Special rules apply if you have had a c-section. My c-section was planned and uncomplicated and this was the advice I was given. My doctor said that I shouldn't carry anything heavy except for my baby for 6-8 weeks after the surgery. It's a good and necessary advice. But believe me it wasn't easy when I had a toddler that wanted me to carry him and sometimes it wasn't even possible to avoid. But I really tried my best. My doctor also explained that even though the wound starts healing immediately it can take months before everything has healed inside. So even if everything looks alright on the outside you still have to be careful. Apparently it's good to start moving pretty soon after surgery, it's good for the healing process, and I started taking walks with the stroller the second week after surgery. Gradually I took longer and more intense walks. Taking walks and eventually - after about three months - doing cardio on the cross trainer was all I did to burn fat. I also followed the program I recommend in my Post-Pregnancy Belly Guide as regards the healing process of the postpartum abdominal muscles & tissue and pelvic floor muscles. I started with the kindest exercises, the breathing exercises, a couple of weeks after surgery. The exercises I recommend in my program are very gentle and the guide works for women who have had a c-section. In fact I think that all new moms should be very careful when it comes to lifting heavy things before their post-pregnancy abdominal muscles have healed and are reactivated, since lifting requires abdominal strength.
To summarize: you should always wait for your doctor's approval before staring regular exercise after a c-section. The recommendation is often around eight weeks after surgery if your c-section was uncomplicated. In my opinion you should also make sure that your abdominals have healed before doing exercise that requires a lot of abdominal strength.
Baby A, a few minutes old : )
