Congrats! You’ve given birth to a sweet little bundle of snuggles and love. If you’re like me, you can’t WAIT to resume fitness again (because let’s be real, it feels so good to move again, right?).
My tiny human being skeptical about that.
Slow your roll. You’ve just spent 40 weeks (give or take) CREATING a tiny human being. Your body has changed drastically, and giving birth is no easy feat. You shouldn’t just jump right back into your fitness routine where you left off (whether you lifted throughout your pregnancy, or didn’t lift a finger for nine months). So let’s talk about what to do BEFORE you return to fitness.
For the first six to eight weeks, your ONLY GOAL should be adjusting to life with a new person in it. Sleep as much as you can. Try to shower every day. Figure out your baby’s cues. Listen to your own body (that’s probably telling you to sleep). Stretch or walk if you feel up to it, but understand, your body is healing right now. Let it. Don’t put pressure on yourself to lose weight or jump back into a routine during this time. Trust me–your body will LET YOU KNOW if you overdo it. Go slow.
At the 6 (or 8 if you had a c section) week mark, you’ll likely go see your OB or midwife to get cleared to return to activity. And this is where there’s a lot of gray area. They’ll “clear” you, but don’t always give you guidance on where to start over again.
Ask for a referral to see a pelvic floor therapist. You’ve just had a child sit on your pelvic floor for nine months, so whether you delivered vaginally or through a cesarean, it’s probably worth your time to go see one. Unless you’re into that whole cross-your-legs-tight-and-hope-you-don’t-pee-your-pants-every-time-you-sneeze thing. I don’t judge.
They’ll also be able to assess you for a diastasis recti and begin working with you to heal it as best they can (some cases do require surgery, but some don’t, and either way, you should give the conservative non surgical route a shot first).
What can YOU do as well during this time?
*Please note, for ANY of these, if they don’t feel good or cause any pulling inside, hold off on them for now. There is NO NEED to rush this.
Connective breathing: lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push your back flat against the ground. Breathe in, relaxing your pelvic floor and filling your belly (push out on your abs in all directions like you’re filling a balloon inside you). Exhale fully, drawing your pelvic floor up towards you.
A good tip for “drawing your pelvic floor up”: imagine a diamond shape between your legs, and try to pull the four corners of it together and up into you.
Cat Camel: on all fours, arch your back like an angry cat, and then reverse the curve of your spine, bringing your belly button down and your butt up.
Pelvic Tilts: lay flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push the small of your back into the ground, flattening the arch in it, then relax and allow the arch to return. Repeat.
Glute Bridges: lay flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push the small of your back into the ground. Push your heels into the ground, and, without losing that flat back, bring your butt up into the air. Your booty is doing the work here, not your back, so if you find yourself arching your back to get height, reset, and shorten your range of motion.
Heel Taps: lay flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push the small of your back into the ground. Bring one knee up towards your chest and return it to the ground. Repeat on the other side.
Side Lying Windmills: lay on your side, knees bent, with your shoulders, hips, and knees all stacked left directly over right (or right over left, if you’re on the other side). KEEP YOUR KNEES AND HIPS STACKED, reach out in front of you on the ground with your top arm, and draw a big half circle around your head. Return to start, repeat.
Side Lying Clamshells: lay on your side with your knees bent (fetal position but not as bunched up), shoulders, knees, and hips stacked again. Brace your core (aka push out on it in all directions like you’re filling a balloon inside you/like you’re preparing to get punched in the stomach). Keep your feet together and raise one knee up towards the ceiling without letting your hips move.
Pec Stretch in a doorway
The Fit Witt 