Be Careful Post Baby!!

I saw a new client the other day for an assessment of her Mummy Tummy. As I do with every new client, I had her fill out the appropriate forms, consent etc. After reviewing her health questionnaire, I noticed that she had worked with a personal trainer before but only for one session. When I asked her about this, she revealed that their were “too many burpies” and the workout made her feel sick to her stomach. As my jaw dropped to the floor, I then asked her, “so what did that do for your opinion of personal trainers and exercise?” She then said she hadn’t worked out since and that was a year and a half ago.

So what’s wrong with burpies and intense training? Nothing….except it’s NOT for someone who just had a baby. The part I didn’t tell you about; she was only four months postpartum, sleep deprived and still had relaxin running through her body. She also had never done a burpie in her life and did very little strength training even before pregnancy. So the result? She is sooooo lucky she didn’t get injured and the trainer is even luckier that she didn’t get a bad rep.

It’s very frustrating because we have to remember that labor and delivery is by far, THE BIGGEST WORK OUT of your life, so with that, you need to allow time to recover safely. I know it sucks to look down at your body and want the old you back, but you also have to be realistic of what you are asking your body to do. If you were not an athlete before baby, please don’t start your next workout like one. Exercise is supposed to give you strength and energy and help with your postpartum period, not create injury, pain and complete exhaustion.

Unless you are a moderate to advanced exerciser who continued to train during your pregnancy, please start slow so your body can adapt to this new way of life. It can take up to 2 years post baby before your insides are back to where they used to be so think of that when you are pushing yourself too hard. There is a reason why it hurts and feels impossible when you start exercising again after baby.