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Cathlete
do you really need to wait a full 6 weeks before walking on the treadmill or easy biking? It seems like such a long time...thanks!
how long to wait to exercise after having a baby?
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I would say a very easy going LOW IMPACT workout is ok. But don't push it. I started a light job right at 6 weeks and started bleeding all over again. So I would let your body heal so it doesn't set you back to square one again! Don't worry soon enough you can work your butt off! Oh, talk to your doctor on that as well.
daisyheather
Cathlete
It does seem that six weeks seems to be about the right amount of time (for me at least). I know I've tried light walks outside at around 4 weeks and starting bleeding again. I was surprised how long I bled after my first birth. I'd say a good 2 weeks of "period type" bleeding. Then another week of spotting. So at 3 weeks I feel ready, but I think I always need a good 3 weeks more of resting before I really try anything. You may find you're totally different though. Plus I think it's important to wait and have your post-partum check-up before you start anything, just to make sure everything is a-ok. Heather
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Cathlete
Ah, thanks guys..I will def check with the dr on this then...thanks again!
shopaholic
Cathlete
Hi and congrats,
At 2 weeks postpartum, I started walking. At about 3 weeks I did some postpartum tapes , at 4 weeks I did some low impact aerobics and resumed regular cathe tapes right after I got the ok at my 6 week check up. I had no problems but as mentioned, do check with your ob.
At 2 weeks postpartum, I started walking. At about 3 weeks I did some postpartum tapes , at 4 weeks I did some low impact aerobics and resumed regular cathe tapes right after I got the ok at my 6 week check up. I had no problems but as mentioned, do check with your ob.
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Cathlete
Shopaholic..thats great..I hope things work out so I can at least start the walking...its so hard for me not to exercise...I have been doing it so long...I feel miserable when i cant...but I will def see what the dr says..I dont want to risk anything or delay healing...thank you for the reply
shopaholic
Cathlete
I asked my doc in the hospital. He said not to lift anything heavier than the baby and I could exercise to the extent I did pregnant. Give your doc a call, why wait the 6 weeks if you don't have to.
wendymin72
Cathlete
>Shopaholic..thats great..I hope things work out so I can at
>least start the walking...its so hard for me not to
>exercise...I have been doing it so long...I feel miserable
>when i cant...but I will def see what the dr says..I dont want
>to risk anything or delay healing...thank you for the reply
I know exactly how you feel Vanity! If I truly have to wait 6 weeks, I have a feeling it's going to be the longest 6 weeks of my life!!! LOL I'm sure lots of people would say...you are going to be so busy and so tired that you are not going to WANT to exercise...but you know what? My body may say "no" initially but my mind is always saying yes and it can be a very strong thing and once I get moving I am fine...so I imagine I am certainly still going to WANT to do it even if I am tired!
Have a great work out!
~Wendy~
I smoked my last cigarette on March 17, 2004 at 10:00 pm!
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?WENDYMIN
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>least start the walking...its so hard for me not to
>exercise...I have been doing it so long...I feel miserable
>when i cant...but I will def see what the dr says..I dont want
>to risk anything or delay healing...thank you for the reply
I know exactly how you feel Vanity! If I truly have to wait 6 weeks, I have a feeling it's going to be the longest 6 weeks of my life!!! LOL I'm sure lots of people would say...you are going to be so busy and so tired that you are not going to WANT to exercise...but you know what? My body may say "no" initially but my mind is always saying yes and it can be a very strong thing and once I get moving I am fine...so I imagine I am certainly still going to WANT to do it even if I am tired!
Have a great work out!
~Wendy~
I smoked my last cigarette on March 17, 2004 at 10:00 pm!
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?WENDYMIN
http://lilypie.com/days/050519/1/0/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]
[email protected]
Cathlete
I hear ya Wendy...you know..people tell me every day..you wont be able to work out once the baby is born or you wont want to...I hate that..they just dont understand because they havent made it a part of their life. My hubby understands this and knows it is the only thing I ask of him...to watch the baby when the time comes so I can work out...I just cant stand it when people are so negative and keep telling me I cant. I went off on a girl at work after she said it..I told her if the baby has to be in a playpen next to me..I will work out..one way or another.lol
shopaholic
Cathlete
Vanity and Wendy,
I was an avid exerciser preprego and pregnant. Many people told me I wouldn't have time to exercise with a baby and I wouldn't keep my flat stomache. I have exercised almost daily from the time my daughter was a month old. She is now 18 months old. I am thinner than I was pregnancy and show no signs of having a baby. I thank exercise for that. You are right, if you prioritize exercise, you will get it in.
I was an avid exerciser preprego and pregnant. Many people told me I wouldn't have time to exercise with a baby and I wouldn't keep my flat stomache. I have exercised almost daily from the time my daughter was a month old. She is now 18 months old. I am thinner than I was pregnancy and show no signs of having a baby. I thank exercise for that. You are right, if you prioritize exercise, you will get it in.
Hi,
I had an unplanned c-section due to my son being breach and I really had to wait 6 weeks. I did some light, slow walking before 6 weeks. I wouldn't really consider it a workout, but probably more of a stroll and of a stress reducer.... Then I started back slowly. Even without exercising, my arms definitely got a great workout just form holding my son.
