Exercise After C Section

Wait the 4 weeks. I had 2 c sections and I also felt like you on the first. My stitches came undone and I had to get them fixed. On my second I was fine because I followed the DR's orders. Little about me I have 2 beautiful children boy 2 and girl 1. just be patient

Please stick to the doctor's orders. I had a friend who had a c-section and overdid her exercise - her incision busted partially and it took more time and more pain/discomfort to recover. The weight will still be there to work off when you are finished recovering :).

Stick with walking!!!! if you do to much you could tear and hemmorhage(sp)!!! I also had a c-section 11 weeks ago and i'm just starting to exercise besides walking.

i would follow your doctor's advice. Having a baby, especially by c-section is a major event, and you need to recover. Eating healthy and walking will help you lose weight at a beneficial rate and will help you keep it off. I would really focus on establishing a healthy eating style now verses major exercise and activity. Two things that are simple, but really help, are eliminating high fructose corn syrup from you diet and focusing on eating 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Rapid weight loss and dieting could be really bad for you and for your child. Give yourself a break, relax, and enjoy this time in your life! That baby will be crawling and walking and keeping you very active before you know it!

Listen to your doctor no matter how good you feel or what you think you can do. I have had 3 c sections, my second baby was a premie and I just couldn't stay away from the hospital. My husband worked so I was alone during the day recovering without my baby. I drove too soon and alot of other things too soon. I injured myself pretty bad and set my recovery time back farther. I know that after a couple of weeks you are starting to feel like you can take on the world again, but slow down. Your body has been through some major trauma and needs the time to get back to normal. Congrats on your first baby!!

You probably feel good b/c of the pain medication (if you are still on it) I actually lost weight after the c-section easily but found out the pain meds I was on decreased my appetite, after awhile it came back. I would just take it easy and just walk b/c you don't want you uterus to fall out ;O)

Listen to your doctor!!! Your body is still healing, even if you feel good. You don't want to end up with a hernia. Walking is great exercize, I take my kids for walks all the time when the weather is nice. As a nurse, I'd take the doctors advice and just chill in the excersize until your check up.

DO NOT EXERCISE BEFORE 6 WEEKS!!! YOU CAN GET A BLOOD CLOT. i was the same way and started working out then started bleeding like crazy:( bad. i know how it feels but stick it out. and you aren't supposed to really be on your feet too much. blood clots can happen at any time after having a baby/ especially a c-section. so be careful. i know you feel good but don't do it.

Congratulations to you new mommy! :)

Please, do not do anything more than what your doctor clears you to do. Take it easy, slow down and just focus on your new little one and your recovery. A C-section is major abdominal surgery, not to mention that you spent 9 months growning and developing another person inside of your body. You still have hormones working in overdrive and you could injure yourself and not be able to even walk for exercise. I'd avoid the elliptical machine too. Maybe practice some deep breathing exercises like those in Yoga, but unless you find a postpartum yoga class that can properly instruct you in safe moves, I'd avoid even that gentle of an exercise. Trust me, walking works wonders! :)

Be blessed,
Jacq

DON"T DO IT. Take this time to rest even though you feel ready, its your hormones ( Been there 4 times) You could get infected or re open the stitching. Just take your walks, with your babyint he stroller ( that will increase intensity) and wait. You will heal faster and be back to it with out injury. If you exercise before hand you will regret it and could do serious damage toyour body

I agree with the other moms that have responded so far. I had a c-section with my first and was anxious to get exercising and life back to normal. I overdid it. This really was major surgery (even though you feel good). Not only did they cut you completely open, but they took out organs and laid them on your abdomin during the surgery. Things just aren't where they should be right now. Try to just relax and enjoy taking it easy for now. I promise you will be able to get back to the exercising you want soon.

Congrats!

Be careful! I had a c-section with my twins. I felt really good too, and ended up doing way too much! It took much longer for me to heal because I didn't rest like I should have. It seems like a long time to wait, but it will pass and then you will have lots of time for getting healthy. Let yourself heal!

