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Exercise set · Core, pelvic floor and breath

The Postnatal Foundations Set

  • 10 to 12 minutes
  • Once a day
  • 5 exercises

Postnatal recovery is not about flattening anything as fast as possible. It is about reconnecting a pressure system, the diaphragm, the deep abdominals and the pelvic floor, and then loading it patiently. This set is the base layer. It can start within days of an uncomplicated birth, and everything in it is governed by two signals: doming along the midline, and heaviness in the pelvis. Either one means ease back a stage, not stop forever.

Designed and reviewed by Dr. Shyyada Banu, BPT, MPT · MIAP License No. 69386

Who this set is for

  • From the first weeks after birth onwards, once you feel ready
  • A gap or doming along the midline of the abdomen
  • You want to return to exercise and do not know the safe first step
  • Months or years postnatal and never rebuilt the base, it is never too late

The set, in order

The sequence matters: it moves from switching on to loading. Each exercise links to its full guide, with the technique, mistakes and progressions.

  1. 1

    Diaphragmatic Breathing

    2 minutes, slow

    Slow breathing directed into the lower ribs so they expand sideways. The foundation of postnatal recovery and most back programmes, because the diaphragm, deep abdominals and pelvic floor work as one pressure system.

    The foundation everything else is built on. Ribs widen sideways on the in breath.

  2. 2

    Pelvic Tilt

    10 slow repetitions

    A small, slow rocking of the pelvis that moves the lower back between gently flattened and gently arched. Usually the first exercise we give in a back pain episode.

    On the exhale, gently draw the lower abdomen in as you tilt. Low effort, roughly three out of ten.

  3. 3

    Glute Bridge

    2 sets of 10

    Lifting the hips from the floor until shoulders, hips and knees form one line. The foundation exercise for the gluteus maximus, and the starting point of most hip and back programmes.

    Exhale on the way up. Watch the midline: if it domes, lift less high.

  4. 4

    Dead Bug

    6 each side, one limb at a time

    Lying on your back with arms and knees in the air, lowering an opposite arm and leg while the trunk stays quiet. The standard way to load the deep abdominals without straining a back or a healing midline.

    Start with legs only, heel slides even, and progress when the midline stays quiet.

  5. 5

    Side Plank

    2 holds each side, 10 to 15 seconds, from the knees

    Holding the body in one straight line on the forearm, loading the trunk muscles down one side. The standard exercise for side trunk endurance, started from the knees and progressed gradually.

    The from-knees version is the correct version for now.

Running the set well

  • The watch points are doming along the midline and any heaviness, dragging or leaking. They mean the load is above today's capacity, so drop back a stage.
  • Progress is measured in weeks, not sessions. Twelve consistent weeks changes things; a hard fortnight changes nothing except your confidence.
  • This set is the floor, not the ceiling. When it is easy, it is time for proper loading, and that is a good problem.

When to get assessed instead

Get assessed, ideally by a pelvic health physiotherapist, if you have ongoing leaking, heaviness or a visible bulge at the midline under strain, pain that is not settling, or a caesarean scar that stays sensitive. None of these mean exercise is off the table; they mean the programme should be built around an examination.

Read about the conditions this supports

Other sets

The Desk Worker's Neck and Shoulder SetThe Lower Back Pain Starter SetThe Core Foundations SetThe Balance and Falls Prevention SetThe Knee Strength Set