When will you start excercising ?

[mkmama]

s/o of weight loss thread...

With DS i started running 4-5x a week at 6 weeks PP and within 6 months was below my PP weight (145). I had a c-section then.

I am 2 1/2 weeks PP and am almost done bleeding...had a : and 2nd degree tear. I feel great, i can briskly walk with no pain or soreness later.

Do you think I can start briskly walking/jogging? i really want to shed the pounds as we move back to the US in 1 month and i want to get into SOME of my clothes at least! Plus i'll be seeing tons of people i haven't seen in YEARS. :P

And how much is realistic, with breastfeeding and running, to lose in that month? i'm hoping for at least 10 pounds? Maybe it will be more b/c its the first month and i'm still losing water weight? or no?

[pixiepunk]

i personally wouldn't feel comfortable running at a couple of weeks post partum because it takes a couple of months for the relaxin to completely leave your system. and relaxin, of course, encourages laxity in the connective tissue of the joints, which leaves the joints at greater risk of injury (particular ankles, knees and hips with regard to running). but walking is great, i always start that pretty much right away, along with very gentle and restorative yoga. then by about 4-6 weeks i'm ready to start a more regular yoga practice, and i plan to be back to teaching by around 8 weeks pp, which will be at least a few times a week.

do you have access to a swimming pool? swimming is a great no-impact exercise. it will protect your joints but help you build muscle/shed fat.

[ZoshaMosha]

I'm 2.5 weeks pp too and I have been walking a brisk mile for the past week. I could not even contemplate jogging at the moment, lol--unless I were able to procure some kind of NASA-generated, anti-gravity sports-bra . I would have gone to mommy and me yoga today had my ped appt not gotten in the way, but I'll def start gentle yoga next week.

Other than that, I have started very very gentle ab exercises and stretching at home.

[treehuggermama]

I started walking at 4 weeks pp and went back to the gym at 6 wks pp (and I had c/s). My OB had ok'd going to gym by 6 wks so long as I wasn't bleeding anymore. I am now 8 wks pp and doing the elliptical trainer and speed walking on the treadmill and some light weights. I hope to do some easy runs next week. With my prev 2 pg's I was running by 6 wks with no problems.

[takasmom]

Originally Posted by TeresaZofia

I could not even contemplate jogging at the moment, lol--unless I were able to procure some kind of NASA-generated, anti-gravity sports-bra .

!! yes, that is me here. can someone experienced explain to me...what are we supposed to do about our boobs for exercising?!? the thought of it just makes me cringe (and then i have to go to the cupboard for some chocolate )

[chely7425]

My LO is a month old and I am going to start going for walks.. I am just getting to the point where I can move like a normal human being after the c-section so I couldn't even contemplate jogging!

[mama_ani]

I started going on long walks when Eleanor was about 4 days old and I started back at Curves (circuit training) last week when Eleanor was 4 weeks old.

I've never ran so I have no idea when I'd want to do that after giving birth

[treehuggermama]

Originally Posted by takasmom

!! yes, that is me here. can someone experienced explain to me...what are we supposed to do about our boobs for exercising?!? the thought of it just makes me cringe (and then i have to go to the cupboard for some chocolate )

2 sports bras....seriously. u can't breathe well but at least u won;t get knocked out!!

[mkmama]

do you HAVE to wait for bleeding to stop before i can briskly walk? its down to about nothing, and then i go get a bag of groceries or something and some comes out bright red again...not a LOT tho...

i desperately want to start my brisk walks in the evening by myself! ME time! (not that i couldn't take slow ME time walks...but i want to lose some weight!)

[carriebft]

I have started walking while still having a bit of red bleeding. I bled for three weeks with both my other kids so I figure it's going to be about the same this time, but I didn't want to wait that long to start walking a bit.

[amaayeh]

I went on a walk/jog today for my first time. I'm 3 1/2 weeks post and I feel completely normal so I felt like it was fine. For the most part, it was. The only thing that caught me off guard was that about 1 1/2 miles into it, I stopped to visit with a neighbor. After a few minutes of standing there visiting, I almost passed out. Once I started walking again I was fine. I think I may have done a little too much jogging for the first day. So, I'm going again tomorrow morning, but will probably mostly walk. Just remember that our bodies have been through more than we may feel and it's going to take a bit to get back. Make sure to listen to your body.

[jsnv]

in 5 years when all my kids are in school!

[mkmama]

i went on a brisk 30 min walk last night, as fast as my feet could carry me! it went great and NO bleeding afterwards or thru the night, and i feel fine, so i think i'm good to go! i'm going to do brisk walks every evening for this week and then start jogging.

ps: i am big chested but a tight sports bra works fine for me to jog.

[All together ooky]

Going for walks, I've been doing that since about 3-weeks PP. Other more intense exercise I'll wait until I'm two months out (even thought I feel pretty good). I still get tired pretty quickly.

[fireshifter]

I absolutely won't start exercising until at least six weeks post partum. A very good retired homebirth midwife friend of mine gave me this (see the bottom) and told me to follow it. I honestly haven't, but it's really made me slow down a bit compared to last time in which I was horseback riding at two weeks and bled for 10 weeks.

If you are bleeding red blood after two weeks, you're doing too much..

AFA bras go, I use an enell, which is tight and I wouldn't recommend it if you have tendencies for mastitis, BUT if you're only wearing it for exercise AND you're making sure to put it on with empty breasts, it should be okay. It's the only thing I can run in.

I'm going to start running again soon, but not until the bleeding is totally stopped. I'm also going to do some research on when the relaxin leaves my body as I have chronic knee problems.

Jen D.

Postpartum Instructions

Bedrest instructions
Days 1-5
Stay in bed. You should only get up to empty your bladder. You have done the greatest work a person can do, allow yourself time to recover and get to enjoy your baby.
Day 5-7
Stay in bed for 50 minutes of every hour. You may get up, stretch, get yourself a glass of water or a snack.
Day 8-10
Stay in bed for 45minutes of every hour.
Days 10-14
Stay in bed 30-40 minutes of every hour. This does not mean actually standing up and running around for half your day! It does mean you can have a meal at the dinner table or hang out sitting up on the sofa, or writing your birth story for your online family/friends/community 
Bleeding
You will bleed like a heavy period for the first few days and then it should taper down gradually over the next two to six weeks. If your bleeding increases at any time, it usually means that you are doing too much. Sit Back Down!
Empty your bladder frequently. A full bladder can make it hard for your uterus to contract efficiently causing heavier bleeding, and can cause you to have harder after pains as your uterus attempts to compensate for the infrequency of contractions.

Eat heartily and healthily. Small meals every two hours or ‘grazing’ is the best way to get your energy back quickly.

Call immediately if:

You run a fever of greater than 100.4
You pass a fist sized clot
You soak a pad completely through in less than an hour
You feel something is an emergency…if you think it is an emergency; then it is an emergency.

Enjoy your new baby!

[pixiepunk]

regarding relaxin, i've read a few varying accounts, but the least amount i've read that it stays in your body is 2 months - the most i've read is 4 months. i'd have to look it up because it's been a while, but when i did one of my prenatal yoga teacher trainings i'm pretty sure they told me 3-4 months.

i'll see if i can find a reference...

[carriebft]

I've started a jogging and walking mix and have gone back to karate part-time (very modified). No bleeding issues thus far, so I am excited to get back into it all. Exercising really helps me relax and def makes my happiness factor go up big time!!