Long time, no see, folks! After 29 hours of labor, I
reasoned that a little break was warranted, since that amounts to the time
spent doing 2 Ironman races! Violet is 7 weeks old now, and I have gone
for 3 runs in the last week. I honestly thought I would be running sooner than
that since I ran up until 39 weeks while pregnant (just swimming and walking
once post-dates…mostly out of exhaustion and this weird feeling in my pelvic
floor when I was running that last time out). I kind of assumed I'd be ready to
rock 'n roll by 2 weeks postpartum after a vaginal delivery, probably because I
read blogs/articles about women doing Olympic tri’s 5-6 weeks postpartum;
clearly, everyone is different. I didn't really think I would listen to my OB
when I called to ask about exercise and they told me to hold off until my
postpartum check-up. Good thing my body knew to remind me. REALITY CHECK!
Just walking 4 days out from a vaginal delivery was uncomfortable. Your body
makes leaps and bounds by 2 weeks postpartum, and I was even napping a little
by then and getting some sleep, so I thought about running (CRAZY IDEA), then
got mastitis (I don’t recommend it), then recovered, then had another setback,
and this all brought me to the 6 weeks postpartum that is recommended anyway.
Go figure! Maybe doctors know what they’re talking about? I won’t tell anyone
if you won’t. ;)
But, seriously, folks, having a baby—it’s kind of a big
deal—maybe take some time off for once! If you have a more complicated delivery
like I did, your obstetrician may tell you not to exercise for the first 6
weeks postpartum. This is always the case with a C-section because it is an
abdominal surgery and the abdominal wall muscles need time to heal. Unless you
have had a C-section or your doctor tells you otherwise, it is actually safe to
go back to light exercise as soon as leave the hospital. Those that are very
athletic may have to adjust their perceptions of what light exercise is--it is
actually walking, swimming, stretching, yoga, Kegels (we will be talking a lot about
this in a future blog!). And then you can progress from there, depending on how
you feel.
EARLY POSTPARTUM EXERCISE TIPS:
-PUSH IT UP!
Push-ups strengthen your arms for holding your baby as
he/she gets heavier and for getting rid of that pregnancy flab. There’s such a
thing as mom strength and it comes from toting your baby/kid around as he or
she gets bigger, and if you maximize the fun bouncing and swinging things you
do, you’re golden…so pick your poison- push-ups to prepare or workouts later :)
-KEGELS!!!!
Ugh...these are super important. More on how to do them
and why you should in an upcoming blog post.
You may still have a space in your abdominal wall called
diastasis recti where the muscles haven't come back together yet. Let's work on
it!
 |
| Sometimes we use our Ergo in the apartment when Violet gets very fussy...movement makes everyone feel better, it seems! Not just adults! |
-WALK!
One of my favorite things to do so far is to put Violet in
a Boba wrap or Ergo carrier and just go for an adventure--leaving the apartment
for an outdoor walk is an adventure when you're on maternity leave and also
when you're a newborn, it turns out! This is really one of the easiest and most
fun ways to get back to light exercise postpartum--go for a walk with your
baby. It's great for both of you! A properly fitting stroller to accommodate a
newborn without head control is also fine to use. But the great thing about
carriers is that they remind the baby of being in the womb, similar to
skin-to-skin time--they can hear your heartbeat and they are warm and can smell
mommy! Women all over the world carry their babies on their person- see what
all the fuss is about. Stroller or carrier, the best part is that both of you
get fresh air. My mother-in-law swears Violet sleeps better after getting fresh
air during the day. It's just healthy, folks, and a great way to fight baby
blues and ward off postpartum depression.
-SUNSCREEN!
Remember a hat or covering clothing for your baby if
you're taking him/her with you outside. No sunscreen for your baby until 6
months of age. This is because clothing is more protective for sun exposure
anyway and new baby skin is oh so sensitive. Sunscreen for you-- always,
but especially postpartum. Any dark spots or melasma that you have from the
hormones of pregnancy are only going to worsen if you go out in the sun without
skin protection. So, hat- yes, glasses- yes, sunscreen everywhere- yes.
