Rebuild Strength and Take Care of Your Mental Health: 9 Exercises Perfect During the Six-Week Postpartum No Exercise Wait
Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
I spent a lot of time researching safe & effective exercises I’d try to incorporate into my life after Penelope was born, especially during the six-week postpartum no exercise wait.
Based on my yoga practice, yoga teaching, and many prenatal and postpartum conversations with my medical team, these are the exercises, with short videos below, I practiced as a very new mom to rebuild my pelvic floor, regain overall strength, and take care of my mental health.
This post was last edited March 2023.
These postpartum exercises focus on drawing the belly button toward the spine and lifting up through the pelvic floor/wrapping in, so in addition to rebuilding strength, these exercises have *BONUS* helped me not pee myself. They’re also safe with respect to diastasis recti.
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| SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS & MODIFICATIONS |
| You just recently had a baby! Congratulations, mama! |
| Because of this, if you have any concerns at all about what is best for you and your body, talk to your doctor(s) or midwife/care team. Always. Before I did any of what I share below, this is exactly what I did. I could practice every exercise shared here safely during the first six-weeks postpartum; I also had a pregnancy and vaginal delivery with no complications. If you’re unsure about what’s right for you? Please talk to a medical professional. This is not something I claim to be. |
| If these postpartum exercises feel like they’re too much? |
| Back off or stop altogether. Truly, in the days and weeks postpartum, listen to your body and/or — again — talk to your doctor or midwife. |
| Are you laser-focused on how to lose baby weight? |
| You just had a BABY. This feat alone remains wild and is amazing proof of all your body can do. Your body is and will be different (this is a good thing). I’d recommend not to focus on losing weight but rebuilding strength and doing activities that feel find for body (and mind). Give yourself time to rest and heal. If you’re feeling too tired? SLEEP instead. |
Before Baby Girl
I practiced yoga throughout pregnancy and also walked/ran for as long as I could. In fact, my water broke (we think…although still not 100 on this) following a veerrrrry slow albeit steady “yog.”
I really like to move my body. This is not about weight loss (or gain); rather it’s about what I need – mentally.
On Mental Health
Movement – especially yoga, variations of pilates, and walking – is my primary mental health practice, and I was concerned about my mental health during the first six weeks postpartum, a time when baby blues can sneak up and any higher-intensity yoga practice or running would be off the table. Of course, this would be a critical time to allow the body to heal, bond with baby, and give breastfeeding a shot.
But I still sought ways to slowly, surely rebuild exercise back into a very new, very weird routine, this mostly for the sake of mental health. I also just needed…routine. Baby’s schedules are wild, so building in some time for very gentle exercise, however short and sweet, went a long way to get my head in the right place. …More on that here.
Core (and by this I mean: Pelvic Floor) Exercises during the Six-Week Postpartum “No Exercise” Wait
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WALKING
I’m sure you’ve already heard this, but walking is the best exercise to incorporate into your new mama routine in order to reset your brain and rebuild strength postpartum.
The W&OD Trail in Leesburg, VA | Yes, the trees really look like this during October.
After P was born, I asked both my midwife and one of the nurses in our postpartum recovery room how soon I could resume walking. And they both said to start walking as soon as I felt ready. (Yet again, post-delivery, chat with your care team about what’s best for you.)
That next day, my husband and I took a couple loops around the maternity ward, and it felt so good to move my legs, especially after an epidural.
Getting Outside
On the third day home, we all ventured out into the world for the first time. It was August and pretty hot, but we put P in the stroller and headed toward the trail right near our house.
We ended up walking about two miles that day, very slow and very easy. Stopping a couple times to breastfeed. The next day, two more miles. Nice and leisurely. The day after that, close to three miles.
Three days old. WE OUTSIDE, Y’ALL.
We also were both on maternity and paternity leave (thankfully) and had nothing else to do…besides keep baby alive and pretend we knew anything about parenting. It felt so good to leave the chaos of the house.
