Struggling not being able to exercise as I want

[Mamabear04]

I'm 7 months post partum. I had a difficult birth and experienced a bad 3rd degree tear, lost 2L of blood and had to have surgery straight after. I also had covid just before and only tested the day I went into labour. Needless to say it is taking me a long time to recover. My baby is huge and it's exhausting lugging him about as well as my toddler. I'm just feeling so deflated as I am such an active person but I've just not had the time to put into my recovery the same way I did with my first child. My OH is really supportive but even with all the help he can offer I'm absolutely exhausted all the time (as is he). I also don't feel completely better from the birth, I'd say maybe only 70%. I love hill walking and every time I've put DS in the baby backpack then the next few days I really feel it and have to rest. I'd maybe do around 2km uphill with him so its not much at all (pre kids I would spend 8 hour days on the mountains with a rucksack). I can't even run yet. I've been going to the gym and just doing 30 mins on a low level on the cross trainer just to get a sweat up but even then I feel I can only do exercise once a week before I feel I've overdone it. I am so fed up, fed up feeling unfit with no time to spend on fixing it. How can do you get back to fitness after all of this while looking after 2 kids until 4yo?

*under 4 years old

2km uphill with a baby backpack is quite a challenge for most people. So your already doing better than the 99% but I understand the frustration of wanting to get back to your level of fitness before.

I go back to the basics and go slow and steady. Check everything is aligning / engaging and doing what it’s supposed to be and then work up from there. I would start with Pilates. It’s all in the breathing. It’s boring and slow but it’s going to get you realigned and your core back in shape. Everything stems from a good strong core.

And when to do it. YouTube videos when babes are napping, or playing. Or gym membership with a crèche which has classes. Or evening classes when babes are in bed. Or get up super early - my least favourite option.

I sympathize and I'd recommend if you can getting a check for any deficiencies. I'm recognizing a lot of what you're saying from my experiences, and it turned out a big part was being nutritionally depleted.

I'm still not where I'd like to be, though something that's helped is walking at parkruns. We have several parents with pushchairs at mine, and it's just having that in the routine, that I'm doing with the kids for my fitness (or volunteer) that's been a boost for me even if I'm not up where I'd like to be.

I'm no help on the exercise front, but if you're carrying baby in a metal framed hiking carrier, you may find a soft structured buckle carrier like a Tula or Lenny lamb would be lighter and keep your centre of gravity lower for hiking.

Take it easy. Do little and often.

Build up walking as a regular routine within your comfort zone.
Build up core strength with short pilates/ yoga videos, look up post-natal workouts. Better to do 10 mins per day (or frequently) than a tiring, awkward to fit 1hr blitz.

You may need to build muscle back up too. Yoga/ pilates is a good start, but building into gentle weights down the line may also help. My legs were thinner post-birth from months of SPD causing muscle loss despite being 2st heavier after the easy baby weight/ water retention had passed.