Exercise after C section

[christiana]

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[OonaghBhuna]

I love exercise, and I would normally run, swim and do yoga. I have had two sections and I am having a third next week!!! I would take it slowly,there are some post natal yoga postures that you will be able to do. Im not sure about swimming yet remember that the tissue under the skin needs time to heal.Everything has to have time to knit back together.I usually do loads of walking, which is great for clearing the cobwebs and it gets you outside. Any advice I have been given is dont do too much too soon.

[christiana]

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[Kiwifruit]

Hi Christiana

Not sure if you're breast feeding, but if you are, you need to consider that your milk supply can be pretty precarious in the first wee while, and exercise can decrease your supply (can also make the milk taste different to the baby - apparently makes it salty, but not sure who did the taste testing on that one ?!). My midwife advised waiting 6 weeks (I didn't have a section) before I started exercising (even walking) purely to let my mild supply get well established. Suspect that this was a little OTT though?

[christiana]

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[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

I got told to walk as much as I felt able, to help with recovery from my section (apparently it's really good for it), and I'm sure this doesn't affect your milk, only vigorous exercise which you wouldn't be able to do yet anyway! I built up from hobbling round the block the day after getting out of hospital, to longer walks with DH and the pushchair.

[Kiwifruit]

Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't seem to miraculously lose the baby weight from bfing . I get really hungry too, and while I try to be virtuous and have a banana, I have to say that I find baking and then scoffing my wares a whole lot more appealing!! Doesn't help that it's the middle of winter and freezing over here at the moment, so exercise outside isn't so nice

[Highlander]

There is evidence that only extreme exercsie affects your BF - runs of more than an hour

I was walking a few miles every day at 4 weeks and running at 6 weeks - but only about 30 mins because I had 2 in the jogging stroller.

By about 4 months I had proved to myself I was fit and retreated to the sofa for the next year as DS2 was a shockingly bad sleeper

[Chynah]

Hi,

Think it depends on how fit you were before the CS and how well you got over it. I ran whilst pregnant til 3 weeks before I has DS and took up running again 5 weeks after
I had him (would have been sooner if I could have got someone to look after him!) - I was snowboarding at 10 weeks post section and absolutely fine. Would lay off to much ab work til you've been checked by a physio though.

[mumofoliver]

I had a section 5 weeks ago. I was given a leaflet with some exercises to do but cant find it. Does anyone know what I should be doing? Also would swimming be OK now? I was swimming quite late into my pregnancy. I have been walking with DD1 and DS1 ( a strapping toddler!) for a good few weeks now with no problems

(Sorry to hijack this thread!)

[nooka]

I got some fab exercises to start pretty much immediately. But they were very very gentle (twist to one side whilst lying on the bed type things, all for ab strengthening). I'm afraid I can't remember what they actually told me to do, but I did them after one c-section and not the other and they did make a huge different to how quickly I recovered my shape. Can you go back to the hospital and ask for another set?

[christiana]

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[mumofoliver]

Yes, think I will do

[nooka]

Yes, they were from the midwife. Why not ask your HV if she can get hold of them for you?