Postpartum exercise suggestions?

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TheLaser
TheLaser Posts: 338 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey moms! What did you do for exercise postpartum? Here are my concerns:

1. I've got a newborn AND a toddler, so I need to find an activity that I do with both since I do not have day care/babysitters.
2. I am usually a runner, but I do not want to run until the baby is at least 6 months (which is the middle of winter... so it will be later), as they say the bouncing is not good for the baby's brain development. Plus, see #3:
3. I am nursing and I do not want to jeopardize my milk supply. I had lots of issues with my first, and while I know other women do run or bouncy exercises postpartum, I am a little afraid of those.

Maybe I am missing something, but I feel like all I can do is walk (which I've been doing) and/or at home things like squats and such (which I kind of hate). Swimming would be great and I love swimming, but then... #1 -no sitter. I might give the at home stuff a try if anyone can recommend a really fun (free) online program.

Any suggestions?

Replies

  • bmchenry02
    bmchenry02 Posts: 233 Member
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    I have a food and fitness blog that has 4 weeks of at home workouts you're welcome to browse for ideas( although not dedicated to postpartum) First and foremost you'll need to eat a little more to keep your supply up! Use what you have...your own body weight and mix it up!
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    How many weeks post-partum are you?

    My baby was born in January. I generally take her with my to walk. Otherwise, at home, I do a short workout video (like 30 day shred) while she naps or is content in her jumparoo. I also go to the Y and swim. They have free drop-in babysitting, so maybe consider joining a gym that offers free babysitting with your membership.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    I didn't start exercising until my baby was 5 months old. I'm still pretty much ebf even now....almost 3 months later. For breastfeeding women you need to eat roughly 500 calories more than what Mfp gives you and some people say never to go below 1800....with exercise I eat well over that.
    As well as the baby I have a 5&6 yr old. I do home workouts sometimes and the kids like to join in, your toddler might have fun too. I love Jillian michaels videos, many can be found on YouTube for free of course.
    Just remember you have a newborn, it's ok to take it easy for a while.
  • happyjacks
    happyjacks Posts: 31 Member
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    I walked - right around 4 miles four to five days a week - started when my 7 month old was about 1 week old (I'd been walking about 3 miles daily until 36 weeks.) The one thing I wish I'd done (even while pregnant!) was strength exercises at home - basic work outs using handweights and my own bodyweight. Built up more muscle tone that would burn more calories. I had time to do them (even after baby was born) but just didn't prioritize it.

  • ambsnic17
    ambsnic17 Posts: 305 Member
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    Check out Jessica smith workout videos. They are great!!! You can pick from a huge variety and range of her workouts. They are on YouTube also. I also have a baby (3 months) and toddler (3 years). It can be difficult to exercise but it can be done. I'll be sending you a friend request as maybe we can motivate each other!!
  • TheLaser
    TheLaser Posts: 338 Member
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    Thanks for the responses! The baby is 7 weeks. I have been walking but the baby is also not a big fan of the carseat in the stroller, so I usually end up with the toddler in the stroller and the baby in a carrier. He's a big baby (now up to 12 lbs!), so I'm slow and I also worry about him getting hot in a carrier in the summer weather. I like walking because it's outside in the fresh air, but it's a bit challenging in these ways. (My Y also has some free babysitting, but I'm not ready to leave a baby this young in there.)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Just to let you know, the babysitters at the Y LOVE LOVE LOVE new babies. lol. I put mine in right after my 6 week check (baby has to be 6 weeks anyway for the babysitting) and they were all in love, lol.

    If I go walking outdoors with LO I do it in the morning before it gets too hot. Otherwise it's babysitting at the Y or a home workout. 30 day shred is only like 25 minutes or there's lots of good workouts on youtube like Fitness Blender. Or you could do dance like Zumba or Just Dance (youtube) videos with the toddler while baby sleeps or watches. I put baby in her rock n play which is elevate and she can look around and she's quite content in there watching me and my 6 year old act silly.
  • TaurianDoll
    TaurianDoll Posts: 111 Member
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    I have a 10 month old. I stopped nursing when she was about 6 months. I just ate a reasonable diet until I was done with nursing. I didn't start my postpartum weight loss journey (like going to the gym and actually eating at a deficit) until she was about 9 months old. Honestly, it took me a few months to really get a handle on life (home, work, baby, marriage - life comes at ya fast!) but once I got that under control, I was able to actually go to the gym and run again (I'm a runner too!).

