Returning to fitness after birth doesn’t have to happen immediately, but it does have benefits to recovery and your overall postpartum wellness.
Congratulations, Mama! You’ve just accomplished the biggest athletic event of your life: the birth of your precious baby. Whether via vaginal delivery or C-section, labor and birth require the body to endure more than ever before.
You may be feeling great in the first few weeks after birth, and you may feel like you want to return to exercise. How soon is too soon?
As a Nutrition and Strength Coach and new mom myself, this was a question for me as I was nearing the birth of my son. I wanted to plan my routine and to know what I would and would not be able to do in the first few weeks postpartum.
It’s not guaranteed how you’ll feel postpartum in those first few weeks, so creating an actual plan wasn’t really in the cards for me, nor is it really for most of my clients.
However, some things can be helpful to understand about those first few weeks postpartum that can help you return to fitness after birth.
What happens in your body after birth?
Before we dive more into the role of fitness in your postpartum journey, it’s important to understand and appreciate what happens in your body after giving birth.
In the first week after birth, bleeding is still reasonably heavy as your body heals from childbirth and the wound that your placenta leaves as it detaches from your uterus.
Your pelvis and tailbone shift back to their normal pre-pregnancy resting positions, and your uterus starts to contract back to its pre-pregnancy size.
Up until around six to eight weeks, your uterus continues to contract back to its standard size while healing from the wound your placenta leaves as it detaches. Up to this point, the rest is your best friend.
We are typically cleared for sex and exercise at our six-week check-up. However, that does not mean our bodies are ready to return to our pre-pregnancy fitness routine.
The good news is there is plenty you can work on in those first weeks postpartum to set you up for a smoother transition into Fitness when you are ready.
Fitness-oriented movements you can do immediately postpartum
As the baby grows, our uterus displaces other organs to make room during pregnancy. This puts pressure (as I’m sure you noticed) on your organs (especially your lungs). Unable to fully expand, your lungs can’t allow for full, deep belly breaths.
Once the baby joins you Earthside, you can start re-programming your body to prioritize your diaphragmatic breath.
These deep belly breaths can be and should be your focus in the first three to four weeks postpartum, as everything else in your body is shifting.
- Week one: practice while lying down
- Week two: practice while sitting up
- Week three: practice while standing, leaning against a wall
- Week four: practice while walking lightly
Diaphragmatic breaths can help guide your organs back into their usual resting places, manage your stress levels, and promote muscle tone in your core.
As you focus on these deep belly breaths, you can start by laying flat on your back with your knees bent. After the first week, you can progress to sitting up for your breaths. In the third week, you can stand with your back, leaning against the wall.
In your fourth week, you can progress to using your diaphragmatic breath in movement like light walking.
While it may not seem like a lot, developing your diaphragmatic breath on the front end of your postpartum recovery can help you return to fitness faster than if you jump right into it.
Jumping right in without giving your body time to recover can lead to pelvic floor issues like incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, or problems in later pregnancies.
Video: How to do the diaphragmatic breath
“How do you do the diaphragmatic breath?” you might ask.
Here’s a super helpful video from my friends at BIRTHFIT that explains the diaphragmatic breath for you to use at home.
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