Today in the local newspaper, there was an article about exercise during pregnancy. I was right on board, reading along and agreeing that yes, pregnant women should get more exercise during pregnancy, and yes, recovery time after labor is probably shorter if you exercise regularly. But then one pregnant woman remarked, "I was able to start regularly exercising two weeks after delivering. My body just bounced right back."
I found this comment remarkable, seeing as how my ob/gyn practice forbids their patients from driving a car until the two week mark. I was told very explicitly that I could go on short walks at two weeks, but that's it. I wasn't even supposed to pick up anything heavier than Owen (this included my cats!) until four weeks. I can't return to anything "regular" until after I get the go-ahead - at my six week postpartum checkup. So the notion that this woman was exercising regularly at two weeks about blew my mind, and made me wonder what her ob thought.
And it's not just being given the medical go-ahead that puzzled me. It's that even if my doctor never said anything one way or the other, my body doesn't want me to be back to my regular cardio workout - and I know this because of how my body reacts to the simple act of walking up and down the stairs to our apartment. I suddenly became dizzy last week, lost my footing, and grabbed onto the handrail to keep from falling backwards. And I wasn't even carrying the baby.
I guess women should do what feels right - and if you feel that two weeks is enough recovery time, maybe it is. But I worry that people stretch their limits, showing how fast they can recover from an event that puts anything else I've ever done with my body to shame. I know that I often feel the urge to show how quickly I'm recovering, how much of my pregnancy weight I've lost, how much better I feel. But I also know that I have to listen to myself - like today, for example (which incidentally is week 5 postpartum): I went to have my teeth cleaned, and then Owen and I celebrated with a three hour nap on the couch.
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2 comments:
....I think that woman is either lying, or is on crack. You take as much time as you want....
maybe not crack, but most of these women aren't TELLING their OB's that they're excercising two weeks later
i've met quite a few women like this and seem prouder of the fact that they "look like they've never even had a kid" rather than "look at my kid! he's healthy and i'm spending as much time with him as i can instead of at the gym"
even the pediatrician's i work with (who all have kids) say they'd rather spend time with their family than work out
so whatever is right for you!
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