Exercising post-pregnancy - recommendations?

[parentsvsPIL]

Any postpartum exercise recommendations?

DS is 12 weeks today.

Fitting exercise round DH's need to work, I'm trying to run 25 mins 5x per week and sometimes substitute a 20 minute swim. I can't really take much more time as DS won't reliably cope with me being unavailable (he's a bit of a mummy's boy )

So far I've managed to get 4 or 5 sessions done each week (since week 4), but it's not pretty - I am hideously unfit, and jellylike round the abs & core. My pelvis still feels wobbly. I don't seem to be getting fitter or stronger.

I had very bad SPD (needed crutches from 16 wks) and wide abdominal separation during the pregnancy, which is still very wide - so am ordered by the hospital physios not to do planks, pushups, crunches, lunges or squats until 6 months pp. This means my running technique is awful (no core strength) and swimming is really hard cos the only stroke I'm allowed to do is butterfly kick - which requires core strength and abs.

Any suggestions? How did you get back to exercise postpartum?

How frustrating for you. Might cycling be a route back to fitness? Or at least a start?

I did a great 'buggy fit' class. The lady who ran it was trained in post-natal exercise and knew what was safe and what wasn't. She would ask the appropriate questions and check for abdominal separation then recommend exercises accordingly. She did push us though and gave us a good workout! She also pushed buggies for us is a baby started crying during a set.

Postnatal pilates dvd or online will help with your core and strengthening abs and back. Do this work out instead of one or two running sessions. Be careful with running if you had SPD or suffer from a week pelvic floor.

Buggyfit classes are great (and very social) especially when run by a postnatal qualified trainer.

Otherwise I believe Erin O'Brien, Tracey Anderson and Davina have done postnatal exercise dvds.

Can you find a mother and baby yoga class? I did that from 8 weeks and it's really helped my core.

I also second buggy fit.

Walking (started from walking 100 to the end of the road and back in the aftermath of my SPD experiences)
Buggyfit
Erin O'Brien postnatal DVD

I found an osteopath useful for helping rebalance my body when recovering from SPD. Some muscles were very tight, some very weak.