Swimming before 6 weeks postpartum

Getting active after the birth

Getting back to your previous level of fitness or starting new activities after you’ve had your baby has benefits for both of you.

Benefits of exercise

Even small amounts of regular activity can:

help you feel better and relieve stress
boost your energy
help strengthen and tone your tummy muscles
help you sleep better

You're also less likely to have the symptoms of depression if you keep active after the birth.

How your body changes during pregnancy

When you’re pregnant your body makes lots of changes to adjust to your growing baby:

Your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor stretch
The way you walk and stand changes
The stability of your joints is affected

These can affect how soon you can get back to being active. Having a caesarean section or complicated delivery will affect this too.

Good activities to start with

Your midwife or an obstetric physiotherapist will encourage you to start gently walking and give you some exercises to do soon after you’ve had your baby.

These exercises will help the muscles in your back and tummy to get stronger.

If you’ve had a healthy pregnancy and vaginal delivery, it’s safe to start doing these a few days after giving birth or as soon as you feel ready.

Pelvic floor exercises

Your midwife or an obstetric physiotherapist will also show you how to do pelvic floor exercises.

You should start doing these as soon as you can.

How to do pelvic floor exercises

If you’ve had a complicated pregnancy or birth

If you’ve had a more complicated pregnancy or birth, such as a caesarean section, tear or assisted delivery, you can start walking and doing pelvic floor and tummy muscle exercises when you feel ready.

If you’re not sure, ask your midwife, health visitor, obstetric physiotherapist or doctor for advice about getting active again. Your 6 or 8 week check is a good time to do this.

If you're breastfeeding

If you’re breastfeeding, wear a sports bra over your nursing bra for extra support and comfort.

It’s a good idea to feed your baby before exercise and it’s also important to stay well-hydrated.

Activity and exercise won’t affect the amount of milk you make if you’re breastfeeding.

How to start being active again

Start gradually at first. Begin with walking and take your baby out in their pram, buggy or sling.

Gradually build up to doing 30 minutes at least 5 days a week. It doesn’t need to be done in one go. You can do 3 lots of 10 minutes or 2 lots of 15 minutes if that works better for you.

A change of scene can often calm your baby if they’re crying and it can help you feel better too

Paths for All has more about the benefits of walking

Buggy Walks

In some areas parents get together for regular Buggy Walks run by Paths for All. These are a great way to get active and meet other parents.

Find a health walk in your area

Swimming

If you want to go swimming, you’ll need to wait until any discharge (lochia) has stopped and any stitches have healed.

This is likely to be from about 6 weeks onwards.

Jogging and aerobics

If you want to do a high-impact activity such as jogging or aerobics, wait until at least 3 to 6 months after giving birth. Any sooner could strain muscles in your back and pelvic floor.

Use ALISS to find ways to keep active in your area

Yoga and Pilates

Yoga and Pilates are good for building strong muscles and balance.

You can start these 6 to 8 weeks after birth.

Use ALISS to find yoga and Pilates classes in your area

Returning to regular sport or training

If you were doing regular sports or fitness training:

wait at least 6 weeks after birth before you start again, longer if there were complications
make sure you tell your instructor you’ve recently had a baby
make sure you rest before doing any activity, especially in the early days

Translations and alternative formats of this information are available from Public Health Scotland.

Quick Question – How soon can I swim after giving birth?

Welcome to the first post in my new series Just a Quick Question where I answer every day concerns, niggles and frequently asked health questions. I have a long list of things that people have asked me over the years and decided it would be helpful to put them all in one place on my blog.
Just a quick question … How soon can I go swimming after giving birth?
It’s not until you’re a post natal mum with a new baby that questions like this come up. Suddenly you start wondering if swimming is ok. Will swimming put you at risk of infection? Can you swim if you still have some light bleeding? Is it ok to swim if you have stitches? Is it alright to use a tampon for swimming after childbirth? All the advice seems to be about how soon it’s ok for your baby to swim but what about you?

Well, as usual, there’s no set time when it’s Ok for you to dive back into the pool. It depends on the type of delivery you had, any complications and how you feel in yourself. If you had a normal vaginal delivery and you didn’t tear, have to be cut (episiotomy) or require any stitches, then really you can swim as soon as your bleeding and discharge (also known as lochia) has totally stopped. This might take four to six weeks. It’s always best to make sure your pelvic floor and core muscles are strong again before you begin anything more than light exercise. In an ideal world you would see a women’s health physiotherapist to assess you as an individual and guide your return to exercise.

By the way, you should use sanitary towels and not tampons to soak up blood after giving birth because of a risk of infection.

