It’s a good idea to be physically active after giving birth. Appropriate exercise and movement will aid your recovery, support mental and emotional wellbeing and make caring for your baby easier. Little ones get heavy quickly, so a strong body really pays off!
First days and weeks:
Start pelvic floor exercises as soon as possible after birth. Gently squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as if you are holding in a wee, then fully relax. Repeat 8 times. More detailed instructions and variations available at Squeezy app or POGP
Walking with your baby in a sling or pram is also fantastic exercise. Keep it short and sweet to start with, and build up over the coming weeks. Visit https://wrapahug.com/ for support in all things baby wearing.
We also advise you to eat enough, drink plenty of fluids and rest as much as you like. Caring for a baby and recovering from pregnancy is hard work – so take it easy and look after yourself.
After 6 weeks:
By 6 weeks post partum a lot of healing will have taken place – but you’re a long way from full recovery.
You should be able to increase exercise to pilates, yoga, brisk walking. Weight training or resistance exercises are usually ok in moderation. Consider working with a postnatal pilates teacher or specialist Personal Trainer.
You can swim if you’re no longer bleeding (lochia) and if any stitches are fully healed. This may be around 6-8 weeks postpartum.
You can cycle when any stitches have healed.
Gradually increase the duration, intensity and frequency of your exercise routine – and keep doing your pelvic floor squeezes.
Most people are not ready for high impact exercise such as HIIT or running at 6 weeks post partum and will need at least another 6 weeks of rest & rehab.
After 12 weeks:
By 12 weeks after giving birth you can consider return to higher impact exercise such as running or HIIT.
It is tempting to jump back in to your pre-pregnancy exercise routine, but this can lead to injury a few weeks down the line. We strongly recommend you prepare with a program of strengthening exercises, and build up running slowly.
Watch out for:
-Bleeding
-Urinary or faecal incontinence
-Pelvic Pain
-Persistent back pain
-Heaviness or dragging in the vagina
During or after exercise.
These may be indicators that you need to alter your exercise program and do a little extra work to strengthen your core muscles.
Who can help me?
At Ashlins we have Gaia – Personal Trainer and Sarah – Osteopath who are trained to work with postnatal recovery. All of our Osteopaths and Chiropractors can support you with postnatal back pain.
You can also ask your GP for a referral to Pelvic Health Physiotherapy.
Further reading and resources:
https://complete-physio.co.uk/postnatal-return-to-exercise/
https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/05/20/ready-steadygo-ensuring-postnatal-women-are-run-ready/