When did you start light activity/workouts postpartum?

[Anonymous]

I'm 4 weeks out from having my second baby, second vaginal delivery. At hospital discharge, the nurse said no exercise until 6 weeks, but also said I should be really taking it easy, no stairs, etc. I realize this is a population-based recommendation, and not one tailor made for me. For the last two weeks or so, I have been walking about 15-25 minutes per day, and I can't help but use the stairs in my house! I feel good. I have been active all my adult life, including through my pregnancy (my exercise routines include walking, stretching, and light strength training - nothing intense or crazy, I just like to be active). My bleeding has almost stopped, I just change panty liners a few times a day, it's very light.

My postpartum exam is in two weeks and it seems like a long time not to start some more light activity. I'd like to up my walking a bit (longer walks) and I'd like to start some light strength exercises, some basic squats or lunges, a few upper body exercises etc.

This is NOT about weight loss - I gained 26 pounds with pregnancy and with BFing have already lost a lot of the weight, so I don't care about that. It's more just about wanting to get back to a light routine. I have back issues and exercise really staves it off, I'm afraid to be too inactive for long. And I just like my workouts. Any advice? I understand that you can start core training too early since the ab muscles have separated and you shouldn't do much until the gap has closed, so I was planning on avoiding ab exercises for a while.

[Anonymous]

I had a c-section and was told to not run for 6 weeks. Walks were fine though so I took DD out in the stroller for up to an hour starting at 1 week PP.

[Anonymous]

I had 2 c-sections and started running at 4 weeks post-partum both times, when my dr cleared me for "all normal activity". Similar to the first PP, I was walking about an hour a day at 2 weeks after delivery.

[Anonymous]

I am 2 weeks post partum and doing lots of walking along with light upper body workouts. I had an easy delivery with no stitches and feel perfectly fine.

[Anonymous]

3 years

[Anonymous]

3 weeks out I started doing 30 min workout at gym. Mostly liw key elliptical and core rehab stuff. A friend started 5 days pp but she is obsessive.

[Anonymous]

I also started working our 5 days postpartum. I am not obsessive. Just felt good to get moving and have some time to myself. I had a very easy delivery and my bleeding was down to the level of a period.

[Anonymous]

about a week after a vaginal delivery. I was told I could do as much as I could tolerate.

[Anonymous]

I was back at the gym 3 weeks PP. But I also worked out my entire pregnancy, including the day before my water broke.

[Anonymous]

If I don't exercise almost daily, my mood and sleep are terrible. There's no way I'm waiting until 6 weeks PP unless I physically can't do it. This sounds like an old-wives tale, related to cultural practices where the mother wasn't even supposed to step outside for 4 weeks PP. None other an authority than the Mayo Clinic says: "If you exercised during pregnancy and had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, it's generally safe to begin exercising within days of delivery — or as soon as you feel ready."

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-after-pregnancy/MY00477

[Anonymous]

I walked our 1 day old infant to her pediatrician's office (~1/4 mile each way, including a big hill). I also walked up and down our stairs (one bathroom, upstairs).

I think that you should follow your body's cues. If you feel ready to exercise, do a little exercise. Don't push it. Don't overdo it. If you feel good afterward, do it again.

[Anonymous]

I'd say LO was 10 months?