If you are nursing, there is a great possibility that the weight will continue to come off.

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Hang in there !! 4 weeks to go.

Just walk. It really does take your body 6 weeks to recover from the pregnancy as well as the C section. I know you feel good, but believe me you will notice a difference after 6 weeks then your doctor will release you to do other things. I admire your motivation, but take this short time to rest, walk and bond with your baby.

I understand how antsy you get after having a baby and sitting around the house. But remember there is a very good reason why the doctor told you 6 weeks!! Hemorraging is a very real concern, especially after a C section. You have all the time in the world to lose the baby weight. A great way to do it is by nursing. It totally worked for me. I lost all my baby weight within 1 1/2 months. Just take your time and don't overdo it!! My great aunt tried to do too much after childbirth and hemorraged to death. Seriously, listen to the doctor, walking is best for now.

Walking is best for right now. And if you're nursing, that will help you, a ton!

Be cautious....as I was too active after my c-section in my young days...so I kept myself from healing internally.

The doctor will give you other safe exercises to firm up when your 6 weeks is up. (bicycle exercises when flat on floor...etc)

Enjoy your walking. It's gorgeous outside & you'll have a ton of time to get in the shape you'd like!

Do not under any circumstances, do more than your dr has cleared you for. You have lots and lots of time to lose that extra 10 lbs. I had a c-section and I'm totally amazed that you're able to do ANY kind of exercise right now! I was laid up for at least two weeks and with nursing a newborn, I never got out of the house! So, congrats on that:) If you do too much to early after a c-section, you risk the chance of tearing your internal stitches. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there. Do you have any lifting restrictions? You could probably lift some 3 lb weights, but nothing streuous. Maybe some curls or something. Please check with your dr before you do anything else. Your body really does need time to heal. Allow yourself this time.

M.,

I had a C-section as well, and same as you wanted to do more than walk. I found these videos called "Walk and kick". It's walking but also has some kick-boxing involved. I enjoyed it b/c it was a change of pace from just simply walking around the block or a track. Hope that helps a little.
-A.

I also had a c-section and I would really just stick to walking. You don't want to risk any permanent damage that could complicate things in the future. I felt pretty good after a couple weeks and my doctor really stressed not overdoing it. I would ask your doctor if there is amything else you can do before you do it. I thought of it as just giving birth, but I was quickly reminded by everyone that I had just had surgery. Good luck!

Hi M.!

I agree with everyone else! I felt pretty good after my c-section and ended up over doing it. My incision reopened and then I had to worry about infection and keeping it clean and dry on top of everything else!

Believe me, you have plenty of time to get healthy and lose those 10 pounds. It's great that you're already at your pre-pregnancy weight, and even less! Be happy! Walking is great exercise. You'll be able to do more before you know it!

stick to just walking for now. whether you had stitches or staples either can rip open if you do anymore. once the stitches or staples come out you can do more exercises but you still need to be careful until you are fully healed which is about 8 wks. for a c-section. don't take any chances and do what the doctor says because you don't want to rip yourself open and have to be restitched or restapled.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4. Our 7 and 4 yr. olds were both born by c-section.

I'v not had a c-section, but I've two babies and I'm a health nut and understand how you want to intensify your workout, but please, just keep walking until you are released! If it helps you to feel better and you want your motivation to take you further, maybe add an extra 15 minutes to walk per week...

Congratulations on your new baby!!!

Hi M., I'm a physical therapist (15 years experience) & there's absolutely more you could be doing. Walking is great but you could be focusing on both upper & lower abdominals. I would request a physical therapy referral from your doctor & seek out a therapist (likely female) who has experience with perinatal & postpartum care. Most of us do:). Our hospital actually has a postpartum exercise program on video & we used to see all new mommies personally until we grew too large. The Swiss or exercise ball is great (eventually) I don't think that you should have any back pain either so I would request the PT referral for the back pain & post C-section eval & treat. Don't do any exercises you're not cleared for(by doctor) but walking, deep breathing are always okay. Good luck. T. V.

