After labor when can i exercise

If you had a healthy pregnancy and a normal vaginal delivery, you should be able to start exercising again soon after the baby is born. Usually, it is safe to begin exercising a few days after giving birth—or as soon as you feel ready. If you had a cesarean birth or other complications, ask your health care professional when it is safe to begin exercising again.

Aim to stay active for 20—30 minutes a day. When you first start exercising after childbirth, try simple postpartum exercises that help strengthen major muscle groups, including abdominal and back muscles.

Gradually add moderate-intensity exercise. Remember, even 10 minutes of exercise benefits your body. If you exercised vigorously before pregnancy or you are a competitive athlete, you can work up to vigorous-intensity activity. Stop exercising if you feel pain. When you are ready to start exercising, walking is a great way to get back in shape. Another good way to get daily exercise is by joining an exercise class. Check with your local fitness clubs or community centers for classes that interest you, such as yoga, Pilates, spinning, and dance.

Some gyms offer special postpartum exercise classes and classes you can take with your baby. If you do not want to join a gym but want the benefits of having someone to exercise with, ask a friend to be your workout buddy. If you want to exercise on your own, check out fitness videos and online exercise programs.

Many are designed for women who have just had a baby. You may already have a great exercise tool in your pocket. Smart phone apps for exercise and fitness can help you stay motivated, keep track of your progress, and connect you with others with the same exercise goals.

Many apps are free or cost very little. If you are breastfeeding, feed your baby or express your milk before your workout to avoid any discomfort that may come from engorged breasts. Open pop-up dialog box Pelvic tilt exercise Close. Pelvic tilt exercise Do the pelvic tilt to strengthen your abdominal muscles.

Open pop-up dialog box Happy baby yoga pose Close. Happy baby yoga pose Try this pose to relax and gently stretch your pelvic muscles. Show references Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed June 17, Your guide to breastfeeding. Office on Women's Health. Fact sheets: Exercise. Frequently asked questions. Labor, delivery and postpartum care FAQ Exercise after pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Accessed June 22, Artal R. Exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Moynihan LK, et al. Treatment of myofascial pelvic pain syndrome in women. Accessed July 5, Yoga for pelvic pain. Rochester, Minn. See also Baby brain Breast-feeding and medications Breast-feeding nutrition: Tips for moms Breast-feeding support C-section recovery Eating the placenta Getting in shape after having a baby Kegel exercises Lactation suppression Low milk supply Returning to work after maternity leave Postpartum care: After a vaginal delivery Postpartum complications Pregnancy and breast-feeding with psoriasis Sagging breasts after breast-feeding Sex after pregnancy: Set your own timeline Weight loss after pregnancy Show more related content.

Mayo Clinic Press Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. But you should take care not to do more damage by exercising too vigorously too soon. Be careful of using heavy weights or doing high-impact exercise, as this can increase your chance of prolapse when an organ, such as the uterus, drops down.

How quickly you return to exercise depends on how fit you were before you had the baby, and what happened during the labour. You can start doing gentle pelvic floor and abdominal exercises the first day or two after the birth. If you feel any pain, stop.

When you feel like it, start with a gentle walk, perhaps while pushing the pram. Then, at your own pace, gradually increase the time and pace of your walks. Build up to a minute walk every day if you can. Avoid swimming until the bleeding has stopped for 7 days and you've had your postnatal check with the doctor or obstetrician 6 to 8 weeks after the birth. Wait until your 6-week postnatal check-up before you go back to the gym or start a group exercise program.

It's best not to return to your previous level of physical activity until 16 weeks after the baby is born. A caesarean is a major operation and it will take you at least 6 weeks to heal. However, you can still do pelvic floor exercises from the first day after the birth.

You can start to exercise your abdominal muscles as soon as you feel able to. Avoid sit ups, crunches or abdominal curls, as these put pressure on the scar. Avoid lifting heavy weights. Tighten your tummy and keep your back straight if you need to lift something around the house. After 6 to 8 weeks, you will still be healing inside. It is OK to start walking, do low-impact aerobics or cycle.

Stop if there is any discomfort, pain or a pulling sensation on your scar and try again a couple of weeks later. You should avoid high-impact exercise for 3 to 4 months after your caesarean.

Don't go swimming until the bleeding has stopped for 7 days and you've had your postnatal check with the doctor or obstetrician 6 to 8 weeks after the birth. You can incorporate exercise into your day — for example, when you meet up with friends, or while you're doing other tasks doing pelvic floor exercises while you're breastfeeding or driving, for example.

Walk with your baby in the pram rather than driving, or do your abdominal exercises on the floor next to your baby. For at least 3 months, try to avoid heavy weights, sit ups and high-intensity aerobic activity such as running and tennis. Before you start any high-impact exercises, cough or jump with a full bladder to see if you leak any urine. If you don't, you're probably ready to exercise. If you're still leaking urine 3 months after the birth, talk to your GP or a physiotherapist about strengthening your pelvic floor.

You can find a physio near you using the Service Finder. If you have trouble emptying your bowel or bladder , feel a sense of pressure in your vagina or notice a bulge or swelling in your vagina, you may have a prolapse.

See your doctor. Speak to a maternal child health nurse Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on or video call 7 days a week. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. Pregnancy and childbirth can be hard on your body. Read about simple exercises and healthy habits that can help you cope with many of the changes to your body. Leaking urine after childbirth is very common.

It can be embarrassing and inconvenient, but there are ways to improve bladder weakness.