Most moms can’t jump back into their pre-baby fitness routine, but you can still start working out with a newborn while your body recovers!
Unless you are one of those rare lucky women who recover from childbirth super fast and have a baby that magically sleeps through the night from day one, it is so hard to workout with a newborn!
Your body is still recovering long after that 6-week checkup with your doctor and you are sleep-deprived. Your baby is your #1 priority and it’s hard to take care of your basic needs, much less adding exercise to the mix.
That being said, when you don’t feel like yourself, sometimes exercise is a good way to do something positive for you. In this article, I’ll share 5 tips to help you enjoy exercise while supporting your recovery without overdoing it.
1. Give yourself some grace
You grew and delivered an ENTIRE human being! That is a massive feat that is really underappreciated.
Your body went through a ton of changes over 9 long months so it’s unlikely your body will return to its pre-pregnancy state in the first 6 weeks – even if you had an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery.
- Your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles had 9 months to stretch to make room for baby.
- Over the course of 9 months, your bones and joints slowly became more lax to prepare for baby to go through the birth canal.
It can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 18 months or more for women to recover from pregnancy and delivery – and that doesn’t take into account the affect that sleep deprivation, stress, returning to work, etc. can have!
So, give yourself some grace and expect that you might not dive back into the same fitness regimen you had before you were pregnant – or even while you were pregnant!
Read More:
8 Tips and Tricks to Support a Positive Mindset
2. Focus on what you are doing instead of what you aren’t
If you can only manage a short walk, a little yoga, or nothing more than your normal daily activities of caring for you and baby – that’s ok! Being a new mom is the steepest learning curve ever and working out with a newborn makes it even harder. It will take some serious trial and error to recover and figure out a new routine that works. And just when you think you’re getting it figured out – your body, your baby or your life will find a way to throw a wrench in your week. Focus on what you are accomplishing each day and believe me – those small accomplishments will add up.
3. Listen to your body
Simply taking care of yourself and baby takes a lot of energy. If you’re breastfeeding, that’s another big demand on your body. You need somewhere between 500 and 1000 calories extra per day, plus extra water, to support breastfeeding. If you add exercise into the mix, you’ll need even more food and water so you can recover from your workouts. Even with a perfect diet, combining breastfeeding and working out with a newborn can be too much for some women’s bodies. Your body will let you know if you’re adding too much exercise too soon:
- Physically you may handle your workouts great but you may struggle to produce enough milk.
- Your milk production may be fine but you may have absolutely no energy and be hungry or thirsty all day long.
Read more:
Everything You Need to Know About Breastfeeding and Exercise
4. Break up your workouts
Don’t set out to do an hour-long workout. You are almost guaranteed to get interrupted. Aim for 10 minutes at a time. Believe it or not, doing three 10 minute bouts gets you the exact same results as a continuous 30 minute workout so anytime you have a few minutes do one set or a bit of a video. Depending on how that feels, the next chance you get you can pick up where you left off or repeat. The bonus of doing little bouts throughout the day is it will get easier to overcome that motivation block making working out with a newborn totally do-able!
5. Pick workouts and exercises that make you feel good
As a new mom, there’s a pretty high chance that you’re going to notice muscle soreness, tightness or weakness as you adjust to carrying and holding your baby. You may want to try exercises that will help stretch and strengthen those areas. Walking, gentle strength training and yoga are usually safe and effective if your doctor has cleared you for exercise.
Read More:
Getting Started with Cardio When You Hate Cardio
The most important thing is that you should feel good when you’re done. The whole point of working out with a newborn is to help your body gently work through and overcome those sore or weak areas, while giving you positive physical and emotional energy to take care of yourself and baby. If you feel totally drained or hurt even more, that is not the right workout for you at this time.
Many moms benefit from doing core stabilization exercises, chest and neck stretches, upper back strength exercises, as well as hip, butt, and leg exercises. Notice how I didn’t suggest push ups? Your chest is already tight and core bracing exercises like pushups, planks, and boat pose put the wrong kind of stress on your recovering abdominals. Yay right?
So there you have it. When you’re working out with a newborn, keep these things in mind:
- Give yourself some grace – you may not be able to do as much as you want.
- Focus on what you are doing instead of what you aren’t – you’re learning how to care for your baby and yourself plus all the other demands of life. You’re rising to that challenge and should be proud of everything you do!
- Listen to your body – be aware of signs that you may be trying too much exercise too soon like decreased milk production, or excessive fatigue, hunger or thirst.
- Break up your workouts – while it may feel like you aren’t doing much at a time, remember that breaking up a workout into 10 minute bouts is just as effective as doing it all at once.
- Pick workouts and exercises that feel good – your workouts should help your body feel better and make your life even more enjoyable.
If you found this article helpful please pin or share with a mom who might appreciate it! Let me know in the comments how working out with a newborn (or an older baby or toddler) is going for you!
Bonus Workout!
I’ve put together a quick workout I did with my newborn to help my body recover, adjust to caring for a baby, and set the foundation for more exercise when I was ready. It’s got some of my favorite exercises that hit all those areas that new moms notice getting tight and needing some extra love. Enter your email below and I’ll send you the workout!
Disclaimer: Before starting any workout program, get clearance from your doctor and use common sense to reduce and avoid injury. The information shared by Jess Roe Fitness and StudyInFitness.com is for educational purposes only. By performing any fitness exercises, you are performing them at your own risk. Jess Roe Health & Fitness and StudyInFitness.com will not be responsible or liable for any injury or harm you sustain as a result of any program, online videos, or information shared on our website. Use of any of the information shared on our site does not constitute the creation of a client contract. This includes emails, videos and text. Thanks for your understanding. View my full Disclaimer here.