Essential Tips for Postpartum Exercise
| Posted On Apr 11, 2023 | By: Katrina Bubb-Kelly, DPT, CSCS
Having a child is a wonderful and busy time full of adjustments. You may wonder how you can help your body adapt to life after having a baby. I previously shared some of my best tips for activity while pregnant, and I’m back with more information for recovery and activity after childbirth.
The First Six Weeks Postpartum
During the first six weeks after childbirth, you will focus on healing and recovery. This phase might take months if you had a C-section or a traumatic birth experience. You can still work on walking as tolerated, gentle movement exercises, and breathing with abdominal activation.
- Practice 360 breathing. This breathing technique allows your lower ribs to expand to the side and not up through your chest. When you inhale, your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles should relax. As you exhale, the pelvic floor and deep lower abdominal muscles should gently contract, causing your belly to draw in slightly. You should not feel that you are pushing down into your pelvis with breathing or lifting.
- Gentle movement and stretching. Do what feels comfortable to you. Some examples include the child’s pose, open book, seated figure four stretch, and seated hamstring stretches.
- Walking – Start with 10-15 minutes and gradually increase by 5 minutes. Use an abdominal binder if you feel like you need one (wear it around your hips, not as high as pictured in the link).
- Posture – While standing, be mindful not to lock your knees. While sitting, make sure to support your arms and support your back with pillows.
Six Weeks and Beyond
Getting clearance from your provider to exercise does not mean you should quickly return to earlier exercise programs. Start light and gradually increase the intensity of your exercise. Be mindful that if you are breastfeeding in any capacity, you may have some extra looseness through your joints due to hormone fluctuations. This could mean you’ll need to do lighter activities than you expected. Things to focus on in general and with exercise:
- Breathing – Continue with 360 breathing. When you inhale, focus on relaxing the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. This is difficult for many women to do post-partum regardless of whether they had a vaginal delivery or a C-section.
- Lifting – Try to exhale while you lift anything, including children, car seats, and weights for exercise. Avoid abdominal bulging, which indicates that you are putting pressure down into your pelvic floor. This will help protect your back.
- Abdominal separation, clinically known as diastasis recti, is extremely common postpartum. Most women heal by three months after childbirth. Proper abdominal activation can help the diastasis recti recovery.
- Return to Running – Before you return to running, you need to be able to do 25 single-leg heel raises, 10 single-leg squats without your knees falling in or pain in your back or knee, and double and single-leg jumping without pain or any urinary leaking. Urinary leaking is a sign that your pelvic floor is not managing pressure correctly.
Want more specific guidance for return to exercise? Talk to your OBGYN or midwife about seeing an Atrius Health physical therapist who specializes in working with postpartum patients.
Do you have urinary leaking or vaginal pain? Reach out to your OB/GYN or midwife to discuss treatment options.
About Katrina Bubb-Kelly, DPT, CSCS
Katrina Bubb-Kelly, DPT, CSCS, graduated from Northeastern in 2012 and has been practicing at Atrius Health for since graduating. She has her Clinical Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification, as well as a Post-Partum Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification. She enjoys training clinical education students to pass on the knowledge she has acquired. She tries to stay active outside the clinic by doing outdoor activities with her daughter and husband.
