During and after pregnancy, your body heavily adjusts to accommodate the baby’s growth and delivery. One thing this process can never forgo is a hormone called relaxin.
What is relaxin? It’s a hormone that the body produces to help make the pelvis more flexible for childbirth and to soften and widen the cervix.
While incredibly crucial during pregnancy, high levels of this can linger in the body after childbirth, potentially shifting and hurting your joints.
For new mothers looking to feel more like themselves and reduce these symptoms postpartum, managing relaxin levels can be essential. We discuss ways to go about this:
Impact of Relaxin on the Body
Relaxin is what prepares your body for childbirth when you’ve got a baby on board. It loosens the ligaments, which are the strong bands of tissue that connect bones to each other.
This helps the hips and pelvis become more flexible, thereby making room for the baby to be born. This hormone also helps the cervix(the lower part of the uterus opening to the vagina) to soften and almost open for the baby to come out. These are all good things because they help make the process of giving birth a bit easier.
However, because relaxin makes ligaments more flexible, it can also make you feel your feet aren’t stable enough. Some women might feel a bit more clumsy or like their joints are looser than usual.
This effect doesn’t just happen in your hips and pelvis but can affect other areas of the body, too, like the knees and ankles, making them more liable to injury if care isn’t taken.
Another thing to draw your attention to, is that relaxin doesn’t just disappear right after the baby is born. It stays in the body for a while.
Some effects, like loose joints, can continue for months postpartum. This is why some new moms might experience aches and pains or feel less stable for some time after having their baby.
In addition to its role in pregnancy and childbirth, it also participates in other bodily functions like promoting blood flow, which is more than a plus for both momma and baby as this ensures they get all the good nutrients and oxygen.
Let’s look at ways moms can reduce this hormone to relieve them of those joint aches post-natal.
How To Reduce Relaxin Postpartum
Gentle exercises
Gentle exercises are just the right speed for a postpartum body. Imagine activities like walking around the neighborhood, stretching out with some baby-friendly yoga, or even gliding through the water in a swimming pool. These are all ways to get mom’s muscles working again without pushing too hard.
When a mom starts to exercise gently, she does a few super helpful things for her body. First, she helps build up muscles that support her bones and joints, which can get a little lazy when relaxin is doing its job during pregnancy.
Second, moving around can make her feel better overall. It’s akin to reminding her body of all the cool stuff it can do besides growing a whole new person.
But before sprinting off to the gym, moms need to chat with their doctors. They need to make sure everything is healed up, and it’s safe to start. Once you have the green light, start small.
This isn’t marathon training, you know. These are just some simple moves that make you feel good and help your body remember what it’s like to move without a baby on board.
The goal is to feel stronger and more stable, little by little. With some patience and perhaps some cute workout gear, moms can help reduce those lingering effects of relaxin and start feeling more like their pre-baby selves again.
Postpartum Physiotherapy
Think of post-partum physiotherapy as a special kind of caretaker for new moms. It’s basically about guiding your body to get back to its pre-baby strength and stability.
A physiotherapist (a coach trained specifically for this) can take you through safe, effective exercises that tighten those relaxed muscles and help those wobbly joints feel firm again.
They will start by checking out how your body’s going overall, perhaps examine your posture and how you walk and stand. Then, they come up with a plan that’s just for her.
It’s not one-size-fits-all because every mom’s journey through pregnancy and childbirth is unique. They’ll focus on major areas like the pelvic floor, which is super important for support but gets a lot of pressure during pregnancy and childbirth.
One of the best parts? These experts know all about what a body goes through after having a baby. They provide tips not just on what exercises to do but also how to do them safely, ensuring you don’t push too hard nor too fast.
And they’re there to answer all your questions. Perhaps if something feels weird or uncomfortable, making sure moms feel supported and understood.
Rest and Recovery
The days and weeks following childbirth are a critical time for rest. It allows the body to start repairing itself. Imagine all the changes the body underwent over nine months; it’s only natural that it needs a break to sort itself back out.