-HYDRATE/SLEEP/REPLENISH…
More on this when we talk about nutrition and exercising
for the nursing mom, but even if you’re not nursing, err on the side of too
much fluid intake. Another concern is sleep. It can be non-existent early on
with a new baby. I know for me I felt like I adjusted to a much lower level of
sleep than I was used to, especially once going back to work and coupling
residency hours with mommy hours, but, remember that regardless of what you
adapt to, your body will train and recover better with more sleep. If baby had
a bad night, maybe skip the a.m. workout in favor of some extra shut-eye—that is,
if your circadian rhythm isn’t totally caput like mine is! Last, remember to
eat frequent nutritious meals to keep up energy and recovery; you have a lot of
nutrient stores to replenish. You’re still anemic, whether it’s functional
anemia or just a recovery anemia from childbirth, so continue taking those
prenatal vitamins to pick up the slack.
-WATCH OUT, but enjoy the journey
My husband always makes fun of how much I fall—while walking,
while running, while cycling. (I don’t fall in the pool, but probably only
because it’s not possible!) I never really fell walking before pregnancy. There’s
something about the increased joint laxity and the changes in your center of
gravity that really throw you off! Now, postpartum, it’s time to get used to a
modified body—it isn’t quite your pregnancy body after those first couple weeks
of battle-scar recovery from birth and it isn’t nearly your pre-pregnancy one
yet! Your body still has the increased joint laxity that it did during
pregnancy when you are postpartum, so watch your footing even while walking and
especially once you start running and biking. Getting the most sleep,
hydration, and nutrition possible prior to and after workouts in prep and
recovery will help you be alert and focused and avoid any unnecessary injuries.
Your body has to re-learn your pre-pregnancy forms for running or any other
exercise, so give it time to take shape and find its balance. Remember, this
will be a journey back toward previous fitness.
-Swim
Probably safe earlier on than running is. Make sure your
perineal tears or episiotomies have completely healed. Think about it- you
wouldn't swim with an open wound, would you? For most people, I think this
means wait at least 2-3 weeks.
-Bike/Run
Listen to your doc and then to your own body about when
you are ready for these. I'm not too jazzed about getting on a bike anytime
soon and will just settle for running now. Old-school obstetrical thinking is to
wait 6 weeks to run since the uterus hasn't gone back to normal size until
then. This doesn't make a lot of sense to me as an argument since I ran with a
HUGE uterus and a full-term baby in it during pregnancy, but whatever. Listen
to your doctor, and if you're not going to do that, at least listen to your
body. To quote one of my mentors, "If it feels squishy, then maybe back
off a bit." A lot of the new obstetrical thinking is to allow women to
exercise after uncomplicated deliveries as soon as they are feeling up to it, within
reason. Remember that you need your pelvic floor for the rest of your life and
don't want to be incontinent during running or other everyday life activities,
so taking 6 weeks off and spending that time with your baby really isn’t going
to kill you (It didn't kill me.), especially if that’s what your body is
telling you to do.
After a long winter and 6 weeks without running, I have
such an endorphin high every time I go out for a run in this glorious, sunny
summer we are having. It gives me so much energy to come back to my daughter,
and there's no better motivation to finish strong than knowing your daughter is
waiting at home for you (ok, for your boobies, but still). It'll be a while
before Violet is old enough to go for runs in a stroller with her mom and dad
and even longer before she's out doing her own fitness...but more on running
stroller safety and fun topics coming up soon! I hope you have all missed the
blog because we have some exciting posts on deck and lots of ideas and
inspiration for the future! For those of you who haven’t checked the blog in
2014, you have a few posts to catch up on and keep you entertained, but some
topics to look forward to in the coming months are:
For mommy:
- IT Band Syndrome
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (we did this one last blog, but let me assure you it still applies postpartum, so read up!)
- Pelvic Floor Syndrome
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (we did this one last blog, but let me assure you it still applies postpartum, so read up!)
- Pelvic Floor Syndrome
For mommy and baby:
- Exercise &
nutrition for the nursing mom
- Running stroller safety
- Running stroller safety
For baby/kids:
- Intoeing
- Neurodevelopment
and sports training
So stay tuned!
Some helpful
postpartum links for now:
The extreme:
A
step-by-step slow progression:
Other perspectives/blogs:
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