Postpartum exercise: how to start gently and safely

Moving again after birth can feel good, and it can also feel strange, because your body is not quite the one you had before. Check with your OB or midwife before you start, and ask them what kind of exercise suits you. This page is general guidance, not medical advice. Once you are cleared, postpartum yoga at home is one gentle way back in.

Get cleared first

Your OB or midwife knows how your birth went, whether you had a tear, stitches or a caesarean, and how your recovery is going. That is why their clearance comes before any exercise, however gentle it looks. At your postpartum check-up, it helps to ask:

• Am I cleared for exercise, and what kind?
• Is there anything about my birth that changes what I should do?
• Should I see a women’s health (pelvic floor) physiotherapist?

If you are unsure what they said, call and ask again. It is a fair question.

Before clearance

You do not have to do nothing, but you do not have to do much. Many new mothers are advised that these are enough for now:

• Rest, lying down when you can.
• Slow breathing, lying on your side or propped up, letting the ribs widen as you breathe in.
• Short, easy walks around your home or building, if you feel up to them.
• Careful everyday movement: rolling to your side to get out of bed, and lifting as little as you can.

After clearance: start small

Once you are cleared, the kindest approach is gradual.

• Start short. A few gentle minutes is a real start. You can add more later.
• Start low. Floor-based movement, supported shapes and walking tend to be easier than anything fast, heavy or jumping.
• Build slowly. Add a little at a time, and only when the last step felt comfortable that day and the next.
• Keep your breath easy. If you cannot talk comfortably, ease off. Avoid holding your breath to push or lift.
• Leave strong ab work for later. Crunches, sit-ups and long planks are best left until a doctor or physiotherapist has checked your belly. The diastasis recti exercises page explains why.
• Expect good and bad days. Broken sleep and feeding change how much energy you have. A day of rest is part of the plan.

Gentle yoga can fit in well here. Resting shapes such as legs resting up a wall and supported child’s pose, slow cat-cow on hands and knees, and simple breath work are places many people begin. If you are wondering specifically about yoga, when to start yoga after birth goes into more detail.

Listen to these signals

Your body will tell you when something is too much. Stop, rest and contact your OB or midwife if you notice:

• Bleeding that gets heavier, turns bright red again, or starts again after it had stopped
• Pain in your belly, pelvis, back or at a scar or stitches, during or after exercise
• Leaking urine or wind when you move, cough or jump
• Heaviness or dragging in the pelvis, or a feeling that something is bulging
• Doming or bulging down the middle of your belly when you move

These are not things to push through. Many of them are common after birth, and a women’s health physiotherapist can help. But they are a sign to pause and ask, not to try harder.

When to see a professional

Seek urgent care, or contact your OB straight away, if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, pain or swelling in one calf, a fever, or heavy bleeding. Book a pelvic floor physiotherapist, or ask your OB for a referral, if leaking, heaviness or pelvic pain carries on. If your mood is low most days, or exercise feels like one more thing you are failing at, tell your doctor. The postpartum recovery guide has more on support after birth.

How postpartum lessons build gradually

I am certified in prenatal and postnatal (postpartum) yoga through Doula School International. I am not a medical professional, so I teach only once your doctor or midwife has cleared you, and I ask what they said before our first lesson. Each lesson starts where your body is that day, stays mostly on the floor, and builds only as far as feels right. The private postpartum yoga page explains how lessons at home work.