So you had an appointment with your Midwife or Ob/Gyn 6 weeks after having a baby, they said “ok you are good to go” and that is the extent of the advice you received on returning to exercise after baby. Did that leave you wondering about a few things, like is it okay to go for a jog, go to Pilates class, lift weights or go for a bike ride? Or maybe you attempted to start back at your favorite activity only to feel frustrated and uncomfortable. I totally understand, I too experienced this place of uncertainty after having my first baby and remember feeling so defeated after attempting the Pilates 100 after 6 weeks of “rest”. What if I told you there are things you can do even before 6 weeks postpartum that will help you feel better and that it is possible to be stronger than ever postpartum if you follow a few steps to keep your progress going in the right direction? I’m sharing my timeline for returning to exercise and how to know when you are ready to progress along that timeline, and it’s completely customizable to you and where you are in your postpartum journey now.
A few years ago I taught an OB/GYN when she was pregnant with her first baby. At the end of her last pregnancy session she asked “When should I come back and see you?” I could hardly contain my surprise. Women were following her advice about returning to exercise and here she was asking me! This doesn’t mean she is not an excellent doctor, because she definitely is, but it’s understandable if you aren’t sure what the first steps are to return to exercise and when you should be taking them. Even the people guiding most of us as new Moms are not really clear on it themselves.
The “6-8 week wait” is misleading
Most women hear the advice: no exercise for 6 week or 8 weeks for c- sections. Now, I’m in no way advocating for going to the gym at 3 weeks postpartum or disregarding medical advice. The first steps to resuming exercise while recovering postpartum can be done in bed or sitting down and they are not physically taxing in fact they are incredibly restorative. These first few weeks should be focusing on resting and connecting with your baby. You can also start connecting with your breath and your pelvic floor. A deep breath where you expand your ribcage 360 degrees( expanding thought the side and back ribs often requires more focus and thought ) and a full exhale will assist you in connecting with your pelvic floor and abdominals without strain. It will also help your nervous system regulate and your ribcage stay mobile, which is super helpful postpartum. This can be done whenever you feel up to it or think about it. Going for a walk in the neighborhood is awesome too, fresh air and change of scenery does wonders as does gentle movement. You can practice deep 360 breathing on the walks too.
Ready for More?
Once you feel like you and baby have a bit of a routine down and you have received the all clear from your care provider you can start adding on more to the connection strategies. This might be 6-8 weeks postpartum or it might be 4 – 6 months or more. Each person’s timeline will be different. Do not stress yourself out about exercise if you are still working on getting a few hours of sleep at night or finding a way to get some routine in your day. How much support you have, how many children you are caring for and the way your birth unfolded can all impact when you are ready to add in focusing on exercise.
Consider all your body has gone through during pregnancy and delivery and early postpartum. Postures have shifted, even internal organs have shifted, not to mention all that your abdominal wall and pelvic floor have been though. It is important to build back up to the activities you were accustomed to doing before becoming pregnant. Running and heavy weight lifting are not recommended for the first 4-6 months or longer depending on your recovery, your body is still healing and these activities require a foundation of strength. Now is a great time to build that foundation even if you are not interested in running or weightlifting. Building a strong foundation will help you feel better in your day to day activities and help in correcting posture and healing any pelvic floor weakness or abdominal separation.
What does building a strong foundation look like?
Find abdominal activation with your exhale to support your spine and healing abdominal wall no matter what type of exercise you prefer. Watch for doming in your abdominals, heaviness in your pelvic floor, or incontinence, these are signs the load is too much for right now. Modify exercises to take the pressure down a notch so you don’t have these signs of overload. Hands and knees or “knees/chest/chin” in yoga instead of plank and chaturanga, brisk walking and lunges instead of running, keep your head down on the mat and focus on the breath and activation with legs in table top or feet on the mat instead of the full Pilates100 are a few examples. Take things slowly at first, and remember it will take some time and focused strength building before you are ready for the level of exercise you were practicing before pregnancy. You can be stronger than ever postpartum, building the foundation is key to continued progress. Remember any modifications you make are not forever, they are just a stepping stone along the way. Too much too soon is a huge contributing factor in injuries that set women back in progress postpartum.
It’s never too late!
If you are reading this and thinking that counting weeks or months is way in your rearview, no worries! It is never too late to start working on building the foundation of strength and connection in your body. It is still a very good idea to start with the connection strategies of breathing and gentle movement followed by foundational exercises before jumping into a group fitness class or running. I often see women who just want to jump in and push through only to end up with injuries like pelvic floor prolapse, diastasis recti, or strained joints. If you suspect you are working with diastasis recti or pelvic organ prolapse check in with a pelvic floor PT and/ or postpartum exercise specialist as you are getting started. It’s not too late to regain function in your core.
There you have it, you don’t need to wait and it is never too late. Take it one step at a time starting with connection then on to foundation building before higher intensity exercise. If you would like some guidance on this, or are just not sure exactly where to start, check out my postpartum connection guide. It’s a free video series that walks you through 5 connection strategies plus how to check yourself for diastasis recti. If you are ready to start feeling like yourself again check out this link here.