When can I safely return to exercise after having a baby?

Congratulations, you’ve given birth to your beautiful baby, survived the first few weeks and you’re now starting to think about getting back into exercise – awesome!

As a specialised post-natal fitness trainer, believe me, when I say I know there is a lot of conflicting information out there in regard to when exactly you should start exercising after giving birth so I am going to do my best to help you know what might be the right course of action for you.

Unfortunately, there is no (one size fits all) answer to this question, but I can give you general guidelines that you can follow along with the advice of your GP and health practitioner to help you safely ease back into the swing of exercising.

Before I give you any of my advice, I would, of course, say that as a starting point you should consult with your doctor, gynaecologist, midwife or physiotherapist to get their opinion as to when you might be safe to return to exercise as it is always important to get a professional opinion. With that said we are going to explore this topic so that you can see what might be the best option for you.

First of all, we want to you remember that whether you had a vaginal birth or a c-section, you body has been through a major trauma. You have spent the last 9 months creating a human being and getting that little bundle of joy out of your body is no easy feat.

As a very basic rule, I always suggest that if you have had a vaginal birth you will need to wait at least 6 weeks before you ease back into light (low impact) exercise. If you had a c-section or a more complicated birth I recommend you wait at least 12 weeks before you return to light (low impact) exercise. At the 6 or 12 week point (depending on your birth) is the point I recommend getting a check up with your doctor and getting medical clearance to start exercising so you know you are ready to get moving.

Once you are ready to start exercising and have medical clearance to do so, here are my top tips to help keep you safe on your journey back to fitness:

1. Start back slowly

It took around 40 weeks for you to make your baby and it’s going to take time for your body to return to normal. Be patient and only do movements that don’t cause you any pain.

2. Low impact first

If you find that any jumping, running or high impact exercises are causing you problems with continence, you should take the exercises back to low impact movements and continue to work on strengthening your pelvic floor muscle before you start adding impact. The pelvic floor muscle is like any other muscle in the body, It needs to be worked to be strengthened so make sure this is something you remind yourself to do every day.

3. Abdominal separation

It’s very common for women to experience a condition called Diastasis Recti, which is a separation of the abdominal muscles. Your health care practitioner or GP can check this for you when you attend your 6-week post-birth checkup. If you find that you do have this condition you might also need to work with a specialist post-natal physiotherapist that will be able to help you with exercises that will activate your deep core muscles and bring the separation back together. At Pram Fitness, we never do any exercises such as sit-ups as these can be potentially harmful to any mum that has separation of the abdominal wall. Instead, we focus on movements such as plank, regressed plank (on knees) and horse stance to rehabilitate the core in a safe way.

4. Loose Ligaments and Joints

Your body produced relaxine during your pregnancy to help prepare you for birth. Relaxin is a hormone that is designed to soften your ligaments and joints during pregnancy and childbirth, and can stay in your body for up to 6 months post birth. This means that your joints can be a little unstable and can also cause instability in your pelvis. Just keep in mind that for the first 6 months post birth you don’t want to do any movements that are too aggressive or dynamic to avoid causing yourself an injury.

5. Go for a walk

You don’t need to be a member of a gym to start a fitness routine, walking is a great place to start. After what your body has been through, don’t discount walking as a good way to get back into cardio exercise. So rather than meet your mum friends for coffee in a café, meet them outdoors for a walk first. It’s a great way to get your body moving safely, catch up with your friends and get some fresh air for you and your baby.

6. Drink plenty of water

Once you start to ease yourself back into your routine, make sure you stay well hydrated. This is especially important if you are breastfeeding as being well hydrated will help to keep you milk supply levels up. I suggest filling up a 1 Litre bottle and carrying it in your pram at all times, this way you will know how much water you are drinking. As a minimum, try to at least get through the 1L bottle twice in a day.

7. Get some direction

If you find you want to start exercising but you really don’t know what you can or should do, find a specialist post-natal fitness group or trainer that will be able to guide you through the process safely. The great thing about joining a mums and bubs fitness group is that you can workout with your baby near you, meet like-minded mums in your area and get support from women going through the same thing as you. If personal training is what you are looking for this is also a great option as you can get a tailored program that is designed to progress you through your rehabilitation post birth and push you when you are ready to be given some extra intensity.

8. Rest and Recovery

The most important thing is that you listen to your body. If you have a day where you are not feeling like you can physically push yourself through a workout then perhaps just go for a walk instead. Your body needs time to rest and repair after what it has been through and being sleep deprived and adjusting to a new way of life is a big task in itself. Be kind to yourself and make your new routine happen when you are ready.

I hope these ideas and tip have helped you know when you can ease back into your own routine after having a baby. If you find you are wanting to train with an organised group that specialises in helping new mums get back into shape after giving birth you can always check out the Pram Fitness Timetable. We are always looking to pop new locations onto the timetable so if you have a mother’s group of at least 6 mums that are keen to get started and we aren’t already in your area, send us an enquiry and we can let you know if it’s possible to get one started near you.

www.pramfitness.com.au | hello@pramfitness.com.au

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great day!
– Karen, Post-Natal Fitness Specialist