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Physical Activity Guide

Mothers of New Babies and Toddlers

Physical Activity

Build Strength

Make you muscles stronger

These activities are great for weight loss, toning muscles that were stretched when you were pregnant and during childbirth, and improving the strength you need for all the things you do when caring for you and your baby.

Do Kegel exercises DAILY

Urinary incontinence is when your body urinates (or pees) when you laugh or sneeze. It can last for several months after childbirth. Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles that affect urination as well as the outside walls of the vagina. Strong muscles mean fewer problems like peeing unexpectedly!
Photo by Eric Zeitoun

How to do Kegel exercises


Tighten the muscles around your vagina and anus for several seconds (try for 10 seconds if you can!) and then relax. These are the same muscles that you use to stop peeing! Practice this exercise by stopping yourself peeing—just to make sure that you're doing it right. Once you have the feeling and know the muscles to tighten, repeat the exercise when you're NOT peeing. Do this several times during the day, up to a total of about 25 times a day. You can do this during most activities such as when you are reading a book, watching TV, or breastfeeding your baby.

 

Protect your joints


It takes about 12 weeks for looseness in your joints and ligaments caused by pregnancy to return to normal. Breastfeeding mothers may notice that their joints seem as loose as they were during pregnancy—or maybe even looser. Ligaments may be relaxed because of some of the hormones linked to breastfeeding. In order to protect your joints as you work on building your strength, begin with muscular strengthening exercises that you can do at home with your baby. Take 3- 4 months to progress to muscular strength activities that involve free weights or weight machines. These are an efficient way to focus in on specific muscle groups.

 

  • Strengthen your legs but keep your knees bent. They are your "shock absorbers."

  • Maintain your back in neutral alignment.

  • Strengthen your stomach muscles but make sure that your stitches and abdominal wall are healed FIRST.

  • Strengthen your chest, shoulders, and back to help support your bigger breasts!

  • Avoid heavy weight lifting and weight resistance machines for the first 6 weeks and up to three months or longer if you feel your joints are loose due to breastfeeding hormones.

  • Begin with muscular strengthening exercises that you can do at home with your baby.

The drawings below are from the manual Active Living During Pregnancy: Physical Activity Guidelines for Mother and Baby, produced by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. These guidelines are for pregnant women who want to become and/or stay active during pregnancy, and mothers who want to start exercise after pregnancy. To order a copy, click here.

 

Strong stomach muscles mean fewer back problems!

If you have had a caesarian section you will have to wait until your stitches are healed and your health care professional or doctor has said it is okay to begin abdominal exercises.

Guidelines for building stronger muscles.

Click here for more information on endurance.


Click here for more information on flexibility.