When should new moms should start pelvic floor exercises? When should they start walking? How can new birthing parents find a balance between "not too much too soon" and "not too little either"? When can they resume high impact exercises like running? What are signs that new moms should pay attention to after birth, which may indicate they need to scale back their activity level?
In 2022 I interviewed Dr. Rachel Pope, a physical therapist and running coach, about 5 secrets for moving after baby. I was thinking about this interview today, and I finally am posting it on my own blog!
TLDR:
New moms should start pelvic floor exercises immediately after delivery, including Kegel exercises, to help recover their pelvic floor and core
Walking should be started as soon as possible after delivery, gradually increasing the duration and distance as tolerated
New moms should not do too much too soon, as this can lead to issues like incontinence or prolapse; the "6-week all clear" is often misunderstood and moms should take a more gradual approach
Conversely, new moms should not do too little either, and should start doing core and pelvic floor exercises early on
High-impact exercises like running should generally be avoided until around 12 weeks postpartum, to allow the core and pelvic floor to properly recover
New moms should pay attention to signs like lower ab soreness, back/pelvic/joint pain, or incontinence, which may indicate they need to scale back their activity level