If you did tear or had to have stitches, then you’ll need to wait until the wounds have fully healed up before you swim. You can check with your midwife or health visitor if you aren’t sure.

If you had a C-section then you’ll need to wait a little longer and at least until after your six-week check with your GP. Your wound needs to have healed up fully so if there’s a little weepy or oozy corner then you should hang on. Don’t rush, wait until you feel ready. Swimming is ideal to introduce from about 8 -12 weeks post partum.

When the time comes, don’t forget it’s always best to start back to exercise gradually. Try some walking in the water and very gentle swimming to see how you feel. You can build it up over a few weeks. Swimming is a great way to exercise after giving birth because it’s low impact and won’t put too much pressure on your pelvic floor which is weakened during pregnancy and in labour. The pool is a great place to find that much needed time to yourself too.

If you want to get back to more vigorous exercise then the advice is again to take it gradually. It’s vital to make sure that your pelvic floor muscles and core are fully strong again after pregnancy to protect you against urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in the future. Here’s a link to an article by the expert physiotherapists who created the Return to Running Postnatal Guidelines which can be adapted for all types of exercise.

I hope that helps.
There are more answers to questions like these and lots of health information to help you lead a happy and active life in my book Sorted: The Active Woman’s Guide to Health.

Disclaimer: I can’t give personal medical advice and as always with health advice, reading something online doesn’t replace seeing your doctor who knows your medical history and can assess you in person. So, if you are unsure then always seek the opinion of a health care professional.
Featured image: Pexels at Pixabay

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Is it possible for a nursing mother to go swimming in the pool after childbirth

It is better to start getting back in shape after the birth of a child as soon as possible. Regular swimming in the pool is recommended by doctors as a gentle form of physical activity for a difficult postpartum period. But when returning to swimming training, there are a few important things to keep in mind.

Contents

1 When is the best time to start swimming
2 Swimming while breastfeeding
3 Swimming after CS

When is the best time to start swimming? Improving metabolic processes and strengthening immunity is also very important for the mother's body. For the tense period after childbirth, the calming effects of swimming and being in the aquatic environment also play a big role.

Swimming in the pool after childbirth can be started when the cervix is completely closed and the discharge (lochia) stops - this usually happens after 1-1.5 months. Before the first visit, it is necessary to undergo an examination by a gynecologist. If the birth was difficult, you will have to postpone any physical activity until your health is restored. In case of injuries and tears, do not swim in the pool until the seams are completely healed.

Swimming while breastfeeding in the first months after childbirth is not allowed. The process of establishing lactation often takes place with complications, and the mammary gland becomes extremely vulnerable to the effects of infection. Therefore, doctors recommend starting swimming with breastfeeding no earlier than 3-4 months after childbirth.

Features of swimming while breastfeeding

It is widely believed that it is better for a nursing mother not to go to the pool at all. Women fear that breast contact with chlorinated water may affect the quality of milk or cause painful irritation. Doctors refute these allegations - the penetration of water into the milk ducts is impossible, and the skin will be protected by a cream with a high percentage of fat, which must be applied at least half an hour before class. But swimming in a pool with breastfeeding can be dangerous for other reasons:

hypothermia - the body is weakened after childbirth, so there is a high probability of exacerbation of chronic diseases and infection with viruses;
flushes of milk - during training, it is impossible to feed on time, which leads to lactostasis and a high likelihood of developing an infection;
high loads on the chest muscles - can interfere with the establishment of lactation, increase the amount of lactic acid, which will lead to the child's refusal of milk;
inflammation of cracked nipples - the ingress of chlorinated water into the sores can cause irritation and delay the healing process.

All these negative consequences can be easily avoided if you follow the rules for visiting the pool while breastfeeding:

start training only after the final establishment of lactation - this should be determined by the attending physician, usually the process is completed by 3-4 months of the child;
in the lesson it is important to avoid exertion, keep a slow pace when swimming, perform only simple exercises;
it is better to train under the supervision of an instructor who will correctly regulate the intensity of classes and the increase in load;
it is necessary to refuse to visit the pool if you feel unwell, as well as if there is irritation on the skin of the chest or there are cracks in the nipples;
carry a milk pump with you or choose a sports center for classes that you can attend with babies - usually in this case the babies are supervised by the staff, the mother can, if necessary, interrupt the lesson to feed the baby;
after swimming, you need to thoroughly rinse with chlorinated water in the shower, but it is better not to use soap for the chest - it causes overdrying of the skin, which can also lead to cracks;
after a shower, do not dry your breasts with a hard towel, which can irritate your nipples; be sure to use moisturizers for the skin.

