For many of you pregnant ladies and new moms it's so important to get back in shape as soon as possible after the baby is out. I know. I was the same after both my pregnancies. I really, really wanted to lose all that extra weight and be able to fit my old clothes again. In fact I was obsessed with the idea of getting back to fit and thin. And the message you get from media, from actresses, pop-stars, models and other famous people is that it shouldn't even be noticeable that you just gave birth to another human being. You should look and act exactly as you did before pregnancy. And some women are really lucky, they shrink back to their normal size in just a couple of weeks and just by looking at them you could probably not tell that they just became mothers. But those women did probably not put on hardly any extra weight (besides for the baby weight). Another thing is that you probably feel as if everything is possible. If it's your first child and you are used to working out you probably feel like you can go back to doing exactly what you did before in terms of exercise, at least after those 6-8 weeks after the birth.
But let me tell you something, even though the recommendation in many countries is that you can go back to most physical activities after about two months postpartum, you have to be careful! You really have to listen to your body and most important, you shouldn't be in a hurry! Why the hurry anyway? If going to fast may harm you, is it really worth it? The problem is that few women know what challenging exercise can do to a body that is recovering from pregnancy.
I knew a little about it when I had my first child. I thought I knew everything. I had been reading A LOT, but in the end I followed the usual recommendations and considered my body fit for fight two months postpartum. I started running (something I had been doing me entire life, from the age of seven) and I felt great. At least in the beginning...I also did planks, I started with those even earlier, perhaps a month after the delivery, like an obsessed person. After another couple of months, when I had lost all the extra pregnancy weight, and even a bit more, my stomach still wasn't flat. In fact, I looked pregnant. My stomach felt hard and strong but it was constantly pushed out. Apparently all the planking and running had harmed me. My stomach and pelvic floor was not ready for all that challenging exercise. I ended up with diastasis recti, abdominal muscles split, and signs of pelvic organ prolapse : (
I had to stop what I was doing. I had to take a huge step back and start with rehabilitating core exercise. I was so sad. I was so worried, convinced that I had harmed myself for the rest of my life. It really affected my mind. Going from a physically strong person to someone that couldn't even run anymore made me devastated. I felt so angry. Why wasn't the information I had received accurate? Why didn't someone tell be about these horrible side effects of exercise after pregnancy?? I still get mad when I think about it. If it was the men carrying the babies, things would probably be completely different when it comes to the aftercare of the postpartum body.
The good news is that it wasn't too late. I was very careful and did my rehabilitating exercises for about two months and my stomach actually recovered. I learned everything about engaging and activating your inner abdominals before doing exercises that require bracing for example. I stayed away from running for a long, long time. But now, after having recovered from my second pregnancy as well - the other time around I did it right, right from the start - I can run without any concerns whatsoever.
You can read more about running after pregnancy here.
If you want to learn more and if you are looking for a program to follow when recovering from pregnancy I have created the Post-Pregnancy Belly Guide. It's a really good guide to follow and a program to complete before starting regular exercise. It works for new and old moms and no equipment is needed! Give your post-pregnancy stomach and body time to heal! Don't be in a hurry!
Good luck!
//Nicole Hellgren
