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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Exercising after giving childbirth

8 replies

Daffodil87 · 08/06/2021 14:25

Hi ladies, hope you can help. I'm 11 weeks pp and want to start working towards losing my baby weight. I've looked at some previous threads on here and seen that quite a lot of you mums started swimming/gyming/running etc from as soon as 6 weeks pp! I was wondering how do you make the time to do this? Where is the baby while you're out running if your DH is at work? How do you make the time to exercise while looking after baby, cooking and cleaning? Is my time management just crap?

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larrythelizard · 08/06/2021 14:29

Assuming I'd had enough sleep...

On the days I felt energised I ignored the cleaning and did a YouTube thing whilst DS napped - or I went out for a run when DH was home. Didn't do anything too strenuous until about 4mo pp though

I joined an exercise class where I could take him, it was one of the OneFit Mama franchises which I would highly recommend.

ShowOfHands · 08/06/2021 14:34

I used to go for a run when DH was home or do a home workout while the baby napped. Sometimes I would put the baby in the sling and go for a v fast walk or take a scenic route to collect the oldest from school so I'd get a 5k march in on the way there.

Losing weight is mostly about diet tbh but some exercise is v good for your health and wellbeing. If you use a pushchair, you can go for a walk/jog with the baby and there are hundreds of free workouts online if you want to exercise at home. You could squeeze in a 20-30 min workout around naps I'm sure.

Chelyanne · 08/06/2021 15:44

I just walked with our older ones in the pram as that was pretty much all I could do back then. Hubby is military so away a lot so I have to fit everything around the kids.

We now have a home gym set up so I can pop in and out as needed between lifting sets after baby is here and when the others are off school (was ideal for the lickdowns too). I will be back rebuilding my powerlifting ASAP, I'm doing 2 x a week through pregnancy but may have to split it to 1 exercise a day to fit it around baby. I'm used to training fasted and on not very much sleep so that shouldn't be an issue.

SillyBry · 08/06/2021 16:18

I'd highly recommend an "MOT" or a check by a women's health physio before you get going. With my first, I didn't know better... I just went out for a 5km run at 6 weeks post partum and thought that was ok... but being a bit better educated now, I will certainly be checking that everything is well healed and I'm not at risk of prolapse/don't have abdominal separation etc - or if I am, focus on fixing those first.

Once baby was 6 months old, I went out with her in the running buggy, which is wonderfully liberating! (There is a fab facebook group called the Original Buggy Runners/Active with Kids for lots of help and support from like minded families if you're interested in running.) They don't recommend buggy running before baby is 6 months though - or in a normal pushchair without suspension/with small wheels etc.
Prior to that, I had a mile lap from my parent's house, which I would go off on... that way, every 10 minutes, I could be stopped to feed the baby etc... and even 2/3 laps was great for building back up.

Home fitness videos on youtube are fab - there are SO many HIIT classes etc on youtube - and most of them only take 15-20 minutes... I would recommend them as they don't need you to leave baby.

The other option is to do it before your partner goes to work - or after he gets home.

In the early days, it's all about being kind to yourself - yes, you're keen to get fit again, but remember, it takes 9 months to grow a baby, it takes the same for your body to heal... and as they get older, your independence grows immensely, which makes it a lot easier :-)

MeadowHay · 08/06/2021 18:02

Hi OP, I did a postnatal exercise course for 8 weeks which I started when my DC was about 12 weeks old. I had been very inactive during pregnancy other than a lot of walking and I found it was a good work out but not too strenuous and it gave me confidence in my body back again. I had been worried about exercising as I had been made frail during pregnancy because of HG, then I had an instrumental birth with an episiotomy that didn't heal very well and I still had pelvic floor symptoms. It went well. I did it on an evening so DH came back from work to take care of baby whilst I went out for it once a week. Unfortunately I never did anything again once the course ended as life got in the way and I didn't make it s priority, so I didn't end up doing more activity again until I did a special women's health fitness course when my DD was like 1ish. I really regret my inactivity so I urge you to prioritise yourself and find the time. I feel I would have had much better mental health if I'd done so, my body would have been in a better state for this pregnancy and I would have been more confident, less tired and felt better about my body. I would try and find specific postnatal exercise courses to start with to build your confidence. Have a Google of Holistic Core Restore.

LemonLemonLemon · 08/06/2021 18:05

I did something called Carifit, you can do it online or in person in London. You put the baby in carrier and exercise with them on you, they enjoy the movement and often go to sleep. Highly recommend.

SunnySideUp2020 · 08/06/2021 18:59

Such a good thread! I am 8 weeks pp and really inspired now 😁
But like you @Daffodil87 i find it hard to find time and/or motivation when baby naps...

Snorefest · 16/06/2021 09:36

Thanks everyone! Lots of great suggestions. @SunnySideUp2020 - I know what you mean! I'm practically euphoric when baby naps and either end up doing housework, napping myself or just chilling out. Really motivated now to try classes where I can exercise with the baby too. Good luck,nhope u manage to do something too x

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