Whether you exercised before or during your pregnancy, or not at all, exercising Post-Partum can seem daunting or worrying. No matter what your level of fitness was, or what exercise you did, here is some guidance on starting to exercise after having a baby.
Don't rush - make sure that you are ready
No matter what type of labour or pregnancy you had, give your body time to recover. It is recommended to wait 6-8 weeks before doing anything at all, but I recommend listing to your body. Make sure that your healthcare professional is happy for you to start doing a little exercise. Be kind to yourself, it took 9 months to make a baby and it’s going to take a similar amount of time for your body to recover and repair from the trauma, physically, hormonally and mentally.
Walking
Walking is a hugely underestimated activity generally, let alone during or after pregnancy. I would recommend going out for a walk every day, start gently and just for a short amount of time and gradually build it up. Not only will be get your body moving, it will give you and your baby some fresh air, assist your mental health and help your recovery.
Pelvic floor exercises
Carry out pelvic floor exercise on a regular basis to aid your recovery and build your pelvic floor strength. A fitness or healthcare professional, or a physio, should be able to help you if you are unsure about anything. Don’t attempt to do any abdominal exercises such as sit ups, ab crunch, mountain climbers or planking exercise
High impact or more intense exercise
Many people assume that running is a good exercise to get back into or take up. Although it might seem gentle and can be mentally very satisfying, I wouldn’t recommend running, jumping or higher impact exercise until around 12 weeks and also once you have regained strength in your pelvic floor. High impact exercise could cause long term bladder and bowel problems, or prolapse. Avoid any high impact exercise or movement if you experience any pelvic floor issues or pain during or after exercise.
Weight loss
Please forget about weight loss or getting your pre-baby body back! Now is not the time to worry about it! Your priority should be getting yourself stronger, looking after yourself and your new baby. Whether you are breastfeeding, or not, you will be getting up and down, carrying your little one and trying to accomplish doing everything one handed, so focus on making sure that our as strong and well for them first of all. Your body will naturally lose weight, so don’t put pressure on yourself.
Pressure to exercise
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to exercise. As a new mum, your life will have changed more than you can imagine and it’s unrealistic to think that you will be able to have a fixed routine whereby you can exercise at the same time every day – and will feel like it! You will be coping with lack of sleep, varying routine, changes to your hormones, changes to your body and a new little baby occupying the majority of your time! If you are keen to get start exercising, try just spending 10 -20 mins exercising while your baby naps. As they grow and start to become more active, you could do it while they have play time or mat time. Most babies find it amusing to watch, or to take part in!
Step by step
From around 4 weeks, you might feel ready to increase your walking distance and intensity. You could also try post-natal exercise class, yoga or swimming. Ensure that you do pelvic floor and breath work.
As the weeks progress, from around 8 weeks you may feel ready to increase and progress the above exercises. You can also gently test out higher impact exercises such as jogging and skipping. Consider seeing a woman’s health specialist or a postnatal abdominal therapist if you have any concerns of queries.
From 12 weeks, assuming that you had no specialist issues, you should be able to start taking up the exercise that you did. Listen to your body and progress steadily - don't compare yourself to what anyone else is doing!
Sammy
x