Exercise 3wks post partum

CTmommy29

I have always been a very active person and had even been running into my 5mo of pregnancy until I developed round ligament pain that prevented me from running anymore. I was wondering how long after delivery did people start really working out again and what types of exercises you do. I still feel pelvic soreness and am a little afraid to start running again though I feel like 3wks should be enough time for healing and that I should be able to get back into the swing of things. Any thoughts or advice?

MAV1101

wait! if you still feel pelvic soreness, you should wait.  your body hasn't healed and exercise can cause further trauma and physical stress to your pelvic region, inside and out. i was lectured by my OB for 'doing too much' (picking up the house and walking around the block at 2 weeks PP).  she kept explaining that we're given 6 weeks to heal for a reason.

ashf4i

I agree w pp

Mommy Jess

I was released at 3 weeks! Of course I asked about working out and he said to take it a little easy and I may have to ease back into it and he was right.  I started by walking or doing the eliptical for cardio and doing dance classes.  He did tell me to wait at least 6 weeks for ab exercises though!! Listen to your body!! It does take time to heal!

EllaSmella

I would advise against it. I ran up until the day I delivered and I still took 4 weeks off. Your body will hurt, your baby needs you and you need to rest. For me, those first few weeks were a big blur and I'm glad I didn't complicate things with feeling like I needed to workout.

I started at 4 weeksPP  running one mile 3x a week. I was stll sore and needed to really ease into it. I waited until my 6 week PP appt to add in ab work. At 10 week PP I am running 30 min 4x per week and doing abs.

bee.wilk

I got cleared for exercise 21 days post partum. I checked it with my caregiver beforehand, and I bounced back REALLY quickly (I think partially because I was active during pregnancy). Your rectus abdominus muscles have to have moved back together (one finger width apart instead of the 3 or 4 they are right after baby's born) before you begin abdominal workouts. If you begin too early, there is a possibility they won't ever go back together, no matter how strong they get.

Do a crunch and get someone to feel the gap and let you know how big it is.

Most importantly, only workout if you feel good to. Don't do it because you feel "fat" or are over tired. I know that a jog can really be a stress-buster for me, so I was thankful that I was able to go back so soon.

CTmommy29

Thank you all for the advice. It helps to gauge how everyone else is doing and what they did to get back on track. I decided to take a very short leisurely jog yesterday and it actually felt great so I'm excited about the possibility of getting some more in!