After the birth: This is how young mothers get back into sports

The most important things in brief

• Nine months of pregnancy change the statics of the body.
• In addition, the pelvic floor was forced to perform at its best - it's time to do sports. That's how it is for many young mothers.
• But how do you get back into sport after giving birth? And are most sports suitable after childbirth?
• One thing is clear: if you feel good, you can quickly get back into sport after the rehabilitation course.

For many young mothers, the postnatal course is a blessing. Not only the pelvic floor is strengthened, but also the muscles of the legs, the buttocks under the spine and the abdominal muscles are in the foreground. Many women notice that they can breathe again for sporting activities. The question is: does this make sense so soon after birth? And which sports are most suitable?

Not all sports are suitable

Let's start with those sports that recent mothers should stay away from for a while. You should stay away from martial arts such as boxing, judo and the like for a while, as bumps and shocks are counterproductive.

In almost all cases, swimming proves to be the ideal way to get back into it. You don't feel your own weight in the water and you can feel completely at ease. Every swimming movement makes sense, there is nothing to watch out for. Cycling is also quite suitable, ideally on cycle paths without car traffic and - at least at the beginning - on reasonably level routes. If your pelvic floor allows it, walking and even jogging are also good ways to get moving. Have your midwife thoroughly check whether your pelvic floor is already so wide, otherwise there is a risk of unpleasant consequences (such as a prolapsed uterus or bladder weakness).

Hiking, walking and buggy fit groups

Horse riding is recommended because it efficiently trains the pelvic floor. If you want to see long walks with the stroller as a sport, you can of course let off steam - but a small sports group would be nicer, wouldn't it? Today there are so-called buggy fit courses almost everywhere, where young mothers go jogging with other young mothers and the pram in the nearby park. A great opportunity to meet like-minded people and provide physical balance.

The so-called kanga training is also an interesting sport variant. At five months, the babies are old enough to train and dance with them in the sling – also in mother groups. This is a lot of fun and is also quite exhausting due to the weight of the child, so it is quite effective

Exercise after caesarean section: watch out

Women who have already had a caesarean section know exactly how much it takes a toll on the body. In the first few weeks after the caesarean section, absolute relaxation is the order of the day. After such an operation, the wounds have to heal and the scars have to heal. Sport is out of the question at first, until the gynecologist and the midwife cautiously signal the green light.

Women who have recently given birth to their second, third or fourth child must be more careful when exercising. Because every childbirth puts enormous strain on the pelvic floor, which can be a little damaged after two (or more) births. In many cases, however, mothers also recover more quickly after the second delivery.