Why do you have to wait 6 weeks to exercise after birth?

As I laid in the C-section recovery ward, 7 hours post op, my consultant came round to check on me. His parting words were "no sex for 4 weeks and no swimming for 6"

Errr EXCUSE ME!! that was it, no further information or explanation.

The health visitor during my day 5 home visit advised me to reframe from exercising for 6 weeks and the doctor at my 8 week signed off told me I could exercise again; but no one explained why. 

So here is a sprinkling of knowledge they forget to explain to, get ready for a lot of bowling ball references! 

Without pointing out the obvious to a postnatal mumma...

Without pointing out the absolute obvious… you have just birthed a small bowling ball.

Regardless as to how that beautiful bowling ball has exited your body, you have just given birth. Not only this but you have grown and carried that small bowling ball for the best part of 9 months; obviously there are exceptions to this but either way your body has created and grown life.

Regardless as to how fit and healthy you were before pregnancy your body has gone through some massive changes.

Just a few changes:

• Your uterus has grown up and out of your pelvis right up to your diaphragm.
• Your abdominals have parted to allow said bowling ball to grow.
• The soft tissues connecting your abdominals have stretched and grown with your body.
• Your pelvic floor; all your organs that sit within in have essentially become an over stretched elastic band about to give up the will to live to support said bowling ball
• Your b00bs have swollen and grown with milk production.
• Your hormones have gone into overdrive.
• The hormone relax (which is produced within the pelvis during pregnancy to allow it to grow with the bowling ball) has ravaged havoc through your body like a toddler left alone in a sweet store.
• Relaxin has decreased your collagen and estrogen levels; all the things needed within to make your body strong.
• Your spine has taken on a 59% additional curvature during pregnancy thus resembling a outward curve ball effect
• You haven’t slept properly in months.
• Reflux, incontinence, nausea, exhaustion, hemorrhoids, hernias, SPD/PGP, weak knees, bad back, sickness, increased smell, headaches, heart palpitations.

Need I go on?!

Pregnancy is such beautiful time (said firmly sarcastically) even if you have had a perfect, text book pregnancy with none of the above; internally the physiological changes are HUGE!

And then your birth the little bowling ball, squeezing it out a small 10cm hole or having it tugged out of a slit in your lower abdomen.

It is a massive, massive, thing to go through; no route is the easy route and anyone who argues otherwise will find a wet cabbage in their bed!! 

It will take a minimum of 6 weeks for your uterus to sink back down into your pelvis. For scar tissue both internally or from being cut/tearing to form and become strong enough to take on the pressure and stress of exercise.

The hormone relaxin is raging in the first 6 weeks regardless as to whether you breast feed of not.

If you risk working out too early you risk further postpartum complications and in turn this could hinder or delay the recovery of your ligaments and internal tissues.

You want your diastasis recti (stomach gap) to close back up without undue stress and pressure preventing it.

You risk prolapsing of varying degrees; Uterine, bladder or rectal. Yes I have worked with mums with ALL 3. It is no joke.

Exercising too early can put too much pressure on your balder and result in incontinence.

Lifting too early can lead to things like tendonitis, bursitis, injury to the back or ligament damage.

I make a joke in my description of this but it really isn't and exercising too early postnatally can lead to irreversible damage, I should know!

I

sound all very light hearted and joking but it’s a serious thing that I think gets forgotten. Baby has come out; you are in this happy baby bubble and you turn your attention back to wanting to get back into your favourite clothes.

Maternity wear isn’t cutting it, you miss your old bras and long to lose the baby weight.

Exercise seems to be the solution right? Especially those who use exercise as a mental health tool.

No fitness professional should allow you to exercise before 6 weeks postnatal.

I don’t care about the argument, it is irresponsible.

When you do return to exercise it is a gradual return and the expertise or a postnatal fitness expert (such as myself) should never be taken for granted. You won’t be able to go full pelt to start with; you need to return with care and awareness of your body.

You will get there. You will get back to where you were before but you need to give yourself time. Its taken 9 months to grow that small bowling ball, it will take as long and sometimes more, to recover.

Frustrating but true.

What can you do before 6 weeks following your little bowling balls birth?

When you feel ready, walking.

The most underrated tool out there for mental health and exercise. Start slow, your body is recovering and the 10k dog hikes are probably out of reach. Build up slowly.

As soon as that little bowling ball is born you can start helping your uterus to shrink down, contract back and help your diastasis recti close.

Pelvic tilts, deep core breathing exercises, pelvic floor holds, deep abdominal muscle engaging; these to be fair are things you can be doing at any time post birth and year down the line.

Side note, my core rehabilitation course covers all this from 4 weeks postnatal.

If you take away one thing for my witty (I try) ramblings...

The biggest take away from this should be that you need to be patient with your body and give yourself time. Push it too quick and you could cause damage to your body, I wont be dramatic and say irreversible damage but I am looking at surgery on my elbow tendons because I ignored my own advise and lifted too heavy… just saying!#

Find yourself a professional dedicated postnatal exercise group or personal trainer and start the journey to fitness slowly. 

YOU WILL GET THERE. 

Frustratingly it requires patience and that I cannot provide.