Back to the Basics after having a baby?

J

jennifercareer

Active Member
I'm 38 wks pregnant and I just can't wait to begin my Cathe DVD's again! Only due to a lot of back pain beginning at 5 months, I quite working out. Not even walking! I have to be so out of shape and I think jumping back into my DVD's is going to be very difficult. Does anyone have any suggestsions as to how to ease back into this......and when? Are there easier videos that I should start with? Also, how long should I wait before beginning my excersise program again? I go back to work after 8 wks and would really like to start excersising as early as possible before heading back to work.....or I won't fit into any of my work clothes. I gained 55 lbs so far and I realize that I won't lose it overnight. But I really don't want to invest too much $$ in new clothes just to get me thru a month. Can someone please give me some guidance?
 
i had my 3rd a couple months ago..the weight is pretty much off (i gained 26#) but the belly is stretched out still. my regular clothes fit just not as well as id like.

i exercised right up to the end and to get back to exercising i waited 5 weeks. i just enjoyed my baby.
then i started w/ kickbox and light stepping, no more than 30 min.
a month later i am back full-force, actually lifting heavier than ever.

PLEASE give your body time to rest! it is so important and so under-rated.
since you havent exercised in so long perhaps start with just your favorite warmups.

i take it this is your first? you won't be imaxing your first week pp, for sure!:)
enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and enjoy that sweet baby when it comes!!!
 
I agree with Kate about taking it easy at first. They don't just say that for a reason. I believe it is even dangerous for you to exercise right away because of your uterus. It needs time to get back to its regular size, which takes a few weeks; faster if you nurse. I remember trying to exercise right away with my 2nd baby and I got bad belly cramps (gas?)every time. It was very very painful. Just keep busy - which you will - and you will one day just feel that the time is right for you to ease back into it. I would say about 4 weeks, but that is if you don't have a c-section and I know the dr. will tell you probably 6-8 weeks. I never listened to my doctor exactly, though...

HTH, Clarissa
 
Clarissa said:
I agree with Kate about taking it easy at first. They don't just say that for a reason. I believe it is even dangerous for you to exercise right away because of your uterus. It needs time to get back to its regular size, which takes a few weeks; faster if you nurse. I remember trying to exercise right away with my 2nd baby and I got bad belly cramps (gas?)every time. It was very very painful. Just keep busy - which you will - and you will one day just feel that the time is right for you to ease back into it. I would say about 4 weeks, but that is if you don't have a c-section and I know the dr. will tell you probably 6-8 weeks. I never listened to my doctor exactly, though...

HTH, Clarissa
Click to expand...

I have no suggestions as I'm only 21 weeks with my first. However, I trust Clarissa (because she's a personal trainer) and Kate (because of her experience) in terms of what they said about taking it easy and just listen to your body. My doctor is german (I live in Germany) and their philosophy is MUCH different than the Americans. My doctor said to do whatever I've been doing, but don't try to improve. So, I'm still doing Cathe. In fact, I just did a spin class this morning (very similiar to 50 min. of Cardio Coach--yummy Coach Sean) and lifted legs. My reps for weights are very high (15-20) and I don't lift heavy (for me) at all. The cardio is moderate and I barely sweat.

You know your body. Do what's right for you. The best part about it is that you're showing (or will show) your kids what a healthy mommy is all about.

You go girl!!!
 
OK I guess I'm in the minority on this one. But my impatience with getting my body back was really bad. I began ab work 4 days after I had Mason. In fairness, I started this at that point becuase I was having horrible back spasms day and night because of the lab of ab strength. I could barely walk upright. So I started back with planks on my knees and cunches (all with a scarf tied tightly around my waist) to begin getting ab strength back.

7 days after I had Mason I began working out again normally. I had to build cardio back up, so I started by just bumping my step height back up to 6". But I was doing Gym Styles for weight work and Drill Max, LIC, Low Max, Tae Bo, etc... right off the bat.
HOwever, I worked out until the week I had him, so I'm not sure if that made a difference with how ready I felt to jump back into it.

