What exercises are safe to do after having my baby?

Firstly a massive congratulations on the arrival of your little one! You've carried your baby for 9 months, possibly endured sickness, aches and pains and have brought a new life into the world. That is no mean feat and you should be so proud of yourself.

Giving birth is one of the most amazing things in life, and you are truly a rock star. Give yourself kindness, time and grace. There is no rush to get back to doing all the things.

It can take 6 weeks for the soft tissues (such as muscles and ligaments) to recover including the uterus to return to its normal size. Resting as much as you can is paramount as you recover to give yourself time to heal physically, emotionally and mentally.

But this doesn't mean that you can't do anything at all. The key is to go gently, listen to your body and do what feels good.

Gentle movement can be a great way to release upper body tension after all the lifting, carrying and feeding you're doing, start to strengthen the pelvic floor and abdominals to help with your post natal recovery, get your circulation going if you've had a c-section, and help to relieve any back or hip pain. PLUS its going to get those endorphins going which are going to help you feel great - particularly if you're sleep deprived.

Here are 5 movements you can do safely at home within the first 6 weeks:

1. Breathwork, and once you've had your first wee you can do gentle pelvic floor exercises don't worry if you can't feel much yet as using the muscles will encourage blood flow to the area which will improve healing. Start with a lift and release and your strength will get better over the next few weeks. If you've had a C section you can use a rolled up towel or pillow to support your scar - we want to make sure you feel supported and that there's no pain.

2. Abdominal Contractions - these are a great way to start building up your strength of your lower tummy muscles.

3. Gentle upper body work to release any tension in the upper back

4. Pelvic tilts

5. Walking (start with 5 minutes and build up gently, adding 5 minutes a week).

Try these movements throughout the next 6 weeks and see how you feel. These are a great way to build up your strength gently so we can add onto them after your 6 week check.

Signs to slow down

1. You feel more tired

2. There's a heaviness, dragging or bulging feeling downstairs

3. Bladder leaking

4. Needing to wee more frequently

5. Aches or pain in your pelvic floor, back or pelvis

6. Any increase in vaginal bleeding

To keep building on your post natal recovery why not join our Mums & Babies class where you'll meet other lovely new mums as you continue on your post natal journey.

Don't live locally? Try our In Balance Pilates Online Studio where we have a fab dedicated Post Natal session.

Don't feel confident going it alone? Book a private session with us and we can go over everything in person or online and create a specific programme just for you.