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- Sport after childbirth, when to resume?
- What sport should you practice after giving birth?
- How to return to sport after childbirth?
Sport after childbirth, when to resume?
Many women are frustrated at not being able to do high-intensity sport during their pregnancy, and are impatiently waiting for the return to sport to exercise! While it's tempting to jump into your sneakers as soon as you leave the maternity ward, it's better to give yourself a little time so as not to rush your body!
As you can imagine, the latter underwent major changes during your pregnancy, and will take a little time to recover from childbirth. Returning to sport too quickly, as we will see, can have unfortunate consequences on a daily basis.
Generally speaking, returning to sport is directly linked to how your delivery went.
If you have had a cesarean section, it will take three to four months for the tissues to completely close and the scar to no longer be painful.
The same if you have had an episiotomy: patience is required, and you will have to wait for the healing to take place completely before resuming physical activity.
The process will therefore be slightly longer than for natural births.
Vaginal delivery is in fact the most favorable scenario for returning to sport quickly! No scarring, less pain: it’s a fact, the body recovers more quickly.
But whatever your method of delivery (vaginal or cesarean), you must pay particular attention to your perineum before considering returning to sport.
The perineum is this set of muscles that extends from the pubis to the coccyx. Due to its elongated shape, it is often compared to a hammock, which supports the bladder, genitals and anus: this shows how important it is for women!
After nine months of pregnancy and childbirth, the muscles of the perineum are often relaxed and lack tone. The perineum is too weak to perform its function as a hammock, and you may encounter problems with urinary leakage (when you laugh, cough, or carry heavy loads, etc.), constipation, or more frequent urges to urinate. .
If you return to sport too quickly or too abruptly after the birth of your baby, you risk aggravating these problems, or causing, in the worst case, organ descent. Called prolapse in medical jargon, it is a sliding of certain organs (such as the uterus or the bladder) downwards, that is to say towards the vagina. Suffice to say that these consequences are not very pleasant, are they?! ;-)
A few lucky women will have retained a well-muscled perineum and will be able to do without rehabilitation, but we won't hide it from you, the majority of women will have to go through the "perineal rehabilitation" box. Ten rehabilitation sessions are also covered by Social Security.
The sessions are carried out with a physiotherapist, or with a midwife. There are multiple methods of perineum rehabilitation (manual, breathing exercises, probe, etc.), and we will advise you on the most suitable for your case, and the most effective for gently strengthening this key muscle!
It will take another month or two (depending on your diligence) before you regain a well-toned perineum and can return to sport!
What sport should you practice after giving birth?
Immediately after giving birth, for the reasons mentioned above, the choice is limited – but not non-existent!
Two sports that were already your allies during your pregnancy are still your allies after the birth of your baby!
Walking, a gentle sport par excellence, has no contraindications after childbirth. You can therefore consider long walks right after leaving the maternity ward, with or without a baby, to get some fresh air and move gently.
Swimming is also beneficial because you are not carrying your body weight. If the breaststroke is not ideal for the back which has already been put to the test during these nine months, you can without problem practice the front crawl, which will reshape your silhouette and gently strengthen your muscles!
Cycling is also possible if it is done on asphalt and on flat ground.
High-impact sports or sports that put a lot of strain on the muscles (running, mountain biking, boxing, crossfit, badminton, abs and buttocks, etc.) can only be considered after having completed your perineal rehabilitation.
How to return to sport after childbirth?
Once your perineal rehabilitation has been completed, and the green light from your midwife or physiotherapist has been obtained, you can return to the sport of your choice gently and gradually. We emphasize “gradually” because it can be tempting to return to high-intensity sport to make up for lost time and lose the last remaining kilos as quickly as possible.
This is even more important for high impact sports, such as running or tennis for example. No question of going jogging for two hours to recover: start with twenty minutes alternating running and walking, and when you feel comfortable with your breathing and you no longer have aches the next day, gradually increase the sessions in ten-minute increments.
Also remember to allow yourself days without sport to recover properly and not overwork your body.
Most important ? Listen to yourself, and be attentive to your body. If the abdominal area and perineum do not seem sufficiently toned during exercise, repeat the exercises taught during rehabilitation for a few days before rescheduling a sports session. Perhaps you will ultimately want to cuddle your baby more than sweat: give yourself time!
As you will have understood, after giving birth, patience is required to return to sport. Take the time to carry out your pelvic floor rehabilitation correctly, focus on gentle sports initially, then gradually increase the intensity of your physical activities. You will soon regain your pre-pregnancy shape and physical level, we are sure of it, under the watchful eye of your mini-supporter!
