Following pregnancy and delivery, exercise can help the body adjust to dramatic changes, restoring strength, improving cardiovascular fitness and helping the new mother to shed some pounds. In addition, an exercise routine often helps new mothers deal with any symptoms of postpartum depression. Regular exercise also generally boosts energy levels, a great relief for mothers adapting to limited sleeping hours.
A Simple Routine
If your schedule only affords limited time and space, your routine might involve bridges, pelvic tilts and kegel exercises, useful for tightening the vagina and recovering from the birth. For the bridge, lie flat on your back and bend your knees. Lift your hips and buttocks off the floor, using your core. Hold your pelvis off the floor and return to the starting position. Pelvic tilts are slightly gentler. Begin in the same starting position and simply tilt your pelvis up and gently press your lower back into the floor. For a kegel, contract the same muscle as if you were stopping the flow of urine.
Caring for Your Abs
During pregnancy, a woman's abs usually shift their position to accommodate the baby. The gap may take anywhere from four to eight weeks to close up, following delivery. Avoid intensive abdominal exercises before the gap has a chance to close. Test whether you have the gap by tightening your abs and palpating with your hand. Lie on your back, with your knees bent, and gently go into a crunch. Hold one hand just above your belly button. As your abs tighten, feel for a gap. When the gap is less than a finger's width in size, you can start doing more intensive ab training. Replace the bridge and pelvic tilt with crunches or reverse crunches.
Thighs, Buttocks and Back
A routine that includes knee presses and pelvic rocks will condition your legs, abs and buttocks, relieving back pain. For the knee press, sit with your knees bent and your feet together on the floor, right in front of you. Tilt your knees outward, bringing them gently toward the floor. When you reach your limit, hold them in place. Follow the knee press with the pelvic rock, a set of three positions. First, stand on your hands and knees and round your back upward, as a cat would. Relax and repeat. For the second position, stand with your back to the wall, tucking in your buttocks and tightening your abs. Your hips will rock back and forth. Finish the set off with pelvic tilts.
When To Start
As a rule of thumb, health care providers have traditionally told new mothers to wait about six weeks before they begin to regularly exercise. However, modern approaches may involve exercise as early as a few days of birth, assuming the delivery went smoothly and did not involve a C-section, vaginal repair or any other complications. If delivery has involved a C-section, wait six to eight weeks before your first workout. Because fitness and postpartum condition varies widely from one mother to the next, consult with your midwife or doctor about the best time to start according to your own body.
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