Walking felt like a luxury: a way to talk to each other, process what on earth was going on, and clear our heads. A bit. I would breastfeed baby girl right before we’d leave, she’d let us know her feelings for maybe six minutes, and then once we were moving? ASLEEP. (Or we’d stop mid-walk for some boob time.)
Helpful Items for Walks with Baby during the First Six-Weeks Postpartum
- Pram-like stroller where brand new baby can lie flat; we were gifted one from a work colleague, and used it from time to time. Most of our walks, though, we used the CityMini GT with the converters, as explained in this post.
- Nursing cover that can double as stroller cover (shade from sun, bugs, etc.). There were definitely a few walks during which P would demand a meal about 17 minutes in. I’m all good with breastfeeding sans cover, but if the sun was extra bright or she spit up or if I did want the cover for whatever reason (i.e. large mass of high school boys suddenly having XX practice on the trail…), it was actually really nice to have. Highly multifunctional.
- Stroller organizer: Perfect for keys, phone, water, pacifier, burp cloth, headphones.
- Head support for little baby: Even though the stroller isn’t the carseat, something like this helps to keep baby’s head and neck supported.
- Swaddle for wee one: If really hot, we would have her in a diaper + swaddle. Helped her to sleep better and longer. And if really, really hot, we’d leave her legs out and just swaddle her arms.
- A really good water bottle: All mamas, especially if breastfeeding, fill and fill and fill again.
- Supportive camis: Sometimes when super hot, I would just wear one of these. Also easy to breastfeed in a pinch. Bought black because…less stains.
I walked just about every day from August (during the six-week postpartum “no exercise” wait) throughout my maternity leave. I’d listen to NPR or podcasts or music, and it was the perfect way to get us outside and endorphins moving. A mental reset.
TIP: HUG BELLY IN WHILE WALKING
To truly make walking a postpartum “core” exercise, I would gently hug my belly button toward my spine and draw my pelvic floor muscles (all of them down there that aid in bathroom usage) UP & IN. A better image might be wrapping all the way around the belly as if baby was still inside.
I would not (nor could not) do this throughout the entire walk. But I’d try to find belly and pelvic floor engagement so that the muscles that just succeeded to push a human out of me could restrengthen…the other direction…i.e. for five to ten second intervals, while moving. Again, small baby steps.
MINI-EXERCISES THAT FOCUS ON PELVIC FLOOR & LOW BELLY STRENGTH
How Soon After?
I started the exercises that follow about 14 days postpartum, once I had talked to my doctor and bleeding had ceased.
These issues are also safe with respect to diastasis recti (when the rectus abdominis muscle essentially separates), as everything here is about supporting the full pelvic floor from the inside out and hugging/wrapping the belly in with at least one foot always on the floor.
As already mentioned, I exercised throughout pregnancy, modifying my vinyasa practice with safe and effective core strengthening. If you have any concerns about what’s right for you, because I just can’t say it enough, talk first to your doctor or midwife.
WHEN & FOR HOW LONG?
All together, these postpartum core exercises took maybe 15 – 20 minutes, perfect during one of P’s many naps or just before/after our walk.
TIP!
| In order to make these exercises really effective, you have to draw the belly button toward the spine and lift up through pelvic floor muscles aka the bathroom muscles or mula bandha. Again, think about hugging in around your belly and back, from front to back and back to front. |
| Imagine that you’re still hugging around and lifting the baby UP from the deepest root of your pelvis. This will, over time, rebuild strength (as all parts of your belly are WORKING). |
BRIDGES/HIP THRUSTS
- Lie on the floor with knees bent toward ceiling, feet flat & about hips-width distance apart.
- Press low back to the floor (belly button to spine) as if trying to take out the natural curve in lumbar spine, slightly tucking pelvis under, hip points toward shoulders.
- With that engagement & pelvic tilt, take a deep breath & exhale hips up toward ceiling. Push through heels & keeping belly button drawn to spine. Exhale to lower. Inhale raise. Repeat.
- 15 – 20 reps, 2 – 3 sets. Slowwww & controlled. (This is heavily sped up.)
SINGLE LEG LOWERS
- Lie flat on back with one knee bent toward ceiling, foot evenly pressed into floor from heel through big-toe mound.
