Running After Having Your Baby - Part Three
Welcome to the third part in my 4-part series, a complete guide to running after having your baby.
In this blog we will look at other things to think about like bras, trainers, sleep and stomach muscles.
Grab your free guide to get started on safe exercise, this includes all your videos and guidance on one place.
IF YOU MISSED PREVIOUS BLOGS FIND THEM HERE >>>
Covered in the previous running series blogs...
Appointment with Pelvic Heath Specialist.
Breathing, pelvic floor and core connection.
At least 3-months of strength building.
Find them Here >>>
Diastasis
Human nature is amazing, the connective tissue down the centre of the tummy muscles stretch to accommodate your baby.
After childbirth, the distance between the two sides of the muscles can remain increased but you can still have a functional and stable core that is able to maintain pressure when lifting, sneezing and coughing etc.
Diastasis can sound really scary once you start looking for information online and there’s a bit of an obsession about the gap down the middle of the six-pack.
But it’s absolutely normal to have a diastasis during the 4th trimester! Your body was just freeing up room for your little one, so please don’t be scared of any gap you may feel.
Watch the video and check your stomach along with me.
We use the gap to measure the distance between the two belly’s BUT you can have a gap and still have core stability!
THE IMPORTANT BIT IS THE TENSION IN THE MIDLINE – we can feel for this in the check.
If you have a softness and/or sinking in the midline then you want to work on making this area functional and stronger BEFORE heading back to running.
There is so much more to help strengthen your midline than just exercises, including healthy eating to nourish your healing body, hydration is SO important and releases to tight areas.
I’ve put together a FREE Guide on exercise after having your baby, this includes pelvic floor, core connection and all the strength building you need to prepare for running. You can grab it here >>> https://freebies.movewithmumma.co.uk/exerciseafterhavingyourbaby
Scar Massage
c-section and perineal scars can cause pain and restriction and your c-section scar may even affect your organs.
Benefits of scar massage are reduced inflammation, scar tissue and improving the tissue.
Here are some videos to help you with massaging and caring for your scars >>>
Breastfeeding
If you are breastfeeding, then try to run when your breasts are not overly full or likely to become uncomfortably full.
Hydration
Ensure you are hydrated enough.
When Breastfeeding: at least 6 Pints of fluid a day (not caffeine) plus more when exercising.
When Bottle feeding: at least 4 pints of fluid a day (not caffeine) plus more when exercising.
Sleep & Recovery
Getting enough sleep with a baby is obviously tough! Not having the recovery time can increase injury risk and reduce your muscles repairing. With broken sleep it would be beneficial to catchup with naps, but I know that’s tough to do, sleep when you can.
You can improve the sleep you do get by switching off devices early and doing some mindfulness in bed. I love the free app Smiling Mind .
Supportive Clothing
Bra
Supporting your breasts is so important. I have a discount code for Ottilie Active, they have special fitness clothing for pregnant and postnatal women, breastfeeding is supported in their clothing as well as provide the support needed.
https://www.ottilieactive.co.uk/
For 10% discount, use the code: movewithmumma
Trainers
Your shoe size can permanently change through pregnancy, try your trainers to see if they still fit, you may have to invest in new ones.
Warning Signs That Your Body Needs More Rehab and Strengthening
It’s not advisable to run if before, during or after running you experience any of the following:
- – Urine Leaks
– You feel pressure/bulging or dragging in the vagina
– Bleeding after any exercise (low or high impact)
– Any pelvic pain
– Any moderate pain after running
These are all signs telling you that your body and your pelvic floor is not ready.
Exercise After Having Your Baby
I’ve put together a FREE Guide on exercise after having your baby, this includes pelvic floor, core connection and all the strength building you need to prepare for running. You can grab it here >>> https://freebies.movewithmumma.co.uk/exerciseafterhavingyourbaby
The Research
This is advice is from physiotherapists who are passionate in helping women get back into exercise safely and who specialise in postnatal rehabilitation. I have read the research and put the advice into an easy to read blog series along with my own knowledge of postnatal recovery training to share it with you. You can get the full research paper here.
About this postnatal running series
I’m so excited to share this running series with you! I’ve worked with mums who loved running before having a baby and wanted to get back to it as soon as possible, but depending on your birth/labour experience and how your body is healing from this need to be considered.
Running is such a high impact exercise and your body needs time to heal after having a baby. I was so happy when I came across some specialised research about this.
I’ve done advanced postnatal training to ensure I can pass on the best information possible to new mums to help them recover from birth and feel stronger than ever. In general with my workout and rebuilding plans for new mums, the advice is low-impact, strength building and pelvic floor recovery for all but I’d not been able to find guidance specifically to running. So I was really excited when I came across a new running research paper dedicated to this! More information on the research at the end of the blog.
I’m excited to share with you the guidance from the research physiotherapists and myself on building up to running after having a baby.
