch helps with pelvic tilt to bring your pelvis from tucked under to long and straight. It’s also a great way to relax those overused hip flexors.

While laying on your belly proper your upper body up onto your forearms.
The low back should be relaxed enough to be able to breath into the belly.
Take 5 long yoga breaths.
Then fully relax by resting whole body on the floor for another 5 long yoga breaths.
Repeat for three to five rounds.

Prone Y and Mid Spine Rotations

This is a great way to strengthen the upper back muscles while resting into a stretch for the chest, shoulders and mid spine.

Laying on your belly, anchor your toes to the ground. Arms are in a Y position with thumbs up.
Drive one arm back into a spinal rotation.
Stop at end point and breath into stretch for two counts.
Return to belly down position with arms in a Y and repeat on the opposite side.
Repeat both sides five to six times.

Shoulder Blade Mobility

This is another good one to pull the shoulders back and open up your chest. By resetting the scap to a neutral posture, this stretch will release that tension that is pulling your shoulders forward. All you need is a doorway.

Stand in a doorway with one hand slightly higher than shoulder height and feet about a foot away from the wall to slightly distract the shoulder.
Round in the shoulder allowing the shoulder blade to climb up the thoracic cage as high as it can and hold for a second or two.
Then allow the shoulder blade to climb down the thoracic cage as far as it can, opening up the chest and shoulders in the front. Hold for a second or two.
Repeat for 10 to 12 rounds.