At any rate, I was careful with my form since my joints were still loose, and I pushed myself just a little harder everyday.

For me, I was in my pre-preg clothes by 2 weeks, the FIT :) like normal at 3 weeks, belly was flat by again by 4, and the rest has been retoning ever since. Now, at 6 mos pp, I'm smaller than I was pre-preg by 2 pant sizes.

So, like others are saying, listen to your body. You know how hard you can push yourself, and when it's time to do it. Just be careful with your form, and make sure that you don't expect too much from yourself too soon. (I wish I'd followed that advice myself!)
 
When I mentioned the 4 weeks of waiting - I was referring to intense cardio. It just feels weird to bounce all around after birth. It feels wrong. I did, however, do some sort of ab work probably the next day. For real. In fact, I remember looking in the hospital mirror about 2-4 hours after giving birth (baby #2) and I still had my upper abs and obliques. I just had the middle to work on, of course, being stretched out. I was so very lucky to not get stretch marks. I even did some walking lunges and calf raises I think the next day around the hospital room (when no one was looking). I am very obsessed with exercise and I strongly need the endorphins. But the cardio thing, and straight ab crunches, right off the bat really upset my belly is all.

Have a nice holiday!

Clarissa
 
I waited about 3 weeks after the birth of my 2nd and six after my 1st. I was told not to exercise at all after 3 months and was taken out of work early because I have a history of premature babies. So needless to say I was extremely out of shape (for me) after my 2nd baby. I had received the high step for Mother's Day and it came with high step circuit so the first time I worked out I did the first 3 circuits then two days later I did 4 circuits and in a week I was back to all my old weight dvds but I had to do light weight and/or less reps. I am still not where I want to be, especially since my kids have had the bug for the last 7 days, but I do what I can when I can.

Be patient. I would love to be back to where I was before I had kids but sometimes when I look down and still see the flab in my ab area I do get irritated but then I look over and see the kids playing and think as much as I wish it weren't there I have two great kids.
 
So do you think it's safe/ok to do just low impact step? Or what about jogging on the treadmill? A few years ago, I worked with a personal trainer. She started me off on a program that consisted of stepping onto a 12" bench for 2 min and then doing as many reps (but a min of 20) in 1 minute for one body part. Then I did 2-3 different excersises for each body part. So my routine was:
Step for 2 min
1 min of overhead presses
Step for 2 min
1 min of front raises
Step for 2 min
1 min of lat raises
Step for 2 min
1 min of squats
Step for 2 min
1 min of plies squats
etc........
This, to me, isn't a high intensity workout, but it definitley gets your heart rate up as a beginner. And my trainer at the time told me that's all that matters. I did lose weight on her plan, but then shortly afer that I re-located and began working out at a gym that offered step aerobics. I loved it and then I found Cathe on Fit TV. I've never gone back! So maybe I should start out with the above program for about 2 weeks (do you think that's long enough?) and then move back into one of Cathe's low impact videos. I'll do some simple ab work 3-4 days a week......I'm worried about over doing the abs. My sister in law began working out 2 weeks after she had her baby and she even had a c-section. I talked to my husband about it and he really thinks I should wait 4-6 wks. I'm sorry, but I just don't think I can wait that long. I've gained 55 lbs and I hate to sound selfish, but I just feel terrible about myself. And it's not because I've gained weight because of my pregnancy because that was to be expected. But more because I quit excersising and haven't eaten right thru my entire pregnancy. So I feel like most of the weight I gained, isn't "baby" pregnancy related.........just poor weight management on my part. It's really taken a toll on my self esteem. I look at my wedding pics from 2 years ago and I want to cry because I was so thin and HEALTHY! I was a health nut and counted every single calorie I ate for years. Only 1500 calories a day. I had myself on the "EAT CLEAN DIET" and lost stubborn lbs by eliminating everything processed in my diet. Basically, if God didn't natually create the food, then I didn't eat it. I threw EVERYTHING away when I got pregnant. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and as much as I wanted. And barely burned any calories. It's crucial that I begin the weight loss process as soon as possible after delivery. I plan on breastfeeding, so I hope that will aid in my weight loss. Trust me..........I will not make this mistake again the 2nd time around. This
1st pregnancy has made me realize how much I want to be a good, healthy role model to my kids. Diet and excersise are something I used to pride myself on......and I feel like I let myself down. And I can't wait to fix it.
So what does everyone think about the routine above? Could I start this 2 wks after delivery?????
 
