After you give birth, moving around might be the last thing you want to do.
However, exercise is essential for recovering your health after pregnancy and childbirth — but you can’t just jump back into your old routine as soon as you give birth.
Whether you’ve already given birth or are planning ahead during pregnancy, here are eight ways to ease into exercising after giving birth.
1. Talk to your healthcare provider first.
How soon you are able to return to exercise depends a lot on how your pregnancy and your birth went.
For instance, if you had a pregnancy and regular vaginal birth without complications, you might be cleared to start walking within 24 hours.
If you had a C-section or a complicated birth, you might need to rest for days or even weeks before resuming physical activity.
Always talk with your provider first and don’t resume physical activity until they have given the green light.
Once you are cleared to work out, you should also follow your provider’s advice for the frequency and intensity of exercise that you can do after birth.
If you did undergo a vaginal birth, your doctor may recommend you wear bladder leakage pads so you can stay dry as you train your body to ease back into an exercise routine
2. Watch out for warning signs.
Your body will tell you if it’s not ready to work out yet.
Some common warning signs include bleeding (also known as lochia), leaking other fluids such as urine or feces, and pain in either the abdominals or vagina (or both).
You might also experience a feeling of heaviness or weakness in the pelvic area, which can be a symptom of pelvic organ prolapse.
If you experience any of these symptoms, especially past the first few weeks of birth, then reach out to your provider to discuss what might be causing them.
3. Try walking at first.
Walking is the easiest and most accessible workout to do after you give birth.
Not only is walking low impact, but it also doesn’t require any other equipment beyond a supportive pair of tennis shoes.
Walking can also help decrease your risk of blood clots after giving birth, which is very important.
If the weather is nice and you feel up to it, try taking your baby for a quick lap around the block so you can both get some fresh air.
If the weather is inclement, or you don’t feel up to it, then you can just do laps inside your house until you are ready to go outside.
4. Try out pelvic exercises.
Delivering vaginally stretches out your pelvic muscles, and they might need some help getting back into shape.
Talk with your doctor about pelvic and Kegel ball exercises that can help tighten and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
Note that pelvic exercises are different from abdominal exercises.
In fact, your doctor might have you hold off on abdominal muscles, as the muscles will be stretched out from pregnancy and need time to heal before you put additional strain on them via exercise.
5. Start with low-impact workouts.
Once you are ready to move on from walking, choose low-impact workouts that will not jar your body.
Pilates and yoga are both great options that you can do at home. If you have access to a pool, some women also really enjoy swimming after giving birth once their lochia dries up.
Once you feel up to it, strength training with light weights (no more than 10 pounds) is another great addition to your routine.
If you are not sure what low-impact workouts are appropriate for you, your healthcare provider can offer some ideas to help you get started.
6. Get acquainted with your new body.
Pregnancy changes your body significantly. Your muscles may no longer be in the same position they once were, or have the same strength or flexibility.
Your sense of balance might also be altered since you have been carrying extra weight in the front for nine months.
Your ligaments will also be more loose thanks to your body’s secretion of the hormone relaxin, which can make you more prone to overstretching.
You might also be experiencing postpartum incontinence that requires the use of bladder control products.
Thus, you need time to get reacquainted with your body’s posture, abilities, and more to avoid accidentally injuring yourself.
Be slow and deliberate in your first workouts as you familiarize yourself with your new ways of movement.
7. Consider a postpartum exercise class.
If you’re not sure how to get started with exercising after giving birth, then consider trying out a postpartum exercise class, either on your own or “mommy and me” style with your baby.
These classes may be available at local gyms and exercise studios.
If you can’t find any in your area, or don’t want to leave the house, then try taking a virtual postnatal exercise class instead.
This will allow you to get the benefit of expert instruction without the hassle of leaving your home.
8. Breastfeed before exercising.
If you are breastfeeding, you may have been told that you need to be careful with exercising because workouts will cause lactic acid to build up in the milk, affecting it adversely.
Thankfully, this lactic acid won’t really impact the nutritional value of the milk, but it can sometimes alter the taste slightly, which some babies are sensitive to.
You should breastfeed before exercise just in case. This will also allow you to avoid the discomfort caused by moving around with full breasts.
You should also invest in a supportive sports bra so your breasts won’t bounce around too much while you exercise.
Follow these tips to establish an exercise routine after giving birth, and remember to always go slowly and be kind to yourself.
When in doubt, always check in with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine or making any big changes to your postnatal workouts.