Postpartum Exercise: When Can You Start, and What Should You Focus On?
Welcoming a new baby into your life is an incredible experience, but it often means sleepless nights and a never-ending to-do list. So, where does postpartum exercise fit in? While it might feel hard to prioritise, finding time for gentle movement can actually help you relax, boost your energy, and even improve your mental well-being. Exercise after birth can also play a key role in aiding recovery and reducing the chances of postnatal depression.
Important Things to Remember About Postpartum Exercise
Your body has changed! It has undergone a huge huge amount of change, from changing rib cage shape to organs being shifted and squashed as well as muscles, ligaments and joints being loosened. It is important to bear this in mind because your capabilities will vary from pre-birth for a few months while your body recovers, gains strength and your fitness increases.
Relaxin – the hormone that helped your body adapt to pregnancy – is still present in your system for a few months after birth. This hormone makes your ligaments and joints more flexible, which is great for childbirth but can make you more vulnerable to injury postpartum. Keep this in mind as you start to exercise.
Abdominal muscles also have to undergo a huge amount of change to accommodate your bump, along with other core muscles and muscles in your lower back, so these might be noticeably weaker than they used to be and take a while to return to full strength after birth.
When Can I Start Exercising After Birth?
This really depends on the type of birth you have had, but a good rule of thumb is to be led by your body and do what feels right for you. Always start with gentle exercises, such as walking, very gentle swimming, stretches and pelvic floor exercises and build up to running and more intensive cardio and strength-building exercises as and when you feel able to. This goes for sports like tennis, football and contact sports such as rugby and judo too. If you begin to build up to more intensive exercises but feel your body isn’t ready, give yourself some more time and try again in another few weeks.
Following a vaginal birth, it’s usually worth waiting until after your 6–8-week postnatal check with the GP before commencing anything too strenuous, and around 12 weeks following a caesarean (but obviously you can commence gentle exercises before this). Please be guided by your personal circumstances and speak to your midwife or GP if you have any questions. It’s important following any type of delivery that you aim to strengthen your core and prioritise improving core control in order for your body to heal properly.
Remember: Time Alone Won’t Make You Stronger
Simply waiting for those 6, 8, or 12 weeks to pass won’t magically restore your fitness. Rehabilitating the muscles and supporting your body to regain strength following what it has been through is essential to long-term healing and ongoing health and fitness.
Pelvic Floor Exercises After Birth: Why They’re Essential
Let’s talk pelvic floors! We can’t stress enough how important it is to start doing pelvic floor exercises after birth. Around 25% of women experience pelvic floor dysfunction, which can lead to incontinence, prolapse, and reduced sexual pleasure or sensation. But there’s good news—it’s never too late to start! The sooner you incorporate these exercises into your routine, the better. Having a strong pelvic floor will only help you in the long-term.
There are plenty of resources available online to learn about pelvic floor health and strengthening exercises, but I’d recommend the NHS Squeezy app (which is available on android and apple products for £2.99 from the app store) – it’s great at teaching you how to do them, and reminding you they need to be done.
Consider a “Mummy MOT”
Following on from pelvic floor health I can’t recommend booking a mummy MOT enough! These usually are available with a licensed physiotherapist and aim to rehabilitate you following birth (either vaginal or CS). They get you appreciating what your body has done and been through and give you hints, tips and techniques to strengthen your core muscles and really get your body strong, fit and well again after birth. The focus is on healing and it’s just so worth it.
Need Help Finding the Right Gear?
Looking for comfortable, supportive clothing for your postpartum exercise? We love the options available at FittaMamma, where you’ll find a great range of pregnancy and postpartum exercise wear. The right outfit can make all the difference when it comes to feeling confident and supported as you ease back into your fitness routine. And the best part about this fitness wear? It will grow with your during pregnancy and is suitable to wear postpartum as well!
That is postpartum exercise in a nutshell. If you have specific health conditions you may need to discuss recommencing exercise with you GP or Midwife following birth.
