Oh Baby! Fitness Blog

Many clients ask what exercise they should take as their first class back after having a baby. While we have many women take all different kinds of classes and participate in lots of different types of programs, I’ve found that there is a progression that most women enjoy.

Note that all the classes mentioned below are offered by Oh Baby! Fitness. If Oh Baby classes are not offered near you, look online for a similar type of class.

6-12 weeks postpartum: Focus on Ab Recovery in Mom and Baby Pilates and Mom and Baby Yoga. Starting with this class allows you to repair any abdominal distress that happened during pregnancy (ie., Diastasis Recti) or any pelvic floor trauma. This class is also great as it’s easy for moms to breastfeed during some of the exercises, or let their baby sleep on the mat next to them. For babies that are still sorting out their schedule, this class is very flexible in terms of baby involvement.

12-24 weeks postpartum: Focus on Strength Building and Weight Loss in Mom and Baby Fitness or Stroller Workout. These classes focus more on cardio work and losing pregnancy weight while building muscles needed for new moms. The baby is either in the Baby Bjorn or stroller and a little more emphasis is put on vigorous exercise for the mom.

24 weeks and beyond: Focus on Fun and New Goals in H2oh Baby and your own exercise. It can be great for new moms to involve dad in the fun with an H2oh Baby class. This class is often attended by both parents, and babies love it as well! This period is also a good time for mom to consider signing up for a race- a 5k or sprint triathlon or something similar. Training for an event is a great motivation to lose the last few pounds and also to be sure you can exercise regularly.

This is just a sample exercise program for a new mom. What did you find that worked for you? What classes do you wish were offered?

Breastfeeding can be such a challenging part of a new mom’s experience. We have many clients who work very hard to be able to breastfeed who are then scared to exercise due to the myths surrounding breastfeeding and exercise.

The good news is that studies have found that moderate-to-high intensity exercise does not impair the quality or quantity of breast milk. That’s good news!

What CAN affect breastfeeding however, is hydration. Women who exercise sometimes forget to increase their water intake and can become dehydrated. Dehydration affects the volume of milk produced—so be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise. It is recommended that you monitor your hydration status using the color of your urine- the paler, the better.

Another note- if breastfeeding, you’ll need an additional 300 to 600 calories a day. Be sure that you keep appropriate caloric intake even if exercising. We know you’ve worked hard to be breast feed, and we want to be sure that you can exercise and keep your supply up!

Moms- do you have any advice for exercising while breastfeeding? What worked for you?

There is one yoga pose that almost all pregnant women love- and for good reason. Watch the video below to learn about the cat/cow pose or pelvic tilt and back stretch.

This is a favorite among clients for good reason: the exercise gets the baby to hang away from the lower back and sciatic nerve. It also helps take the pressure off the pelvic floor and hips. We’ve had many moms say they start and end their day with a set of cat/cow in the bed and that it’s really helped with their back and pelvic floor pain.

But there are other benefits too! Cat/cow helps get the baby into the ideal vaginal birth position- head down. If you are starting to worry about baby position, add a set of cat/cow to your daily routine. Another great benefit is that cat/cow, along with being a great stretch, is also an abdominal exercise. Cat/cow actually has a little ab crunch built into to the exercise in the “cat” position.

Watch the video below and let us know if you have any questions about this great exercise!