I'm hoping for a VBAC this time around. I figure I'd start my abs right away...real slowly of course. And at 2 weeks I'll try to do some low impact cardio such as going pretty easy on my elliptical. I say you really have to play it by ear. With my son, I was absolutely too exhausted to think about exercising that first two weeks anyways.
shellnc
I had an unplanned c-section due to my son being breach and I really had to wait 6 weeks. I did some light, slow walking before 6 weeks. I wouldn't really consider it a workout, but probably more of a stroll and of a stress reducer.... Then I started back slowly. Even without exercising, my arms definitely got a great workout just form holding my son.
I'm hoping for a VBAC this time around. I figure I'd start my abs right away...real slowly of course. And at 2 weeks I'll try to do some low impact cardio such as going pretty easy on my elliptical. I say you really have to play it by ear. With my son, I was absolutely too exhausted to think about exercising that first two weeks anyways.
shellnc
Wendy,
Do you know what an exercauser is for a baby? That was the one thing that helped me get my workouts in when my son was little. The playpen was completely useless (for us). In fact, I've heared a lot of mothers say playpen's are useless. The exercauser gives your baby some exercise of their own which entertains them. Definitely invest in one of those. The swing works when they are real little and then when their legs get stronger (around 7 or 8 months) the exercauser and jumping johnny's things work well. (The jumping johnny attaches to a door frame). Hope that helps.
Lisa
Do you know what an exercauser is for a baby? That was the one thing that helped me get my workouts in when my son was little. The playpen was completely useless (for us). In fact, I've heared a lot of mothers say playpen's are useless. The exercauser gives your baby some exercise of their own which entertains them. Definitely invest in one of those. The swing works when they are real little and then when their legs get stronger (around 7 or 8 months) the exercauser and jumping johnny's things work well. (The jumping johnny attaches to a door frame). Hope that helps.
Lisa
FiddleFit
Cathlete
I think the waiting post-partum waiting period will completely depend on your own situation; there can't be a uniform guideline for everyone. The nature of the birth itself will impact how long it will take for you to heal, and your own prioritizing will also determine when you are ready to start again. The birth of my first daughter required a lot of healing for me, and I had no desire to do anything even slightly strenuous for a couple of months. I felt like my insides were going to fall out from the slightest impact! Not everyone has this kind of experience, though.
I'm not sure why doctors recommend waiting 6 weeks post-partum to resume exercise, if the birth was a "normal" experience. I know that it takes 6 weeks for the cervix to close again, so maybe it is related to that? Is there some kind of risk associated with exercising with an open cervix? I don't know.
Certainly there are different levels of exercise, and accommodations can be made to match the intensity level with the post-partum healing stage.
In the first few weeks post-partum, our bodies go through substantial hormonal changes, more dramatic than the first trimester of the pregnancy. You can't predict how these changes are going to make you feel, so you might find yourself completely unmotivated to exercise, despite all your good intentions. I think it's great to have a plan in place for resuming exercise post-partum, but to remain open to the possibility that you may genuinely want a few weeks away from it, and not to beat yourself up about it. In the long term, it won't matter whether you resume your exercise program the day after delivery, or 3 months after. Just make sure that whatever you do, you do your best to *enjoy* those first few weeks with your newborn! It is a rare and precious time, unlike any other phase of your child's life.
Cathe herself took a full 7 weeks off from exercise after the birth of her second baby, and it doesn't appear to have done her any harm. Ultimately it's a personal decision, based on our own circumstances.
Cheers,
Sandra
I'm not sure why doctors recommend waiting 6 weeks post-partum to resume exercise, if the birth was a "normal" experience. I know that it takes 6 weeks for the cervix to close again, so maybe it is related to that? Is there some kind of risk associated with exercising with an open cervix? I don't know.
Certainly there are different levels of exercise, and accommodations can be made to match the intensity level with the post-partum healing stage.
In the first few weeks post-partum, our bodies go through substantial hormonal changes, more dramatic than the first trimester of the pregnancy. You can't predict how these changes are going to make you feel, so you might find yourself completely unmotivated to exercise, despite all your good intentions. I think it's great to have a plan in place for resuming exercise post-partum, but to remain open to the possibility that you may genuinely want a few weeks away from it, and not to beat yourself up about it. In the long term, it won't matter whether you resume your exercise program the day after delivery, or 3 months after. Just make sure that whatever you do, you do your best to *enjoy* those first few weeks with your newborn! It is a rare and precious time, unlike any other phase of your child's life.
Cathe herself took a full 7 weeks off from exercise after the birth of her second baby, and it doesn't appear to have done her any harm. Ultimately it's a personal decision, based on our own circumstances.
Cheers,
Sandra
One thing that has not been brought up here is the breastfeeding workout that the first several weeks post-partum involves. Between the constant feeds it is very difficult to get a full workout in no matter how dedicated you are. I've always found it easier to get in a few exercises here and there as time permits than to actually do a full workout in the first few months post-partum. It really does go by in a flash and those initial cozy times with your newborn are priceless.