Being a mother is a wonderful experience, but finding the time for yourself can be challenging. It is so much fun looking after your little one, watching them reach all the milestones and discovering their personality. BUT, don’t forget to take time for yourself! You will both will be better for it. A happy mom makes for a well adjusted happy baby.
Moms are very eager to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight, but remember to not be too hard on yourself. The most important thing for the first month after pregnancy is to recover from giving birth. Whether you have had a caesarian or natural birth you have to give your body time to recover. Make sure you work with your health practitioner to find out what types of movements are best for you. Just because your friend is jogging doesn’t mean that you are ready to put on your Lu Lu Lemon’s. That being said it is generalyl a good start for most women to give walking a try. It is something that both you and your baby can handle. It is excellent to get fresh air and if your baby had Jaundice, Physicians often recommend to take your baby outside for small bouts of sunshine. Of course be wary of how long and what time of day you are putting your baby in the sun.
Tips to Getting Started:
- Start with walking, some women start after 2 weeks and some women need more time such as a month.
- Caesarian takes roughly 6 weeks to heal and this means there should be no heavy lifting. Rule of thumb is to lift nothing heavier than your baby. As for tender muscles this can take much longer and then in terms of the numbness around the incision can take 6 months. Again this is varies from woman to woman.
- Be careful when introducing weights and resistant type exercises. Sit ups, push ups and planks are definetly out until your core muscles are ready for strengthening.
- Having trouble fitting in exercise? Try exercising when your baby is most self soothing. For me my baby is almost 8 months old and she is the most easy going after her morning feed. She likes to play on her Bright Start Albert Einstein mat. She will basically practice her yoga while mommy does her work out! I really like the “10 Minute Trainer” videos with Tony Horton. Then I place the baby in a spot where she cannot see the TV, but she can still see me moving around working up a swet!
- Also, there is local personal trainer that I have used, her name is Angela Sasso. She is located in Vancouver BC. She is amazing, extremely positive, motivating, knows the fitness industry inside and out. You can check her out as she has her own youtube channel. She helped me get into shape before I got pregnant. I had excellent core strength going into pregnancy and this greatly helped me maintain a work out plan during pregnancy and it also helped me during labour.
- If time is a problem and you do not have any help raising your baby, try to find ten minutes to exercise when while your baby sleeps.
- Keep in mind the first couple of months is all about sleeping when your baby sleeps, so again take your time introducing exercise into your routine. Also, if you are able to breast feed this is a great way to get your weight down.
- Eat healthier than ever before! Seems like a logical thing to do, but sometimes women see the weight coming off due to breast feeding so they cheat. This is not a good idea as your metbolism will slow right down and your energy will become sluggish; before you know it weight will be packing on. Also, you want to be feeding your baby healthy nutrients.
Lastly, if you are breast feeding, you must continue to air on the side of caution when taking supplements. Doctors and health practioners agree that a prenatal multi-vitamin, fish oil and calcum/magnesium is pretty much it while breast feeding. These means no cleansing, no weight loss supplements with caffeine etc. However, there are some things that you can sneak into your diet that are good for both your metabolism and your babies health. Things like coconut oil are safe. This is one of the best cooking oils to use as it is not carcinogenic when heated. It is an excellent oil for the heart and metabolism!
As always thank you for reading. If you have any more questions concerning exercises as well as what supplements are safe during breast feeding we would be happy to answer your questions at a location near you. Or you can feel free to call us toll free at 1 866 499 9546
