As early as a few days! But be gentle and start very, very gradually.
It usually takes 9 to 12 months to get back to your “normal.”
Start activating your pelvic floor (PF) muscles (the muscles that you use to stop shiishii, miishii or gases)
Contract and relax the PF gently up to 10 times, 3 times a day. It will help with the swelling and healing.
Also think about contracting your pelvic floor 2 seconds before you make an effort like coughing, sneezing, or lifting your baby
Avoid doing exercises such as crunches, sit ups, or the plank. These exercises will put too much pressure on your abdomen and should be avoided for the first few of months after giving birth.
You can start walking outside when you feel ready. Start with a 5 to 10-minute walk and increase gradually.
Start specific pelvic floor exercises
Many people are told to do Kegel exercises to help them with urinary leakage or after giving birth.
Light to moderate activities can be started again such as snowshoeing and weight training, as long as you do it gradually.
Avoid activities that require jumping or running
It depends on a lot of factors and will vary from one woman to the other. As a general rule, we recommend to wait 3 months.
For some women, it can be earlier or later than 3 months.
Empty your bladder before exercising
Breastfeed before the activity
Avoid extreme fatigue or going beyond your limits
Before, during or after your exercise, you should not:
have any leaks (urine, gas or stool)
feel a pressure, a heaviness or feel a mass coming out of your vagina
have an urge to urinate
have pain
have any bleeding (unrelated to your periods) or discharge
If you have any questions or need some advice, ask your doctor or nurse to be seen by a physiotherapist who has advanced training in pelvic health problems. There might be one in your community.
Or you can contact the pelvic health team.
