When Is It O.K. to Work Out After Having a Baby?

I started working out just a few weeks post delivery and did a triathlon 11 weeks post delivery. My doctor thought I was crazy, but I was listening to my body and feeling good.

I am a certified yoga therapist and at 3 to 4 weeks I would recommend gentle walks, perhaps with the stroller, gentle stretching and no more than light hand weights. The hormones caused your ligaments to stretch to prepare the body for birth and any vigorous workouts or deep stretching can be too much for those soft ligaments. Also the abdominal muscles need to come back into shape. there is usually a dividing re in the middle of the lower abdominal area. The best thing to help the body get back into shape is breast feeding. By six weeks you can tke on more, but listen to your body, it has changed. Be patient and don't try to rush the weight loss. It can take up to a year.

You could do some walking but starting an intense workout regimen so soon could be very dangerous. After having a baby your blood volume is higher than normal so doing something extremely aerobic is not good for your heart. It takes about six weeks for everything to go back to normal, hence the recommendation. But, like I said, put your baby in a stroller and do some light walking. It's a good place to start and your little one can use the small amounts of Vitamin D that comes from being outside. That's my 2 cents. :)

Absolutely not.... you can tear or pull or damage something on the inside without knowing until it's too late. Do as your doctor says and rest... give your body time to heal. Then start VERY slowly

You can stroll.
Strenuous exercise can cause dangerous bleeding.

It took you 40 weeks to gain that weight and make a baby.
There is no hurry to get it off.

Good luck.
Take it easy. Your baby needs you to be healthy.

Please wait until at LEAST 6 weeks. I waited that long and dove right into brisk walks and yoga and ended up hemorraging blood clots the size of baseballs. I ended up in the ER and had to have emergency surgery to correct the damage. I should have listened to my doctor and taken it easy for 8 weeks (that was her reccomendation.) I ended up having a 16 week recovery and not able to have sex or workout until my baby was almost 4 months old.

I'm sure that walking is fine. Don't be h*** o* yourself about losing weight. Remember it took 9 months to put it on! If you have both the energy to workout and someone to watch the baby MORE POWER TO YA!

I think if you feel good, then you should start exercising. I started working out again when my baby was 2 weeks old. Just pay attention to your body. Don't over exert yourself...

if you're comfortable enough, start slow. if bleeding increases (assuming you're still bleeding) slow down. my midwife told me to make sure to do crunches pretty much from day one to tighten the abdominal wall. Don't over-do it if you're nursing! Remember a pound a week is a safe weight loss rate.

after 6 weeks for regular work out and of course no cleanses or detox diets while nursing. most of all eat healthy balanced meals and drink plenty of water.
Congradulations!

You may start moderate excersise when you feel ready. 6 weeks is the time for re-engaging in sexual activity. Let your body be the guide. When you over-exert yourself your Lochia (blood flow) will get heavier. Start by going for walks with your kids in the stroller, and see how it goes. If your flow gets heavy, slow it down, and wait a little longer.

Just for future reference... if you are breasfeeding, some babies will NOT nurse after Mommy works out... this is because exercise produces lactic acids, and this makes the breastmilk taste like "soured" milk... thus, you have to nurse right before working out, and PLAN ahead as to when baby's next feeding should be or when she will be hungry.

It takes about 2 hours post exercise, for the milk taste to go back to normal... and some babies are sensitive to sweat and the smell... so shower after and before nursing.

Also, strenuous exercise, can sometimes affect your milk output... and if you are not taking in enough water or calories/nutrition yourself.

All the best,
Susan

Nothing strenuous for 4 weeks... even though you feel good, your body just went through a crazy event - you don't want to hurt yourself by overdoing it! :o)

Definitely start working out again, at a slow pace. Go for a walk pushing the stroller. I started doing light abdominal yoga and pilates work outs. Get your body moving just don't over do it.

From what I understand (and my experience after having 2 babies naturally without complications) you can work out according to how you feel, but you should never do anything with impact, such as running, until you have the OK from your doctor (at least 6 weeks or later). My midwife warned that impact could damage the uterus or cause a prolapsed uterus, since it is still oversized and everything is a bit fragile after giving birth. Start moderate and slowly increase intensity if you don't feel any stress on your body, but if there is any increased bleeding, stop. Also be mindful of your abdominal wall. It had to separate to allow for the growing belly, and it needs some time and gentleness to get back to its usual position.

I had great recoveries after both of my babies, and I remember that especially after the 2nd baby was born, I felt great and couldn't wait to start moving again. When he was 4 days old, it was a gorgeous day and I wanted to go for a walk. So I was pushing our double stroller up a big hill and I quickly realized I was being a bit foolish. Normally that walk would be no big deal, but I had just given birth. I felt great taking care of the kids around the house, but get my heart rate up and I felt dizzy and like my lungs could explode. Fortunately, my husband was with me, so I thought it wise to let him push the stroller, and I slowed my pace down.

Just remember, your body went through 9 months of stretching, growing, and adjusting to accomodate your baby, then suddenly the baby is out and everything has to go back to normal. We don't notice all of the post-partum changes but there is a lot going on. So be gentle on yourself.

Congratulations and good luck!

You know your body. I worked out my entire pregnancy and started slowly as soon as I got home fromt he hospital. Walking, pilates, yoga...

I would begin with walking and maybe altering my diet. If you're nursing, it's recommended you eat 500 additional calories daily to make-up for the breast-milk production...I would maybe not eat the additional calories, but make sure that what I did eat was food that counted both for your health and your baby's- good, lean proteins- good fats- calcium- fiber, etc (fish, nuts, avocadoes, milk, yogurt, oatmeal, eggs, whole wheats).

My mom always reminded me that just because we feel good outside- our insides are what went through "H". Four weeks will go by fast...once your doctor says everything is back to normal...you'll be already ahead of the game because you're eating better and less calories. If you're also nursing and you were to eat your normal amount of calories, you would still lose weight, due to the breast-milk production!

I hope this helps. Good luck to you andcongratulations on your new baby!