A postpartum female has a lot to manage: caring for a new baby and recovering from childbirth, not to mention gradually resuming her previous responsibilities. According to medical experts, appropriate physical activity is important for maintaining and improving a new mother’s physical and emotional health. This summer, new “Mommy and Me” classes at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA can help families get stronger together.

Before beginning to exercise after childbirth, a woman should consult her health care provider. Local obstetrician-gynecologist Meghan Murphy, DO, with Southwestern Medical Clinic says that new moms most often ask her, “When can I resume exercise?” “What can I do?” “What if it hurts?” and “How do I exercise with an infant?” If the patient has had a vaginal delivery, Dr. Murphy counsels light activity as tolerated in the first two weeks after childbirth, depending on her level of exercise before pregnancy. “I tell patients, don’t go right back to your baseline. A gradual increase with return to baseline by six weeks is reasonable. And listen to your body. If it hurts or makes your bladder upset, back off.” After a cesarean section, light activity only is recommended for the patient until the two week mark; then her physician can give further instructions based on how she is healing.

Once cleared for exercise, a postpartum female can benefit from moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity at least 150 minutes per week. (Exercising for 30 minutes, five days a week is an easy way to break this down.) These activities will raise the heart rate without overly stressing the body. Examples are:

• Brisk walking (with the new baby in a stroller or a body carrier for extra resistance training!)

• Swimming

• Dancing

• Bicycling

Studies show that exercises like these can increase a new mother’s heart health and improve her mood. Being active will also help her lose extra pounds gained during pregnancy. As stated in the government publication “Physical Guidelines for Americans,” physical activity helps women “achieve and maintain a healthy weight during the postpartum period, and when combined with caloric restriction, helps promote weight loss.”

New moms need more than weight loss tips, though: they need friends. Exercising with others can help reduce feelings of isolation or depression. Lacey Peters, Director of Health and Fitness at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, recently gave birth to her third child and wanted to help answer the question, “How do I exercise with an infant?” Starting the week of June 6th, our local YMCA will kick off new Baby-Wearing Fitness and Stroller Fitness classes. “We wanted to be able to offer exercise programs that are convenient for moms with young children,” says Lacey. “Moms can spend quality time with their little ones and also interact and build relationships with other moms.”

Whether you are a new mom or an “old mom” (like me), being active can help you cope with all the demands that children bring. Being the best parent possible depends on taking the best possible care of YOU. Please join us at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, where moms get moving together!

 

Chrissie Kaufmann is a certified fitness instructor, mother of three, and the wife of local obstetrician-gynecologist Kenneth Kaufmann, MD.