Postnatal exercise

Regular exercise has numerous health benefits, all of which apply equally to the new mother as at any other stage of life. These benefits include assistance with weight loss, increased aerobic fitness, social interaction and psychological wellbeing. Exercise after giving birth can also hasten recovery, and assist with muscle strength and toning.

Always consult with your doctor or midwife before starting any postnatal exercise program. Whether or not you are ready to exercise depends on individual factors. For instance, you may be advised to wait until your six-week postnatal check-up. In other cases, especially if you were exercising regularly throughout your pregnancy, you may be able to return to exercise sooner than that – perhaps within the first week or two.

The benefits of postnatal exercise
Exercising after you have your baby can improve your physical and mental wellbeing.

• Daily exercise can help restore muscle strength and firm up your body
• Exercise can make you less tired because it raises your energy level and improves your sense of wellbeing
• Promote weight loss
• Improve your cardiovascular fitness and restore muscle strength
• Condition your abdominal muscles
• Improve your mood, relieve stress and help prevent postpartum depression.

When to start
Check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. You should start when you feel up to it. Follow the same guidelines as you did when you were pregnant but you should not try to resume your former pace right away.

If you had a caesarean birth, a difficult birth, or complications, it may take a little longer to feel ready to start exercising. If you did not exercise during pregnancy, start with easy exercises and slowly build up to harder ones.

Keep in mind your lower back and core abdominal muscles are weaker than they used to be. Your ligaments and joints are also more supple and pliable, so it is easier to injure yourself by stretching or twisting too much. Avoid any high impact exercises or sports that require rapid direction changes.

Breastfeeding
Studies have shown that vigorous or regular exercise does not have adverse effects on a mother’s ability to successfully breast feed as long as fluid and caloric intake are maintained.

Creating time for exercise
When you're caring for a newborn, finding time for physical activity can be challenging. Some days you may simply feel too tired for a full workout. But that doesn't mean that you should put physical activity on the back burner. Do the best you can. Suggestions include:

• Seek the support of your partner, family and friends. Exercise with a friend to stay motivated.
• Walking is a good way to get back in shape –all you need is a pair of comfortable shoes. It is free, and you can do it almost any place or time. You can also take your baby along.
• Include your baby, lying next to you on the floor, while you do abdominal exercises.
• 10 minutes at a time is fine. We know 150 minutes each week (as per National Physical Activity Guidelines) sounds like a lot of time, but you don't have to do it all at once. Not only is it best to spread your activity out during the week, but you can break it up into smaller chunks of time during the day.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself if your exercise plans go awry. Just do the best you can, and remember – you will get more time to yourself as your baby settles into a predictable routine.
• Tummy and pelvic floor exercises can be done while you’re doing other tasks, either sitting or standing. To help you remember, try performing the exercises whenever you do certain things, such as breastfeeding or driving the car. (For details on tummy and pelvic floor exercises, refer to the Better Health Channel article ‘Postnatal exercise – sample workout’).
• Walk your baby in the pram rather than use the car for short trips.
• Consider building up a home library of exercise videotapes. It might be a good idea to include a few tapes that offer shorter workouts too (such as 15 or 30 minutes), just so you don’t have to always find a full hour or more to exercise.

General exercise safety suggestions
Be guided by your doctor or midwife, but general suggestions include:

• Wear an appropriate bra that offers good support. Don’t rely on your pre-pregnancy sports bra because your back and cup size are likely to have changed. Get measured for a new one.
• Your exercises should not hurt. If you experience pain or any other unexplained symptoms stop the exercise and consult your doctor if necessary.

Types of exercise
Recommended postnatal exercise includes:

• Brisk walking
• Swimming
• Aquarobics
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Low impact aerobic workouts
• Light weight training
• Cycling.

See your doctor or midwife for further recommendations and cautions.

Where to get help

• Your doctor
• Your midwife
• Physiotherapist
• 'Go for your life' Infoline service Tel. 1300 73 98 99

Things to remember

• Always consult with your doctor or midwife before starting any postnatal exercise program.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself if your exercise plans go awry – you’ll get more time to yourself as your baby settles into a predictable routine.

You might also be interested in:

• Physical activity - it's important.
  
• Postnatal exercise - sample workout.
  
• Pregnancy and diet.
  
• Pregnancy and exercise.
  

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This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

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Kinect Australia (inc VICFIT in Victoria)

Last reviewed: July 2010

The information published here was accurate at the time of publication and is not intended to take the place of medical advice. Please seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional.

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