Do you mean step up and down, but no jumping? Like up up, down down or one leg at a time? Let me know and I will help you decide. If not jumping, I love the idea for you! Good luck!!! I know with determination you will lose this weight!

Clarissa ;)
 
That's correct. I step on the bench with my left leg and swing my right knee up to my chest and then land back on the floor with my right leg, followed by my left leg back to the floor also. Then I reverse....step on the bench with my right leg and then swing my left knee up to my chest and then land back on the floor with my left leg, followed by my right leg back to the floor also. In addition, I keep my arms moving the entire time (above my heart). No jumping. I'm pretty short, only 5'0". So a 12" step is a pretty big hoist for me but I'm not jumping on the bench. After 2 min of that I do the weight training for 1 min and then start on the bench again. No resting periods in between. Do you think I could start this 2 wks after delivery? And then I'll just listen to my body after that. I'll try to do this for 2-3 wks and then attempt Cathe's videos again. I'll just work out as long as I can then I'll stop. Every day or so I'll try to add an extra segment or another 5 min.
Also, do you think abs on the stabiltiy ball would be too much at this point? Or should I just start with some floor work? Thanks for your thoughts Clarissa!
 
I think it sounds great- did you have your baby yet or are you pre-planning?

As long as everything is okay with the labor and healing, I would go for it! Stop if you feel sharp pains though. I would do the routine 3 weeks or so - nothing high impact, jumping, until your dr says okay. With stability abs, do you mean planks and things, or just stability in general? Planks are the best way to get your abs tightened back up after the baby! A word of caution though, I would not do any abs that required lifting the feet or legs until 4-6 weeks PP. Keep you feet grounded for crunches and focus on the plank work. No hip lifts, double crunches, ball exchange, etc. GOod luck! You will be back to your old self in no time! Remember to not get too overheated before breastfeeding, if that is something you plan on doing. Being too overheated does affect your milk!
 
Thanks for all the ideas and support. I didn't have the baby yet. I am just pre-planning. I'm due on Jan 3rd so it could be any day now. I see my Dr. tomorrow (the 2nd). I'm hoping she'll start talking induction if I don't go into labor on my own by 5-7 days after my due date. I'm so excited but a little scared at the same time. I really don't want to be induced because I feel that it will increase my chances of having a c-section. And I really want to have a natural birth.
I do plan on breastfeeding so I will keep that in mind with my excersise schedule. Most likely, I will try to feed my baby before I work out. I heard that this can help with discomfort while excersising. And I'm glad you mentioned about keeping my feet grounded during ab work for 4-6 wks. I'll definitley be doing planks.
 
Hi and best of luck. First in terms of clothes, once you go through the initial postpartum perid when you will still need some maternity clothes, check second hand shops for a few pieces in a larger size. It will most likely take a while for you to lose the preggo weight but you will with patience. I walked and used some post partum videos the first few postpartum weeks. I resumed high impact at 5 weeks postpartum but did exercise to the end with both my girls. You just need, as stated, to listen to your body. Given that you will be tired as well as not used to exercise anymore do shorter workouts to start til you get your endurace back. Perhaps, 10 min. sol? You will get back into shape though but don't get discouraged if your figure doesn't return right away.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top