Practicing Yoga After a Caesarean Section

One of my best friends also happens to be a yoga celebrity. She’d probably cringe at the thought of me calling her that since she is not in this business for fame, fortune or celebrity status. She is instead humble, gracious, kind, wise, wonderful and dedicated to transforming ourselves into our best possible selves.

Martha Williams is a long time yoga practitioner, yoga instructor and owner of the Bikram Yoga Minneapolis studio.

She has been practicing and teaching yoga so long that her knowledge of the human body, mind and spirit is both deep and rich.

Being her friend, I knew that practicing after her second pregnancy, when she had a caesarean section, was hard.

I interviewed her so that some of her infinite wisdom could be shared with those who may be facing similar struggles.

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 Practicing yoga after a caesarean section

Interview with Martha Williams

How long had you been practicing yoga before you had your caesarean section?

About 18 years, about 12 of which were mostly Bikram Yoga.

How was the recovery from a caesarean different than a vaginal birth?

Night and Day.

10 days after my first was born vaginally I was back in class. I did everything except for triangle, because I had a substantial episiotomy. I loved my first class back and practiced pretty regularly from then forward. My body felt mildly different, but nothing major. I did gain more than 60 pounds with each pregnancy (going from about 135 -200lbs and back :) so I did have some extra weight to lose but I was breastfeeding and lost the weight very quickly. I even had trouble keeping weight on eventually to keep the milk coming. I had to eat and drink constantly.

Vaginal birth

My first breastfed until he was 2 1/2. His birth was not without complications – it was a long arduous process. Joe is a super easy going guy and I think he just wasn’t in any hurry. He immediately coughed, cried and then laid happily on my naked chest smiling at me like he had known me his whole life :) Strangely I recognized him too! It was the best moment of my life.

Caesarean

With the caesarean (which I have to admit here that it may have been harder to recover from because I was 40) My niece is 20 and had a caesarean and seemed to bounce back immediately. Not the case for me.

I think that only now after more than 4 years am I completely healed. The first 2 years were a profound lesson in letting go.

We had planned to have our second son at home because I had not been very comfortable in the hospital. So for Rafe (our second) we were prepared and excited to have a home birth. We had 3 amazing mid-wives, an awesome doula, a birthing tub, and great support. After a day of laboring at home it seemed to be a repeat of my first experience and Rafe was just totally stuck. The contractions kept coming regularly and I pushed all night with no effect.

We tried everything! At 7:00 am we all decided it was time to transport me to the hospital and at that moment several miracles happened. #1 The doctor that was on call was the father of one of our teachers Elizabeth Grande #2 the midwife that was on call was a dear friend #3 and my husband drove 20 miles in rush hour traffic in less than 20 minutes. It was amazing how things came together. I pushed at the hospital for a couple of hours until Dr. Grande said that Rafe was lodged in my pelvis so tightly that he did not think that he would ever come out vaginally.

It wasn’t an emergency and we were not rushed. They did the surgery, which was amazing actually. When you are in that much pain for that long and your whole lower body just suddenly goes numb it is incredible. It was awesome. It is one of the most memorable ‘releases’ I have ever felt. When they pulled Rafe out of me, his head was so suctioned into my pelvis he made a ‘popping’ noise.

Also memorable.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in your yoga practice after a c-section?

My mid-wives made me swear not to step foot into a yoga room for at least 6 weeks. I thought (sitting drugged in my hospital bed) that that would be the biggest obstacle. But honestly, when I got home and could barely walk up two stairs or get out of bed, yoga was the furthest thing from my mind.

It was a good month before I even considered yoga may be an option anywhere in my future. Seriously, there was a part of me that gave up on ever feeling whole again. I had an incision that was about twice as big as most c-sections. Rafe was 10 lbs. His head is three times bigger than ‘normal.’ (He had a CT-scan when he was 2 to make sure there was nothing ‘abnormal’ growing in his head. Very scary. All it showed were brains :)

Anyway, these three factors: the size of the scar, the fact that I weighed almost 200 pounds at his birth and the fact that I was ‘older’ may have made the ‘recovery’ harder for me.

