Pregnancy and a delivery or a C-section are hard on your body. How quickly can you start to exercise after a C-section? Here´s what happened to me after I had my baby on last March (2014). I read many articles from the subject and here are some things to remember before starting.
When to start again after the cesarian
After the section it’s OK to start to do light walks when you feel up to it. For stronger exercise, you need to consult your doctor who will check you up, and tell you if you have recovered enough. Take it easy at least two month after section.
Before starting to exercise again, wait that the straight abdominal muscles have returned to the right place. You can easily check where the straight abdominal muscles are. First lie on your back, lift your head up and tighten the abdominal muscles. Second put your fingers above your bellybutton and push your belly with your fingers. If you feel a gap between your muscles more than two fingers wide, you have to wait for longer before you start to do more harder exercises.
You should start first with exercises that strengthen your abdomen and back, for example Pilates. Here is a link to Boho Beautiful postnatal yoga workout.
How did I do after my caesarian
After jogging
I had my baby by C-section a little over 6 months ago. After the operation it took me about two weeks to be able to walk without pain. My straight abdominal muscles recovered in three months and I’ve been really careful to start to exercise because I don’t want any unpleasant side effects. I have never been really athletic, but I have done some jogging before and I thought I could start that again.
In the beginning of my recovery, I did some light abdominal exercises at home and four weeks ago I started to go jogging. These first times of jogging have felt hard, but I hope to gain better fitness level quickly. I don’t go really far, I do about 2 km at a time. My goal is to be able to run 10 km before my daughters first birthday.
While living in Finland I was used to go running out on the streets and so I do here too. Ecuadorians prefer to go do their exercises on a stadium, but I rather enjoy some scenery at the same time. I will tell you later how I make progress.
Update from 2022! I was attacked by a dog in Ecuador while doing my jogging on the street so I switched it to aerobics that I did at my home. I had another C-section on 2017 in Finland and I have recovered well from my two caesarians. My favorite exercise now is yoga, but I do some light jogging still from time to time. Pregnancies always change the body and you should listen to yourself. Be gentle and loving to your body!
