Page 78 - April Issue

mother, baby & child April 2011 in focus: birth | health & fitness

to fitness after the birth of your baby is
six weeks for a natural delivery and 10
weeks after a C-section.” This is however,
an average, and she says that it is not
uncommon to see new mums of three or
four weeks putting the trainers back on. “If
you feel good about your recovery, there is
nothing wrong with starting with light, gentle
exercise to get moving again,” she says.

Guidelines

Start with low intensity exercise first,
recommends Thompson and intensify your
workouts gradually. “Also remember that
you still have a hormone called relaxin in
your body which makes your joints and
ligaments loose so watch any ‘power’ type
exercise for a little while,” she advises. “Also
light gentle cardio is good but listen to
your body,” she says, “If you were a runner
prior to your pregnancy, start again with
a jog / walk routine until you are ready to
start running again.” Also your abdominal
muscles will have taken a beating during
pregnancy. Thompson recommends seeking
the assistance of a trained instructor to do
the Diastisis Recti test to check on your
abdominal muscle separation. This, points
out Thompson, will give a good indication of
the type of abs exercises you can do.

Myths about
postnatal exercise

One myth is “I am still breastfeeding, I can’t
exercise.” Whilst intense fitness activity
will release lactic acid into your body, and
therefore into your breast milk, Thompson
points out that studies now agree that
this doesn’t have a big impact on your
baby’s feeds. “At worst, your baby maybe
sensitive to the taste of the milk and if
that’s the case, it is recommended to feed
before exercise or to express breast milk
prior to working out,” advises Thompson,
“The other issue with breastfeeding is
the discomfort that the mother may feel
because of her enlarged breast.” As long
as a supportive, well fitted bra is worn,
there is no contra-indication to exercising
whilst breastfeeding.

Another myth is “I am exhausted; I

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