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What is the Best Way to Be Active After a Baby?

A new baby, a new routine, a new body. I’ve been there. Three times. I understand how overwhelming it can be. Where do you start?

It’s best to begin our postpartum fitness journey with the place most affected by pregnancy- our core! Jumping back into our pre-pregnancy activities can actually be detrimental to our body, more specifically, our pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is our innermost core muscle that acts as a sling or hammock for our internal reproductive organs. Its job is to hold the baby in, and after delivery, to hold the bladder and other reproductive organs in. As you can imagine, it endures a lot of strain during 9 months of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. That is why it is crucial to start healing and strengthening the pelvic floor with gentle deep core exercises in the postpartum phase.  Here are 3 exercises to help you get started!

First things first, how do I engage my pelvic floor?

Engage your pelvic floor by gently lifting and squeezing the muscles that stop the flow of urine. The contraction should cause your vagina and rectum to go up and back.  Apply pelvic floor engagement to the following deep core exercises.

 

TA Breath

Beeca Donatell What is the Best Way to Be Active After a Baby Author

 

The TA breath is the most foundational deep core exercise because it teaches us how to connect our breath with our deep core -which is no easy task after baby!

Instructions:

 

  1. Begin by lying on your back with your feet flat on the floor.
  2. As you inhale, fill your lungs without letting your ribs flare, relaxing your pelvic floor.
  3. On the exhale, or the effort of the exercise, audibly “shhh” your way out, lifting your pelvic floor, performing a small pelvic tilt, pulling your navel to your spine, drawing your transverse abdominis in and around your core.
  4. Practice this breath for 30 seconds.

Pelvic Floor Engagement + Transverse Abdominis Engagement = Deep Core Engagement. Repeat these breaths for 30 seconds. 

 

 Side-lying Ball Push

 

Beeca Donatell What is the Best Way to Be Active After a Baby Author

 

Side-lying ball push is a great exercise to help us connect our breath with our deep core engagement. Any small ball will work for this exercise.

 

Instructions:

 

  1. Begin by lying on your side, one hand on the ball in front of you.
  2. Inhale, relax the pelvic floor.
  3. Audibly exhale with a “shhh” and engage your deep core while simultaneously pushing the ball to the floor. 
  4. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds with proper engagement.

 

Alternating TA March

 

Beeca Donatell What is the Best Way to Be Active After a Baby Author

 

Instructions:
  1. Begin on your back with your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Inhale, relax the pelvic floor.
  3. On the audible exhale, or the effort, engage your deep core lifting one foot a few inches off the ground, in a marching position, keeping your knee bent, and slowly lower down.
  4. Repeat using your breath with the other leg.
  5. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds with proper engagement.

 

Don’t Miss Out on This…

Do you want to learn more deep core exercises to help with postpartum recovery? Then head over to beccadonatellfitness.com and check out my complete postpartum fitness guide.

 

Have any postpartum fitness questions for our fitness expert, Becca? Drop your questions below!

 

Becca Donatell Guest Author Joovy Magazine

Becca Donatell

https://beccadonatellfitness.com/

I am a certified pre and postnatal fitness specialist with three babies of my own. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum when it comes to pregnancy and exercise, so I know just how important movement is for a positive pregnancy and postpartum experience.

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33 thoughts on “What is the Best Way to Be Active After a Baby?”

  1. Love Becca’s advice and guides for pre and post natal fitness! She has great advice for all those seeking advice during these seasons of life!

  2. This article is an informative and helpful article that doesn’t get talked about enough! Helpful place to start in the pre and postpartum journey!

  3. Becca is super helpful when it comes to fitness after baby. I follow her on Instagram too and she shares tons of videos where she explains certain exercises 😀 @beccadonatell

  4. Becca is super helpful in where to start your fitness journey after baby. I follow her Instagram @beccadonatell as well and she posts great videos explain certain exercises.

  5. Love Becca’s tips and fitness motivation! I look forward to seeing her posts every day. I’m 19 weeks pregnant and the Joovy jogging stroller is one thing I’m really looking forward to treating myself to. I had just gotten my running miles up pre pregnancy and am looking forward to getting back into it.

  6. Excellent advice for post partum moms! The photos and detailed explanations make it easy to follow along.

  7. This is a really great article. I had my baby 8 months ago via c section and recover was hard. I’m just getting back into working out and this is super helpful!

  8. I love these tips! I am due with my last baby in June and excited to get moving and regaining my core strength afterwards.

  9. Thank you Becca for writing out these three moves step by step to help us mamas with our pelvic floor after having our baby. This is the perfect way to start to begin to get back into fitness after giving birth. I’d love to follow her program after having my baby!!

  10. My daughter is already going to be 3 and I still have that mom belly. Definitely going to keep these work outs in mind.

  11. This is all great advice!! I’m excited to start feeling like myself again!! Looking forward to your videos!

  12. Great advice! Thank you for the inspiration to return to fitness after my pregnancy journey!

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