Exercise after giving birth
By Dani Mears
Before you think about doing exercise after giving birth, you need to consider how well your body accommodated the end stages of your pregnancy. If you suffered from joint pains or abdominal muscle problems (divarication), then you need to be assessed by the midwife or a physiotherapist before you start.
Divarication is when the soft tissue that connects your abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, or six-pack) stretches to accommodate your growing bump. After birth, this can result in having a gap between your abdominal muscles.
As you are getting out of bed, you may notice a dome-shape appear on your tummy. If you notice this then you must avoid sit-ups until you have been assessed by a medical professional.
Sometimes people are keen to get back to swimming, but you mustn’t use tampons because of the risk of infection, so you will need to hold off on the swimming until you stop bleeding.
If you had a caesarean then you will have a wound that needs to heal before you can begin any exercise, this will take at least six weeks. A physiotherapist should show you while you are in hospital how to get in and out of bed safely. You should also avoid any heavy lifting, vacuuming and driving for six weeks.
If you are breastfeeding, you will continue to have a hormone called relaxin in your body, which allows your joints to become more supple during pregnancy. As this makes you more prone to injury, you mustn’t exercise without having some advice first.
If you had a tear or stitches during the birth, this will need to heal before you start to do any exercise as it may increase the bleeding.
In summary, if you are keen to start exercising soon after the birth, it is advised that it’s done under professional guidance. Don’t put yourself under any extra pressure – it’s a god idea to simply take your baby out for a short walk every day.
It’s worth bearing in mind that your pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks, and it can often take up to 40 weeks to fully recover. Don’t feel under pressure from celebrities who bounce back to their pre-baby body within weeks – they have personal trainers and nannies. It’s neither realistic nor healthy to try to achieve this.
Most importantly, use this recovery time to just enjoy getting to know your baby.
Dani Mears is an NHS physiotherapist and has worked at Bath Rugby with elite sportsmen. She has a three year old son and is married to Lee Mears, England and British Lion rugby international. Dani is a specialist in women’s health.