Going to the pool while breastfeeding is best in a gradual increase in load. The first classes should not last longer than 30 minutes, intense exercises are prohibited. The strengthening effect at the initial stage is provided by walking on the bottom of the pool, which is interspersed with short periods of relaxed swimming. For the postpartum period, water aerobics classes in special groups are well suited.

Swimming after CS

Water activities can help you recover faster after a caesarean section, but strenuous exercise will have to be forgotten for a long time. You can start swimming after CS only on the recommendation of a doctor who will determine the quality of suture healing, as well as the readiness of the body to increase stress. It is usually recommended to wait about six months after giving birth, but with good performance, you can start swimming earlier.

In the first sessions, it is better to try to avoid the load on the abdominal region, do not do exercises that affect the torso. It is better to focus on the legs and arms, doing warm-ups, walking and squats underwater. Such exercises will still have a strengthening effect on the abdominal muscles, and after a few workouts, the load can be increased. It is recommended for the first time to engage in postpartum swimming groups under the supervision of a doctor.

How soon after childbirth can I go in for sports

I WANT A CLUB CARD

Almost all women put on weight after giving birth. Someone manages to quickly get rid of it, someone wages a long war for many years. Sport after childbirth is necessary in order to restore beauty and elasticity to your body, as well as to feel energy, vivacity, and strength again. How long after childbirth can you go in for sports, what areas, what is better to refuse ?! Let's look for answers together.

When can I exercise after giving birth?

Consider how long after giving birth you can play sports.

After vaginal delivery without tears/cuts. If the birth went “smoothly”, there are absolutely no contraindications, injuries, then you can start playing sports even the next day. When can I download the press after childbirth? More complex workouts, such as fitness, a swimming pool, can be started only after 1.5-2 months.

After vaginal delivery with tears/cuts. In this case, you can allow the minimum load only after a month. In parallel, you should be observed by a doctor and gradually load the body.

After caesarean section. Recovery after a caesarean is a complex and time-consuming process. The first loads are permissible only 2 months after the birth of the baby, gradualness is important here.

Can I exercise while breastfeeding?

Sports during breastfeeding are not contraindicated and do not affect the quality of milk. It is important to drink plenty of water and not do complex chest exercises. For training, it is best to purchase a supportive bra. If you have a feeling of fullness in the chest during the session, then the next time you feed the child before training. For pain, you can use two bras at the same time to provide maximum support. Can I play sports while breastfeeding? Now you know the answer for sure.

What sports can I do after childbirth?

Many people are concerned about the question “is it possible to play sports after childbirth?” and the answer is yes, yes, and again, yes! However, it is important to understand which areas of sports will benefit and help the body get stronger, and which ones can harm.

1. Calm walking. You can walk alone or with your newborn baby in a stroller. The main rule is not to overload yourself. Walks can be 20 or 30 minutes, it all depends on your well-being and desire.

2. Water fitness. Physical exercises after childbirth on land are prohibited due to the high elasticity of the ligaments, however, in water it is quite difficult to damage the joints and ligaments, therefore aqua fitness is recommended after childbirth.

3. Swimming. Back pain, heaviness - consequences of childbirth. Swimming will help relax your muscles and restore their tone.

4. Yoga. Yoga perfectly levels the emotional background and relieves depression and prevents nervous breakdowns.

How to start exercising after childbirth?

When can I play sports after childbirth? Everything is very individual and depends on how active you were physically before pregnancy. If the birth occurred naturally, then you can start training in a few weeks. When can I exercise after a caesarean? Depends on the severity of the complications, so it is recommended that you always consult with your doctor. Sports after cesarean should be introduced into life very carefully. Be sure to do a warm-up, drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest.

What sports should not be practiced after childbirth?

Physical activity after childbirth is not fully available immediately. There are certain sports that are strictly contraindicated, and there are those that are acceptable, but in limited quantities. The following sports are prohibited:

1. Run. While running, a person loses a lot of calories. For women who have just given birth, running can result in a lack of milk and changes in its taste.

2. Any direction that enhances the feeling of adrenaline.

3 . combat directions. As a rule, martial arts are a contact sport. In the process, you can damage the chest, injure the ligaments and joints.

4. Strength training. Exercise with weights and weights can lead to nausea, dizziness, weakness, and reduced milk supply.

Do sports after childbirth should be as careful as possible. How soon after giving birth can I go in for fitness and fully perform all the power loads in the gym? Not earlier than 6 months under the condition of natural childbirth.