As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. Your body needs time to heal post birth so rest and recovery in the early weeks is paramount.
If you’ve had an uncomplicated birth then pelvic floor exercises, walking and exercises that focus on the deepest layer of abdominal muscles can resume as soon as you feel ready. If you’ve had a caesarean or complications, recovery will likely take a little longer.
Your 6–8-week postnatal check is the perfect time to discuss your options in terms of physical activity and exercise with your GP or healthcare professional. If you are given the all clear it’s important to resume activities at a gradual pace and prioritise pelvic floor, abdominal function, breathing and technique. Only once these are addressed should you look to resume higher intensity training.
If you are breastfeeding and resistance training or being active at a moderate intensity, it is perfectly safe to do so and does not impact breast milk quality or quantity.
Click here for a super useful infographic from the UK CMO summarising physical activity guidelines (2019) for women after childbirth:
For more info on keeping active after giving birth, check out the following NHS link:
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