Your body has just done something extraordinary through pregnancy, involving profound adaptations to nearly every system in the body - cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, hormonal, neurological. And birth - however it happens - is a significant physical event.
The process of returning to exercise is not a reset, or a race, but a gradual rebuilding of a body that has already done remarkable things. It's so important to respect this part of the journey as much as you did in the pregnancy.
The reality of early recovery
In the first few weeks after birth, rest is the priority, as your body is doing a huge amount of repair work that isn't visible from the outside. The uterus is contracting back to its pre-pregnancy size and hormone levels are shifting significantly.
If you've had a vaginal birth, perineal tissues are healing; if you've had a caesarean, you're recovering from major abdominal surgery. In both cases, internal healing takes considerably longer than the surface level would suggest.
Relaxin, the hormone responsible for softening ligaments and connective tissue during pregnancy to allow for the changes of birth, remains elevated in the body for several months after delivery - and for longer in women who are breastfeeding. This means joints are more susceptible to strain than usual, which matters when thinking about the timing and type of exercise you return to.
The six-week check and what it actually means
Most women are familiar with the postnatal check at around six weeks, and many assume it's the point at which they're cleared to return to exercise. In reality, that appointment is primarily about checking your general health and your baby's development - it isn't a detailed musculoskeletal or pelvic floor assessment and it won't tell you whether your body is ready for high-impact or strenuous activity.
Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommends a gradual return to physical activity, beginning with pelvic floor work and gentle walking from the earliest days of recovery, and progressing slowly over weeks and months.
High-impact exercise - running, jumping, heavy lifting - is generally not recommended until at least 12 weeks postpartum, and only after a proper pelvic health assessment. This isn't overly cautious - it reflects how long connective tissue, the pelvic floor, and the abdominal structures take to regain their strength and integrity.
Where to begin
The foundation of postpartum recovery is breath and pelvic floor rehabilitation, and these can begin within days of giving birth. The pelvic floor - the group of muscles that supports the bladder, bowel, and uterus - has been under significant load throughout pregnancy, and the muscles and surrounding tissues will need time and attention to restore their function.
Gentle, coordinated pelvic floor contractions, done in connection with the breath (inhale to release, exhale to gently lift and engage), are appropriate from very early on. You can start doing them lying and sitting, and don't worry if you don't feel much activation in the area in the early days - keep going, as the focus of the brain will help the muscles slowly start to engage again.
Even the smallest contraction and release promotes blood flow to the area which helps with healing, so you'll be getting benefits even before you can feel the muscles responding as you'd like them to.
When you're ready, try these pelvic floor contractions standing - as it's in this position where we need most of the pelvic support in everyday life, so it's important to build up this functional strength.
Walking is also an essential starting point with postpartum exercise. Short, manageable walks in the early weeks, extended gradually as energy and healing allow, provide cardiovascular benefit, support mood, and begin to gently load the body again without placing excessive stress on healing structures.
With a pram, it's accessible for you and the baby - which matters, because accessibility is everything at this stage. We need to just be able to get out, even if it's in our PJs after the worst night's sleep!
Returning to more structured exercise
From around eight to 12 weeks, depending on how birth went and how you're feeling, more structured movement can begin. Bodyweight exercises that restore connection to the deep core and build functional strength are a good starting point: modified squats, hip hinges, bridges, and upper body work that doesn't create excessive pressure through the abdomen.
The guide throughout is how your body responds - any heaviness, leaking, or pelvic discomfort are signals that an exercise isn't appropriate for this stage, and a pelvic health physiotherapist can be an invaluable resource here if you have access to one.
You could add some resistance gently with bands when you feel ready. You can also extend your walks and work on speed and hills to build more endurance - and don't rule out low-impact cardio at this stage (there's lots in my programme Mamawell).
You don't need to be jumping around to get your energy and heart rate up. This can be invaluable for mood, especially in the postnatal period where hormones and fatigue can be a potent combination.
Remember, this is all guidance - don’t feel like you're 'behind' if you’re not feeling ready to start any of this yet.
The non-linear reality
Postpartum recovery isn’t a straight line, but sadly the pressure to return quickly - to look or feel as you did before - is one that many new mothers absorb without realising how unhelpful it is.
Some weeks will be significantly harder than others. Sleep deprivation has a real effect on energy, motivation and the body's ability to recover from exercise. A difficult night, a growth spurt, a week of cluster feeding - all of these affect what's realistic, so please don't be hard on yourself.
On the flip-side, I meet a lot of women who go a little too hard too fast with their exercise and find themselves having to pause and go back to rehab exercises, for example by stressing the pelvic floor with too much high-impact movement. Noticing where your body is at, how it's responding and what feels right is a really important way to check progress.
It's hard to find time to exercise in those busy postnatal months. This is why having something organised for you is helpful - whether that's an online class or something in your local park. Not having to think about what you need to do - just getting your leggings on and showing up - is easiest.
Finding 20 minutes when you're navigating feeding, sleeping, and the emotional weight of new parenthood is so hard, and the answer isn't to push through exhaustion with your exercise. Try and move in a way that feels restorative as well as strengthening. If it doesn't seem realistic to fit in 30 minutes of something structured, then don't stress - a walk with the pram, a few minutes of stretching, a very short session with the baby right by you - these truly all add up.
A final thought
The goal of postpartum exercise isn't to ignore we were pregnant and 'get our body back'. It's to support healing, rebuild strength, restore energy and feel well in a body that has been through something significant. Each timeline is personal, and as we know the process is non-linear, so I think asking "what would serve me today?" is the most important check-in we can do.