Rest doesn’t mean staying in bed all day—although sometimes that might be exactly what’s needed—but it does mean taking it easy. Listening to one’s body is key; if it’s saying it’s tired, a break and maybe even a nap when the baby sleeps can be incredibly restorative.
Recovery during this time isn’t just about physical rest, but also about giving your body chance to stabilize hormone levels.
As relaxin levels decrease, the ligaments start to tighten back up, and joints become more stable. But if a new mom jumps back quickly into intense activities, she may injure herself and lengthen this process.
Gentle exercises rather soothe the body, and are rather beneficial. Talk of gentle walks, mild stretching, and nurturing activities like cuddling with the baby can be part of the recovery.
These activities engage very well with your muscles without overtaxing them. Plus, coupling them with plenty of hydration and good nutrition can also help the body mend itself better.
Proper Nutrition
Eating well after childbirth isn’t just about losing pregnancy weight; it’s about refueling the body with the right kinds of foods that help it recover and regain strength.
When a mom eats nutritious meals, she gives her body the necessary building blocks to rebuild tissues and stabilize hormones, including relaxin.
Protein-riched foods, for instance, are fantastic because they help repair and build muscle tissues that may have been strained during pregnancy and childbirth. Foods like chicken, eggs, fish, lean meats, almonds, shellfish, beans, tofu and soy products are great sources.
Chipping in fruits and vegetables is equally important as they offer vitamins and antioxidants that fosters overall health and recovery.
Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3s found in fish like salmon, are not only good for the heart but also super beneficial for hormonal health. These nutrients can support the body in bringing hormone levels, including relaxin, back to a more normal state after childbirth.
Calcium fortified foods like yogurt, broccoli, kale, seeds, sardines, cheese, edamame, bok choy are great for strengthening bones and supporting muscular functions, which can be crucial as the body readjusts and the effects of relaxin decrease.
We can’t talk proper nutrition and leave out good hydration. In fact, drinking lots of water helps maintain a good balance of nutrients and hormones as well as boost overall bodily functions.
In terms of meal planning, it’s not only about picking the right food but also about maintaining a balanced diet. Eating small, frequent meals throughout the day can revitalize your energy and support overall recovery.
This approach helps the body to slowly and effectively regain balance, which helps reduce the lingering effects of relaxin and promotes a faster, healthier postpartum recovery.
Wearing Supportive Gear
Supportive gears such as postpartum belts, wraps, or compression garments, can be really helpful at this time. These items provide extra support to the abdomen and lower back, areas that bear a lot of stress during pregnancy.
By snugly fitting around the midsection, they help distribute the body’s weight more evenly. This can lessen pressure on any one part of the body and intend, help stabilize the areas that are affected by the loosened ligaments caused by relaxin.
The support from these garments can also better your posture, which we often compromise during pregnancy due to the extra weight.
Not only does better posture improve stability. It also reduces the strain on muscles and joints, which is essential as the body is trying to return to its pre-pregnancy state.
Moreover, these supportive garments can provide a sense of security when moving around, making walking or carrying the baby feel more comfy. This can boost confidence in new moms as they navigate their daily activities with a newborn.
Of course, it’s important for any new mom thinking about using supportive gear to choose the right type. It should always be easy and cozy.
In no way should it restrict movement or breathing, and ideally, it should be recommended by a doctor or a physical therapist who understands her specific needs postpartum.
How To Reduce Relaxin Postpartum: THIS IS A WRAP
While we can speak to relaxin as making the childbirthing process smoother by loosening the ligaments, its effects can still stick around postpartum, leading to feelings of instability and joint discomfort.
To manage these effects and help shrink its impacts now, there are several practical steps you can take; some of which I listed above.
Talk of wearing supportive belts and engaging in gentle exercises,especially. The former can get your abdomen and lower back to be more stable while the later would strengthen the muscles around the joints, offering better support.
Besides, checking your diet and drinking more fluids(water) can help your body recover ASAP.
We advise that you allow your body some time to heal and get in touch with your doctor if you feel something isn’t right.
By heeding to these measures, new moms can go through the postpartum period very comfortably, focusing on the joy of their new baby while taking good care of their own body.
