After giving birth, you may be wondering when it is safe to start exercising again. This is dependent on how you are feeling. If you are feeling tired, you may not be up for exercising as intensely or for as long as you did before giving birth. If you had a Caesarean delivery, check with our doctor to see if you are anemic or are at risk of wound infections. Give yourself time to recover and resume your regular exercise routine gradually.
Here is a brochure that will help you know if you are ready to start being active, and know what is normal or not normal.
If you are having symptoms that are not normal contact your physiotherapist, nurse or Health Center.
If your doctor or nurse has given you the OK to start exercising after you have given birth, you can try some of the following post-natal exercise
If you are unsure about whether or not you are ready to start exercising, you can check here or talk to your nurse or doctor.
If you think you are ready to start exercising, here is a sample exercise plan that you can follow. These exercises will help you improve circulation, tone to abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, and improve your bladder control.
Each exercise should be performed ten times each, twice a day.
Lie on your back with knees bent up for all of the following exercises
1. Deep Breathing
Breathe slowly in through your nose letting the abdomen rise, and then pull the abdomen in and blow out slowly through your mouth.
2. Pelvic Tilting
Place one hand, palm down, under the small of your back. Tighten and pull your belly button towards your spine (flattening your back against your hand). Hold for 5 seconds then relax slowly. Practice this exercise first in lying, then in sitting and then standing.
3. Pelvic floor contractions (Kegels) - facet, wave and elevator (see Kegel exercises)
1. Straight and diagonal curl ups - Lying on your back with knees bent up, perform pelvic tilt (#2 above) and hold. Clasp hands in front of you.
a. Tuck your chin in and reach down, touching hands to outside of the right knee and hold for 5 seconds. Return to the starting position slowly. Relax.
b. Repeat, reaching to the centre between the knees and hold for 5 seconds. Return to the starting position slowly. Relax.
c. Repeat reaching to the outside of the left knee. Return to the starting position slowly. Relax.
2. Pelvic tilt with leg straightening - Lying on your back with knees bent up, perform pelvic tilt and hold. Slowly slide one knee out until you feel you cannot hold the pelvic tilt. Slowly slide leg back. Repeat both sides.
3. Side bending - in standing, perform pelvic tilt and hold it for the duration. Bend trunk to the right side, sliding right hand down the right leg. Repeat to the opposite side.
4. Posture check - stand sideways in front of a mirror. Tuck chin in while drawing up the back of your neck. Pull in your stomach and tuck your buttocks under. The lower back should be flat. "THINK TALL"
5. Sit Backs - Sit on floor, knees bent, arms reaching out in front, tuck chin to chest. Slowly exhale as your curl your back and slowly lower yourself to the floor (feel your abdominal muscles working). As this exercise gets easier, you can place your arms crossed over your chest (hard) or place your hands near your ears (hardest).
**Remember when bending over or lifting (even light things) - bend at the hips and knees and hold whatever you are picking up in close to your body. Tighten your stomach and keep your back straight while lifting with your legs.
If you are breastfeeding your baby, it is important to know that it does not affect the amount of breastmilk you produce, its composition or how your baby will grow. You may also have heard that exercise affects how your baby is feeding. If you notice that your baby doesn’t feed as well after you exercise, you can do one of two things:
1. Express your milk before exercising and give that to your baby
2. Breastfeed an hour after exercising