    But before all of that, yeah....I just walked and worked on my core here and there with all of the safe exercises that you're allowed to do to slowly rebuild core strength.
  • TaurianDoll
    TaurianDoll Posts: 111 Member
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    TheLaser wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses! The baby is 7 weeks. I have been walking but the baby is also not a big fan of the carseat in the stroller, so I usually end up with the toddler in the stroller and the baby in a carrier. He's a big baby (now up to 12 lbs!), so I'm slow and I also worry about him getting hot in a carrier in the summer weather. I like walking because it's outside in the fresh air, but it's a bit challenging in these ways. (My Y also has some free babysitting, but I'm not ready to leave a baby this young in there.)


    With a baby that young, I wouldn't push myself too much. Walking is fine for now. I was always afraid of doing too much (dieting or exercise) and ruining my milk supply. :(
  • andylllI
    andylllI Posts: 379 Member
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    My suggestion would be to mix up your walking. Baby in carrier, toddler in a stroller and go do some hill "sprints" i.e. find a super steep hill and walk up quickly for 5-10 reps. That just makes it a bit more intense and less boring and the toddler should find it fun too. I had childcare so I left my toddler and took the baby to mom-&-baby classes (spin and barre fitness) until about 6 months postpartum and then I started back cycling and weight training a bit more (began with body weight). I personally didn't have milk supply issues as long as I kept myself hydrated and well fed. I didn't lose any weight but I was able to improve fitness until I weaned. And I agree...bouncy exercises with milk-filled breasticles is a recipe for crying.
  • Binky_Muffin
    Binky_Muffin Posts: 191 Member
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    http://onyababy.com/2014/07/keep-cool-baby-carrier/

    There are some good suggestions for keeping you and the baby cool while babywearing. I didn't do anything else other than walk for the first few months after LO was born. I exclusively pumped until LO turned 4.5 months. I really didn't worry about weight loss. I cut calories drastically when I completely weaned. It's been a few weeks now and things are looking good.

    Home workouts and walking should work for you. I'm sure you can find some workouts that would utilize the carrier. Your toddler might like having his/her own carrier to babywear a doll. You could do workouts together. :)
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    I had baby #4 on January 1st, my other kids are 2, 4, and 6. Also nursing full time. I've lost 47 pounds in the past 5 months! You can do it! I started using MFP again and working out at 4 weeks post partum, but did less intense work outs at first.

    So some thoughts... can you work out while your toddler is napping? That is what I've been doing and it's worked great for me. I work in the evenings, so I typically work out at home while 2 year old is sleeping and turn on a TV show for my 4 year old. Sometimes the baby would be sleeping near me in a swing when he was tiny, or he would sit in his swing and watch me. Other times he would be fussy and I'd put him in a carrier. I liked to do the Leslie Sansone "Walk at home" videos. They weren't a huge calorie burner, but at least I got my exercise for the day. When he was content to watch or sleeping, I did Fitness Blender work outs (free on youtube). Initially I did the low-impact Fitness blender work outs until I got in better shape and at this point I'm doing the hardest ones I can find. :) I have the younger ones on a really good routine at this point where I put the toddler down at 1:30 and baby down at 2 and then work-out for an hour. Sometimes the baby wakes up before I'm done, but he's content to play in his bouncy chair for a while.

    As far as your milk supply, mine has been perfectly fine with intense working out every day and consistently losing weight. I've been losing weight much more quickly than anticipated but my supply has been fine. I eat 300-500 calories a day extra for breastfeeding, and I eat back 50% of my exercise calories. I eat at least 1800 calories a day, usually closer to 2000. I've actually been thinking about increasing my calories because I feel like I'm losing too quickly at this point (I have 28 pounds left to lose).

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