Pilates after giving birth
For your own practice
Draft: lightly edited from Tania's original article, for her approval.
Pilates can help you find your shape again after a baby. This is what it offers new mothers, and when to start.
Why new mothers need it
As a new mother you repeat the same movements all day: bending over, lifting, carrying, feeding. That takes a toll.
- Your abdominal muscles were stretched through pregnancy and worked hard in labour, so they need rebuilding.
- Your lower spine can over-arch easily, which causes backache.
- Leaning forward to feed tightens the neck and shoulders.
What Pilates can do
- Strengthen your abdominal wall
- Bring back the posture you need to carry and feed your baby
- Strengthen your arms for lifting and carrying
A programme that strengthens the abdominals, the pelvic floor and the muscles around them, and improves their flexibility, will build you back up and release muscle tension. The breathing work also sharpens your body awareness and helps you find your balance and posture again.
When to start
Wait at least six weeks after giving birth before you start exercising. That time lets your abdomen recover and gives you room to adjust to life with a baby. After six weeks you can begin gentle, basic work, provided you had a vaginal delivery without complications. After a caesarean, wait five to six months, and take your doctor's advice.
Check for abdominal separation first
Towards the end of pregnancy the rectus abdominis muscle often separates down the middle. This is called diastasis recti, and the muscle needs to knit back together before you start Pilates. Until it has, be careful with twisting and turning so you do not strain the healing tissue.
Before you start, ask your doctor or midwife to check the separation, or check it yourself:
- Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
- Place two fingers vertically just below your navel.
- Press your fingers in and lift your head and shoulders off the floor.
- The muscle runs vertically either side of your stomach. You will probably feel the two parts coming together. If they have rejoined, there will be no gap.
- If the gap is two fingers wide or more, you are not ready for full-range abdominal work such as roll-up or roll-over.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Please talk to your doctor or midwife before you exercise during or after pregnancy, and work with a teacher experienced in pre- and post-natal Pilates.
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