Carrying a baby for 9 months can cause physical significant strain on the body. However, often, this is replaced by other stressful problems for new mothers whether they have other children or this is their first. Trying to settle baby into a routine and try and find some semblance of a new normality can be challenging to say the least. Sleep patterns can be greatly disrupted both for parents and babies due to a variety of issues including failure to feed properly, reflux, or other problems. Some mothers may also have had to have elective or unplanned Caesarean sections which can cause much longer recovery times.
Regulating Your Sleep Patterns
Dealing with all the drama which comes alongside the wondrous pitter patter of tiny feet can be exhausting and can leave little time to fit any form of exercise into your day. However, there are lots of things that you can do to incorporate exercise into your day without even having to change your routine. It’s important when considering exercise to take small gradual steps regularly to add exercise into your routine. One of the ways you can do this is simply by getting yourself and your new baby out for regular walks. Not only will this improve your own mental state, but it will also give both of you much needed fresh air, and Vitamin D which will also help to regulate your serotonin levels and improve your sleep patterns so that your circadian rhythms are more in tune with everyone else’s thus giving you more energy.
Baby Steps
It’s important to listen to your body after you have had a baby. It takes time for your body to recover and you’ll need to ensure that your diet is healthy to give yourself the energy needed to not only care for your baby, yourself but to also improve your energy levels. So, eating a varied diet rich in nutrients is important particularly when you are still bleeding and taking gentle exercise until your body starts to recover is most important to avoid any setbacks. Having the confidence to exercise your body is going to come when you have recovered sufficiently. One of the first things which can help with body confidence is improving your pelvic floor muscles with Kegel routine. Embarking on plates or other ab work could inhibit healing and lead to a prolapse.
Joint care
The process of carrying and having a baby involves lots of hormones and relaxing which is responsible for changing the structure of the pelvis and ligaments to enable it to become more flexible. Such hormones can have an effect lasting up to around 6 months after the birth, therefore this is another reason why it’s important to take things slowly and avoid high impact exercises which may result in injury. It also depends very much on the level of exercise you did prior to becoming pregnant as to how quickly you will be able to resume and the level of exercise which will be appropriate for you.
Water babies
A great form of exercise for new mums is swimming and there are lots of mother and baby classes where you can introduce your baby to the water whilst getting some much-needed exercise and social therapy yourself.
Get strolling
Taking the baby stroller out and finding a few hills to climb is one of the best cardiovascular activities you can get. You’ll enjoy the relaxed mother and baby time and you’ll also find the road rhythm will help little one drift off whilst still getting some great fresh air and sunshine. It is no accident that Victorian nannies had strict routines about getting babies outside, it’s also great for new mums to too help ward off depression and improve sleeping. You can also use your stroller as an exercise aid to improve your gluts and ham string muscles by using it as a bench press and performing stretching exercises.
Ditch the car for short journeys
If you’re lucky enough to live near local shops, take advantage of the opportunity to pick up a daily pint of milk or a loaf of bread by deliberately forgetting some minor groceries which you can then take your pram with you to fetch. It’s a great way to meet other people and you’ll be fitting in exercise purposefully into your day in an enjoyable way.
Play away
Mother and baby bonding time is precious and often limited when mothers return to work. Playing with your baby is a great form of exercise, particularly if you lift and carry your baby during play. It can create wonderful opportunities for bonding and development. You can also use baby play as an opportunity for some yoga while you’re keeping an eye on your little one. Lie flat on your tummy, and raise your chest on your forearms whilst raising your legs towards your bottom. Do this in intervals of five and you’ll soon notice a difference in a toned tush!
Above all, when you’re looking for ways to exercise with a new baby, make it fun and it’s more likely that you’ll stick to a routine which will boost your self-esteem and spur you along!
This post was written by Louise Cairns from the blog Hard Boiled Body.
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