The First 6 Weeks
Weeks 4-6 is a common time for new moms to start looking forward to some of the exercises/activities they did in the past.
There can be confusion at this time as we commonly hear that postpartum exercises shouldn’t be started until 6 weeks after birth. This message isn’t exactly true. It’s not that black and white. I encourage you to consider a few factors:
Does it make sense that right at 6 weeks, our body is capable to resume all activities regardless of their difficulty (running, weight training, soccer etc)? And that all days leading up to this, the postpartum body is too fragile to handle exercise?
Are you not technically doing exercises most of your day? (lifting your baby from awkward positions, squatting down to pick things up, walking up stairs, lunging to get up and down from the ground, possibly chasing a toddler that is running away from you)?
The reality is, the first 6 weeks after birth are a very important time for rest and not a time that our goal of recovery is based on strength so I wouldn’t advise that you are exercising with the emphasis on “pushing yourself”.
Rather it is a time to coordinate muscles and restore comfort with a variety of positions and movement in preparation for further strengthening.
This is also a great time to start thinking of how you are going to prioritize your recovery and ways that may fit into your family’s schedule. I encourage my clients to start very small when it comes to time, for example 5-10 mins a day in order to establish an attainable goal. If you try to start with an hour of exercise, I think you will not only feel disappointed when you can’t manage to fit it into your day, but it’s also likely that your body won’t be ready for such a significant progression.
I tend to suggest exercises that look like common movements we do in our day and try to incorporate a variety of different positions and directions of movement. New moms tend to spend a significant amount of time sitting, bent and/or hunched forward and not a lot of time rotating, side bending and extending.
Below is an idea of how to tackle an exercise:
1
Approach it with curiosity
What does it feel like when I do it?
Do I hold my breath?
Do I feel pressure?
Do I feel doming/coning that feels uncomfortable?
Am I leaking?
Do I have pain?
2
Stop when you feel you
Can't maintain your breath
Noticing symptoms (doming, leaking, pressure, pain)
3
Remind the deep core to come along
Inhale to allow muscles to soften in your back, core and pelvic floor
Exhale to feel gentle lift from your pelvic floor and a drawing in action of your lower core
4
Modify
How can you make this exercise easier?
It doesn't mean it is a bad exercise, your body just isn't there yet
The goal is to work back up to it
Here are some other ideas of how to incorporate the core and pelvic floor coordination into movements that involve different areas of the body that you can use as exercise ideas. If some of the progressions from the last lesson were too challenging at that time, go back to those and try them again.
Progressing Cardio
Many of you will be wishing to progress your cardiovascular endurance and you may be craving something other than walking. Here are a few things to consider:
Impact exercises like running or plyometric exercises that involve jumping are not bad exercises but consider them a progression. At this stage of healing after birth, your tissues are not ideally suited for this impact. I would suggest having them as a goal to work up to and know that the example exercises provided in this section can serve as building blocks to work up to your desired impact activity
Could you consider progressing the speed and duration of your walking?
Could you start adding some hill walking or light hiking?
Some of my clients feel ready to start some cycling if their perineum feels up for it. We have discussions around keeping the resistance and duration low at the beginning and gradually work up based on symptoms
Do you have access to equipment like an eliptical or rowing machine to add some variety?
Many of my clients prefer to add some aerobic style exercises to their home workouts (modified jumping jacks, stair walking, lateral steps, bum kicks etc) that involve your heart rate and respiratory rate to go up a bit without the impact.
Here are some examples
** It is tempting to turn to social media for advice on exercises and if doing so, I encourage you to be wary of the messages that say there are good vs bad exercises. No two people are the same even if you are at the same stage postpartum. An exercise that feels good to one person, may not be ideal for another person.
YOUR HEALING PELVIC FLOOR
Some women at this stage are very eager for someone to help them understand their postpartum anatomy. When a client is interested, I am happy to do an external pelvic floor exam with the goal to help you understand why you may be experiencing some discomfort and the different muscles involved. I will always send a letter to your doctor if I feel there is something you should follow up with them about.
