Couch to 5k after c section?

[itseasybeingcheesy]

So I'm going to have x conversation with my GP in a week when I have my 6 week check but can anyone share experience of doing a couch to 5k after a c section?

Baby is 5 weeks old, have healed really well so far.

Need to shift some weigh badly as I'm about 3 stone overweight. Will be controlling diet too.

I'm also breastfeeding so I don't want to restrict diet too much.
I was thinking of taking baby out in pushchair with me. Am I crazy to attempt it or is it doable?

Of course it's doable.

It will be marginal to irrelevant for weight loss (that's nearly all diet) butnwill,be rallymgood for you in many ways.

But - serious note of caution here - you need to start gently, and perhaps have a few weeks of regular brisk walks before starting C25K. Also, if anything feels sore/tender in the early weeks, go back to walking for a week, then start again. Which all sounds a bit slow/frustrating, but it is worth building up slowly without injuring yourself.

Cross-training is important too - and yoga or Pilates might be most suitable for the post-natal body, with an experienced instructor who can properly assess for diastasis recti.

And keep doing pelvic floor exercises!

@AuntieStella thanks for the encouragement and the caution.

I'll be doing a lot of walking for school runs too and keeping an eye on diet.

Will certainly stop if things are feeling sore. I'm a complete newbie runner so I imagine it'll take me a long time to get used to it and I've become quiet sedentary since a rocky pregnancy so I'm hoping the exercise will make a difference even if it's not much.

I've got a bike that I'd love to get back out on but I think it'll be hard to carve out time away from the baby for now which is why I thought this with the buggy would be a good idea.

Just a warning the advice is not to take a baby running in a pushchair until they are at least 6 months old as they aren’t strong enough to cope with the wobbling.

Couch to 5k is great, I haven’t done it after a section so have no advice on that front, but even walking with the buggy will help you get ready for it if you can’t start until baby is older. In my city we have a few groups that do a couch to 5k program a few times a year so maybe have a look if there is anything similar where you live if you fancy company.

@maidenover I had no idea about that. Does it apply if the baby is lying flat in a pram?

He's brilliant at sleeping long stretches, just almost exclusively in a pram or next to me in bed/on me. Doesn't do great yet sleeping in a crib so didn't really want to head out for exercise without him as didn't want to leave my DH trying to pacify a screaming newborn.

Hoping to do some yoga at home too but whether I'll have much time without baby in arms/sling is uncertain.

Yes I think it would also apply in a pram. This is a good article on running with a buggy www.motherandbaby.co.uk/amp/for-you/new-mum-yourself-your-body/new-mum-fitness/top-tips-for-running-with-a-buggy

I'd brisk walk for a couple of months first, especially as a newbie and having had a sedentary pregnancy. Pregnancy alone stretches everything, and running is a lot of impact and jiggling. The other point of caution is that to prepare for birth, the body releases relaxin which affects all joints and can increase injury risk. If breastfeeding, that stays for longer.

It can often take a few months for your body to feel fairly "normal" and stable.

There's a Facebook group called 'run mummy run' and they gave me great advice there when I started buggy running.
As others have said, you really need to start gently. Baby can't go in running buggy until six months, their neck isn't strong enough until then. I wouldn't run at all with a normal pram, I'd look into a second hand running buggy which will be easier and more comfortable for you and baby.
I'd also get a physio check to make sure your pelvic floor and abs are healing correctly as running puts a fair amount of strain on your core. If you can find someone local who does 'mummy mot' that would be ideal.
I just gave birth a week ago (straightforward vaginal birth without complications) and I'm an experienced runner. As in, i ran a marathon (not my first) at 22 weeks pregnant, I most recently ran 5k at 39 weeks and have raced up to half marathon with my older child in her buggy. My physio advised not to consider running until after 8 weeks to allow my core to heal and to see her first. In the meantime she said to focus on eating lots of protein and resting as much as possible, she said to walk for fresh air and enjoyment but not for exercise as such yet. So starting at six weeks especially if you're not used to it does seem early. Can you focus on eating healthily and nourishing your body until then? The way she explained it was it's more important to ensure your long term strength and correct functionality of your body than short term weight or fitness gains.

In terms of baby sleeping while you work out, apparently Jasmine Parish trained for the Spine by getting baby to sleep in the buggy and literally running laps around it or up and down a hill next to it. Boring but it worked as she beat all the men!