But either way, it’s still major abdominal healing that you go through, a huge amount more to process mentally and physically, including the detox from all of the drugs and then all of the immobility.

Was there a particular pose that was the most challenging?

Any back bends and anything with the legs apart. But, realistically everything was hard.

It was harder than starting from scratch. A caesarean is major abdominal surgery. It cuts through several layers of your ‘core muscles.’ It is totally disorienting. There are several layers of scars from your ‘uterus to your skin.’

You have to rebuild and remodel everything from your equilibrium to your self respect.

I also had abdominal diastasis (a very common postpartum separation of the rectus abdomanus) and an umbilical hernia. I had the latter surgically fixed about 2 years ago. The former is almost totally healed.

When a person starts yoga they have no idea what they are capable of. The naiveté is so refreshing to watch.

Once you have practiced for awhile, especially if you are an ‘over achiever’ in ‘real life’, you get used to and almost take it for granted, feeling entitled to ‘improving.’  So when you arrive back on the mat after such a huge life event whether it is surgery, illness, etc., you arrive on your mat a different person.

But to improve physically in a yoga posture is a myth.

Improving as a person may hopefully occur, but every yoga posture is perfect, like love. Iyengar says that wisdom and intelligence are the real goals of asana practice. Bikram says “Self realization” is the goal. Neither of those are dependent upon an ‘advanced’ asana practice. The asanas are just a tool.

I am a different person now and I hope better.

I am much more accepting of and grateful for my Yoga practice as it is something that just tunes me up and gives me good hygiene. I no longer link it to my identity. I do actually push myself harder now, but I have almost no attachment to the ‘outcome.’ Every time I get to practice is a gift.

Now that my scar is barely visible and my son is almost in Kindergarten. I look back and I see that suffering as a valuable time in my life, from the time spent alone, to the loneliness of postpartum depression, the learning to ask for help, to the flabby belly, all of it. So valuable.

What advice would you give someone for re-establishing your core muscles in class?

Just be diligent about regular practice. Find a good mentor to watch you. Someone who is really experienced at teaching Bikram Yoga who can watch how your muscles are working in the back bends and forward bends. Don’t think that you need anything ‘special’ or extra, just practice and be patient.

What about emotional support, any advice for dealing with the frustration of “losing” ground in one’s practice after a c-section?

Call me :) But seriously, find a good close support system. My darling husband was a tremendous help. My sister and dear friend Jackie who had both had c-sections were great comfort and support to me. My midwives. Emmy Cleaves and Raj Choudhury. My friend Lindsay gave me some great practical advice :) I have the email to prove it. I have 4 sisters and amazing parents. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and give it time to heal.

Obviously the recovery is worth it because you gave birth to a wonderful son — what’s something he does that makes your heart melt?

The way he looked at me after they popped him out of my womb. He was wide awake, wide eyed and ready. Like every moment of his life since.

He has bright orange hair and a matching personality. He also loves Yoga and never misses an opportunity to take class or to demonstrate his ‘skills.’ We have a ‘kids yoga’ program running in the space next to our Bikram studio and he is able to go there three times a week while we practice, plus Summer Camp Yoga. I am so grateful for this.

When I asked my nine year old Joe to demonstrate yoga at the Mall of America at our recent championships, he was terrified and said, “No, Mom I’m too shy.” I told him, “No problem, I feel the same way!” When I asked Rafe, he puffed up his chest and strutted around like a Diva. “Yes Mom, now: Which postures shall I choose?”

What else would you want to say on this topic that I didn’t ask?

You ask great questions Lindsay, I find your blog very titillating :) I would refer people your blog on “Losing (your) yoga practice.”

I feel that Yoga is an amazing ‘gift’ It truly must be accepted as a gift.

Imagine your mother taking a lifetime to sew a quilt for you. On the day she gives it to you, do you critique it? I would think not. You would cry and hug her and say Thank you! You wouldn’t wonder if it was ‘good enough’ or ask her if there was something wrong with her tool, her sewing machine. You would use it every night on your bed and take great comfort in it.

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