If you haven't already and you're feeling up for it, you should be able to resume a light workout schedule—think walks and stretches—about two weeks postpartum. Just remember to take it slow and avoid trying new things right now.
If you had an uncomplicated pregnancy and vaginal delivery, it's generally safe to begin exercising a few days after giving birth or as soon as you feel ready.
After having a baby, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. You can divide the 150 minutes into 30-minute workouts on 5 days of the week or into smaller 10-minute sessions throughout each day. For example, you could go for three 10-minute walks each day.
Focus on getting enough rest and nutrition in the first few weeks. Start with light physical activities like walking. Pay attention to sharp pains and bleeding, which are red flags. Adjust exercises to accommodate your healing core and pelvic floor.
Doing too much exercise too soon (and the wrong types)
Until your six-week postpartum check up, you shouldn't be doing any serious exercise, says Amy Gildner, an orthopaedic physiotherapist and certified pelvic floor physiotherapist at West End Mamas in Toronto. “It's definitely a time to rest and repair,” she says.
Exercise can help to tone stomach muscles and burn calories (Evenson et al 2014, Amorim Adegboye et al 2013). You can do light exercise like walking and stretching even in the early weeks after having your baby .
Expect it to take around six weeks for your uterus to contract fully. At six weeks, you may have already lost the weight you gained during pregnancy. This is especially true if you're breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers shed around 500 calories per day.
It is also important for you to walk and move around after delivery to prevent complications that lead to swelling in the legs. But try not to overdo your activity. Talk to your doctor about creating a postpartum workout plan that fits your needs.
Some pregnant people notice acne, hyperpigmentation, or a "pregnancy mask" (the darkening of pigmentation around the mouth, cheeks, and forehead also known as melasma). Exhaustion and water retention may lead to under-eye pouches, while increased blood flow can cause spider veins across the face.
Loose skin may never regain its prepregnancy appearance without medical treatment. However, diet and exercise can help reduce the appearance of loose skin after pregnancy over time.
It really depends on the elasticity of a woman's skin, how much it stretched during her pregnancy, and postpartum weight loss, Pivarnik says. “There are plenty of fit women who don't have tight abdominal skin to start with,” he says.
Right after delivery, you can expect to lose about 10-12 pounds, which includes the weight of the baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid. You'll also lose another 5 or so pounds during the first week post-delivery as your body sheds excess water weight.
Bleeding often lasts for around for four to six weeks, but could last up to 12 weeks after your baby's born (RCOG, 2016). If you're worried, you can talk to a health professional. Bleeding will start off heavy and red to browny red. It will become lighter in colour and flow over time (NHS, 2021).
How much weight do you lose after giving birth? Once baby has been delivered (along with their accompanying placenta and amniotic fluid), most women lose an average of 10 to 13 pounds. First week after delivery: You'll probably continue losing weight with the loss of retained fluids.
The following breakdown offers an approximation of how much a uterus weighs soon after you've had your baby up until eight weeks. After delivery: 1000 grams. One week: 500 grams. Two weeks: 300 grams.
It takes six to eight weeks for your uterus to return to its normal size, but for some moms, it may take much longer for their post-pregnancy belly to return to "normal." For other new moms, they may find that their bellies take on a permanently different new appearance.
2 weeks postpartum belly
You can expect to still have a bump at this point, but your postpartum belly will most likely be decreasing in size, according to Bhagwandass. Your body will also be ridding itself of a lot of fluid during this time, which may lessen some of the tummy bloating you're experiencing.
Postpartum bleeding after exercise shouldn't change too much. If it does, you're overdoing it. You should also stop exercising if you feel pain.
Thankfully, abdominoplasty can repair diastasis recti and the resulting pooch, and any loose skin and fat can be removed through surgery, as well. For many women, a mommy makeover can be a helpful way to restore or repair any physical changes that have occurred as a result of pregnancy or childbirth.
The first six weeks post-delivery.
Your stretched-out abdominal muscles and lax skin will most likely begin to firm up. If you had a cesarean section, it can take a good two weeks for your scar to heal (and six weeks or longer to fully recover from your surgery).
Diastasis recti is caused by the overstretching of the linea alba, the tissue or fascia at the center of the rectus abdominis muscles, the “six-pack” muscles to the right and left of the bellybutton. The normal width of the linea alba between the rectus abdominis allows you to bend, twist, and carry a fetus.
The Diastasis Recti
During pregnancy, the abdominal muscles responsible for a "six pack" stretch apart (left) to accommodate a growing fetus. After birth, the muscles don't always bounce back, leaving a gap known as the mommy pooch.