Season 4, Episode 8: How do I come back to Pilates after having a baby?

Tania Huddart: As a new mother, you repeat the same movements all day. Bending over. Lifting. Carrying. Feeding. Over and over again. That takes a toll on your body. And nobody gives you a day off to recover from it.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Teach Pilates with Confidence and Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last time, we talked about Pilates while you're pregnant. This is the last episode of the season, and it picks up where that one left off. How do I come back to Pilates after having a baby?

Before we start, a reminder. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your midwife or doctor before you exercise after giving birth.

Tania Huddart: Slowly. And with a bit of help. Your body has done an enormous amount of work. So let's talk about why Pilates helps, when to start, and one simple check to do first.

Host: Why do new mothers need Pilates in particular?

Tania Huddart: Because of what your body has been through, and what it's doing now.

Your tummy muscles were stretched all through your pregnancy. Then they worked very hard in labour. So they need rebuilding.

Your lower back can over-arch easily after a baby. And that causes backache.

And then there's feeding. You lean forward to feed your baby, many times a day. That tightens your neck and your shoulders.

And it's the same strain, over and over. Bend, lift, carry, feed. Your body adapts to whatever you do most. So if you spend your days curled forward over a baby, that's the shape your body starts to remember.

Host: So what can Pilates do about it?

Tania Huddart: It can strengthen the wall of your tummy. It can bring back the posture you need to carry and feed your baby. And it can build strength in your arms, for all that lifting and carrying.

A good programme works your tummy muscles, your pelvic floor, and the muscles around them. It makes them stronger, and more flexible. Your pelvic floor gets a turn to strengthen, and a turn to relax. That builds you back up. And it lets go of a lot of the tension you've been holding.

Remember your core, from earlier this season. Your tummy, the muscles along your spine, and your pelvic floor, working together. That's what holds you steady when you lift a car seat, or a baby who has decided to go stiff as a board.

And for the back that over-arches, this is where neutral comes back in. A flat triangle at the front of your pelvis. A small hollow under your lower back. Not a big arch.

After a baby, finding that again can take a while. Your body has spent months in a different shape. So be patient. Find neutral lying down first, where it's easy. Then take it into standing, and into feeding, and into lifting.

Host: You've mentioned breathing in nearly every episode this season.

Tania Huddart: I have. And it matters here too. The breathing in Pilates sharpens your awareness of your own body. It helps you find your balance and your posture again.

And when you breathe out, your tummy muscles draw in, gently, like a corset. That's the very first step back to tummy strength. It's the first thing you'll come back to.

And a long, slow out-breath is calming. For your body, and for your mind. On a night with very little sleep, that's worth having.

Host: So when can I start?

Tania Huddart: Not straight away. Wait at least six weeks after giving birth before you start exercising.

That time lets your tummy recover. And it gives you room to adjust to life with a baby. Which is a lot.

After six weeks, you can begin gentle, basic work. That's if you had a vaginal birth without complications.

Host: And after a caesarean?

Tania Huddart: That's different. The guidance in my article is to wait five to six months after a caesarean. And take your doctor's advice.

Everyone heals at their own pace. And a caesarean is a different recovery from a vaginal birth, so it gets its own advice.

Your doctor knows your recovery. I don't. So if their advice is different, follow theirs.

Host: Six weeks can feel like a long time, when you just want your body back.

Tania Huddart: I know. But those weeks aren't wasted. You're healing. You're getting to know your baby. You're sleeping when you can, which isn't often.

Rest is part of the work. There's no prize for coming back first. The women who come back slowly are the ones who stay.

Host: And when I do come back, what should it feel like?

Tania Huddart: Gentle. Basic. Even a bit boring, compared with what you might have done before. That's fine.

Your first classes back might look a lot like a pregnancy class. Breathing. Waking up your pelvic floor. Working on your posture. Pillows, if you need them. Then you build from there.

Everything from earlier this season still applies. Sharp or shooting pain is always a stop. Nothing past seven out of ten. And if you have to fight your body to do a movement, you're not ready for it yet.

Host: You mentioned a check.

Tania Huddart: Yes. Towards the end of pregnancy, the long muscle down the front of your tummy often separates down the middle. That's the muscle people call the six-pack. The separation is called diastasis recti.

The two sides need to knit back together before you go back to full tummy work. And until they have, be careful with twisting and turning. You don't want to strain tissue that's still healing.

Host: How do I know if mine has knitted back together?

Tania Huddart: You can ask your doctor or midwife to check it for you. Or you can check it yourself.

Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place two fingers just below your belly button, lying along the middle line of your tummy. Press your fingers in gently. Then lift your head and shoulders off the floor.

The muscle runs up and down, on either side of your tummy. You'll probably feel the two sides come together. If they've rejoined, there won't be a gap.

Host: And if there is a gap?

Tania Huddart: If the gap is two fingers wide or more, you're not ready for full-range tummy work. That's exercises like the roll-up, or the roll-over.

Please don't panic if that's you. It doesn't mean something's wrong with you. It means not yet. Healing takes the time it takes. Tell your teacher. Talk to your doctor or midwife. And let them guide what you do next.

Host: Anything else to expect in those first classes?

Tania Huddart: You might feel a little light-headed, or a bit flat, after your first few sessions. Especially with the breathing. That's not unusual. Drink a few extra glasses of water on the days you do Pilates.

You might feel tired the day after, too. That's not unusual either. Pilates is deep work. But if you feel pain, or real discomfort, tell your teacher before your next class.

And find a teacher who's experienced in pregnancy and postnatal Pilates. They'll know what to look for, and what to leave out.

Host: This is the last episode of the season. Looking back across all of it, from building a habit to coming back after a baby, what's the thread?

Tania Huddart: Listening. Your body is always telling you something. In how often you move, and how it makes you feel, in your body and in your head. Through your breath, through neutral, through the difference between honest effort and pain. In pregnancy, and after it.

Every episode has really been about the same thing. Paying attention to the body you have today. Not the one you had. Not the one you think you should have. This one.

Host: If a new mother is taking three things away from this, what should they be?

Tania Huddart: One. Wait at least six weeks before you start, and longer after a caesarean. Take your doctor's advice.

Two. Check for separation down the middle of your tummy before you go back to full tummy work. Or ask your doctor or midwife to check it for you.

Three. Start gently. You're rebuilding your centre, your posture and your strength for carrying. That's the work. It's plenty.

Host: And a question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: This week, notice how you pick up your baby. Do you bend and lift the same way every time? Where do you feel it afterwards?

Host: You'll find Tania's article, Pilates after giving birth, in the Journal at taniahuddart.com.

That's the end of this season. Thank you for listening, and for making a little time for your own body. Wherever your week takes you, that time matters. There's more to come.

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Thank you for spending this time with me. Whatever stage of life you're in, your body deserves your attention. Start where you are. Be gentle with yourself. And keep moving.