Listen to your doctor! Those restrictions have to do with your incisions being able to heal properly, and keeping scar tissue from forming too much (which can cause problems if you develop too much of it)
If you want to use an elliptical trainer, ask your doctor first.

I echo the other responses. If you are not careful you could give yourself a hernia, by doing too much too soon. Walking is perfect right now. Besides in 4 weeks, you can start adding to it and the weather will be great for stroller rides.
Take care and congratulations!

Please don't do more than your doctor allows you to do. Even though you feel great, there is still A LOT of healing going on that you can't see. Think about it... Your doctor cut through not only your skin, but also all of the muscles that hold your upper body and lower body together! Not to mention your uterus. If you don't give these incisions the proper time to heal, you could end up doing more damage than the surgery itself did. Honestly, the sutures that the doctor used to close up all of your insides are not even disolved yet. That takes 4-5 weeks. Those are meant to stay in place until certain tissue regrows. If you are that anxious, call your doctor and discuss it with him/her. They may give you the green light for some LIGHT exercise, but I doubt it. Its getting nice outside now, so put baby in the stroller and go for a walk. You can also increase the speed at which you walk.

Take it easy!! Don't push yourself for the next 4 weeks--your "innerds" have just been rearranged---literally--fromt the c-section.

You may not have even been cleared to drive yet. Just keep walking to help deal with the hormones!

Be patient, girl! It's only been 2 weeks since you had your baby? In some countries, women aren't even allowed to leave their beds for an entire month (Korea and China, for example). You need to relax, take it easy and let your body heal! Remember that you have to heal on the inside as well. Your uterus just had a huge placenta tear off of it and it needs relaxation and rest to heal. Too much exercise is like picking at your scab. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Also, it sounds like you might be losing weight way too fast. To be healthy, you shouldn't be losing more than 2 lbs a week. But if you're nursing, slowing it down a little more might not be a bad idea. So maybe right now focus on getting healthy nutritionally by modifying your diet and eating habits (but make sure you get enough calories for nursing) and stick with a moderate amount of walking. Please don't overdo it. You've got plenty of time - you don't have to do it all at once.
Best of luck to you with that new little one,
J. B (mother of two, with a masters in public health)

I have had two c-sections. My doc gave me the same advice and explained it by reminding me that c-sections are major surgery and it takes longer to heal - you don't want to risk rupturing stiches or stressing already stressed stomach muscles. I would follow his orders - remember, it takes nine months for your body to hold a pregnancy, and it takes at least that for it to recover.

PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR. He isn't telling you that just to get your goat. If you commit to exercise too early, you will form adhesions in addition to other preblems and take it from someone who didn't listen to their doctor, they are not pleasant. I had a hysterectomy 35 years ago and was cut the same way that they do c-sections. I felt so much better that I was doing things with the kids, lifting heavy stuff and sure enough formed adhesions. I still have problems with them now. The only recourse really is more surgery and since I am a surgical risk, that's not open to me. Please, please, please listen to the doctor. He's the one with the medical degree and knows the risks.
C.

Walking is great even though you don't feel like it's a "real" workout. It's most important at this point to allow your body to heal before getting on more of an exercise program. You could probably do some light stretching, but I would really stick with the dr.'s advise and take those 6 weeks to recoop.

There are a number of things to consider when exercising postpartum; for one thing, you still have increased amounts of the hormone Relaxin in your system up to 8-9 monthes postpartum. This puts you at an increased risk of back and knee (or any joint really) injury. Add recovery from major abdominal surgery and you do need to be careful. Call your doc up and explian how you feel. Get his/her permission to find someone trained to work with postpartum moms to help you design a workout that is right for you. I know of Fit For Moms, LLC in Columbus but I am sure there are others.
When I taught pre/postnatal exercise classes, I would not work with a mom before 12 weeks pp that did not have a doc's permission. It is just too risky from a liability standpoint.