- Extend & engage other leg out. Again, hug belly in, trying to eliminate gap between low back & floor beneath.
- Bring hands lightly to back of head to support neck, chest open & flat toward ceiling.
- Inhale to lift extended leg to ~45 degrees, then exhale to lower & hover leg. Inhale raise, exhale hover. Continue to draw belly in & press the foot of bent leg firmly into floor.
- 15 – 20 reps/side. If you can, do 2 – 3 sets!
- **If this feels like too much pressure? Start off with the leg higher/more vertical: the closer the foot to the floor, the more challenging the exercise.
TOE TAPS
- Yet again, hug belly in. Bring hands lightly to sides of head to support neck, chest open and flat toward ceiling.
- Bend your knees. Alternate tapping your big toe to the floor as you draw the opposite knee toward your chest.
- As you alternate between legs, reaaallllyyy press belly to floor, again working to eliminate any space at the low back.
- Exhale each time you tap the big toe down.
- 20 – 30 reps, 2 sets.
HEEL SLIDES
- Lie flat on back with one knee bent toward ceiling, foot evenly pressed into floor from heel through big-toe mound.
- Extend & engage the other leg out. Again, imagine something on your belly and you’re wrapping around it.
- Bring hands lightly to sides of head to support neck, chest open & flat toward ceiling.
- Inhale to bend the extended leg, drawing knee toward ceiling, heel toward hips. Then exhale to push heel back out (heel never lifts off floor).
- Continue to draw belly in and press the foot of the bent leg firmly into the floor.
- 15 – 20 reps/side. 2 – 3 sets!
BIRD DOGS AKA ELBOW-TO-KNEE
- Really helpful during the six-week postpartum no exercise wait as well as during pregnancy to hug in around baby.
- Come to hands & knees, wrists under shoulders & knees under hips (joints stacked). Fingers spread wide & palms press but light on hands, lifting up through armpits.
- Extend right arm forward, left leg back. Hug shoulder in, draw toward center line, & imagine long line from extended arm through midline of the body & back through active leg. Hips level.
- Inhale reach & extend, then exhale, draw in, elbow toward opposite knee.
- 5 – 15 reps each side.
MODIFIED CAT/COW
- Find strong tabletop shape.
- With inhale, drop the belly & gently allow the chest to open across collarbones, tilting tailbone up toward ceiling.
- With exhale, begin to move toward a cat back – rounding spine – but rather than drop the head & move into full cat, pause in a more neutral spine & focus instead on the belly: draw belly button to spine as you round slightly, like you’re igniting a little fire at that belly button point.
- Inhale drop belly & open heart space; exhale move toward neutral then into slightest cat back while you pull belly muscles up & in.
- 20 – 30 reps for these postpartum exercises, slow & controlled.
MODIFIED DONKEY KICKS
- Find strong tabletop shape, lightness in wrists. Maybe even come to fingertips. Back of neck is long.
- Extend one leg long behind you, hips even & square. Wrap belly in/up; everything draws to center line of body.
- With low belly engagement & leg extended, begin to pulse leg toward ceiling, imagining that back of the knee-cap would touch the ceiling first.
- Repeat 20 – 30 each side. Great to rebuild strength in back body.
MODIFIED SUN SALUTATIONS A
- At about two full weeks postpartum, I felt strong enough to take some modified Sun Salutations A.
- I dropped to my knees, took a really wide stance in down dog, and bent my knees heavily in the forward folds.
- Although not an “exercise” per se, these Sun Salutations felt particularly good during the six-week postpartum “no exercise” wait.
- They helped get blood and energy flowing and stretch out the backs of my legs and low back.(SO MUCH HOLDING BABY & FEEDING BABY TAKES ITS TOLL). They also allowed me to mindfully focus on linking breath with movement.
- These helped (and still help) to rebuild strength (push-ups) and stretch it OUT.
What exercises did you practice during the six-week postpartum wait to rebuild strength and take care of your mental health?
On exercises to do with baby, in the living room or while on a walk or run.
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