When were you able to go back to your pre-pregnancy strength again after a c-section?

[hennaz222]

I had an emergency c-section 3 weeks ago. Prior to delivery, I was working out at least 2-3x a week. I was also very active prior to being pregnant and lifted weights + did HIIT on weekdays 4-5x a week and ran on weekends. To those of you who also underwent surgery (cesarean section), how long did it take for you to go back to your pre-pregnancy strength? I’m scared of accidentally tearing my incision while running/lifting weights/doing HIIT. I feel like 6-8 weeks isn’t enough recovery time for a major surgery.

 

[earlene]

@hennaz222 I’m still pregnant but, from what I know, running (and any jumping HIIT) shouldn’t be started until 12 weeks or later - many women here wait much longer. It really depends on how you feel but you can start doing breath work exercises now to start engaging your abdominal muscles, then very slowly start with low weights once you are cleared. Pelvic floor therapy would also be really helpful in building up strength again.

 

[jasdaz]

@hennaz222 Hi OP. You definitely need more time than 6-8 weeks! Start with gentle breath work and walking. You’ll likely hurt yourself if you do more quickly! I started strength training again around 6 months and feel strong (I’m 11 months now)

 

[alyssapettey]

@hennaz222 I had a C-section in April of 2020. I didn’t really know how to properly rehabilitate myself but have always been really active. I got feeling back fairly quickly and was able to gain strength back, almost back to original core strength. I mean… things are different for sure but not bad considering. I didn’t start running and really working out like I did previously until 6 months pp, did lots of walking though up until then. I agree that 6-8 weeks isn’t enough time. I remember those first coughs, sneezes and trying to use my core and wow it was weird!!! I’m going in for another section in May so I’ll be back to square 1 it feels like. Pelvic floor and TA work will be your best friend until you start back at it again!

 

[outofplace_christian]

@hennaz222 I had a vaginal birth but am going to jump in and say that I lost a ton of core and hip strength just from pregnancy and needed to do physical therapy after I was cleared to exercise for about 8 weeks before I was physically able to get back to exercising safely. I started taking barre classes (and the strength and hiit the studio offers) at 4 months postpartum. I’m now just shy of 6 months postpartum and still have to do breathing exercises to “wake up” my abs and make modifications so I don’t hurt my back due to weak core. Very basic recovery is faster with vaginal birth, but the majority of the damage is from the pregnancy and takes a long time and a lot of work to heal.

Pre pregnancy I was pole dancing at an advanced level 3-4x a week. I was powerlifting before I started pole and got much stronger with pole than lifting, so it has been a rough transition relearning basic strength. I started PT 10 weeks postpartum, barre/strength 2x/week at 4 months pp, and pole once a week starting at 5 months pp. My preference would be more pole, but it’s hard to plan for because the studio has limited classes and is 30 minutes away. My barre studio has childcare for some of the morning classes and is 20 minutes away so it’s easier to coordinate. My upper body and leg strength is coming back much faster than core and hip strength. Even though I can feel the ab weakness whenever I exercise (especially in squats ), I’m noticing a lot of improvement with just 6-8 weeks of regular exercise post-PT. I tried to take a pole class at 7 weeks postpartum and couldn’t climb or even do body rolls.

I could go on about pp exercise, but ultimately whether you have a c section or vaginal birth, your body will be transformed by pregnancy and you should expect it to take a while to get your strength back.

 

[bymy45]

@hennaz222 No matter how baby exits your body it should be a pretty slow ramp up to get back to your prior movement levels. At the point where opening your incision is a concern, walking and deep core activation (aka gentle breathing) are all that’s on the menu! Around 3 months postpartum I started slowly adding in more running and increasing weights. My scar felt weird with impact initially but that desensitized with time. My close friend who had a fairly straightforward vaginal birth had a lot more trouble returning to running because of some minor pelvic floor stuff that just was really uncomfortable with impact, so you just never really know what could give you trouble! By 9 months postpartum I felt like myself when I moved my body and by a year postpartum I was back to baseline strength. For 13.1 months pp I ran a PR half marathon! Slow and steady truly wins the race - I could have lifted or ran more at 3 months pp but it would have been at the expense of really making sure my core was doing its job

 

[gg22]

@hennaz222 I’m 11 weeks out from mine currently. I started “light exercise” aka walking while focusing on posture and hip flexors at 4 weeks. I also started doing the peloton postnatal core exercises when I felt inspired.

I started back at my normal HIIT and barre classes at 6 weeks, but am still on remedial core work. I still can’t do a sit-up - my upper and lower abs don’t want to connect yet.

My first week back at my classes I did body weight or very light weights. It felt so pathetic! But it’s what my body needed. I’ve worked my way up since then, but am still working hard on the core work. Slow and steady is my motto! I also go on a long walk as an “exercise” once or twice a week, and that seriously kicks my butt, particularly if I focus on engaging my lower abs as I walk

 

[mygodisawesome]

@hennaz222 May not be helpful cause I didn’t have a C-section but I returned to slightly modified higher intensity stuff around 4 months. At 5 months I started running again. Nearly 6 months and aside from modifications for strength loss I am working out the same as I used to. I had mild pelvic floor and core symptoms until almost 3 months. I don’t think I’d be feeling as good as I do if I had tried to push myself to start earlier. I would very strongly recommend seeing a pelvic PT.

 

[mikesb]

@hennaz222 I don't remember exactly when, but I met/surpassed my pregregnancy strength after section sometime between 18mo/2 years pp. Stopping nursing helped, as hormones shifted, and better sleep helped a lot! (My kid needed sleep lessons I think lol).

 

[josephine_b]

@hennaz222 I would guess the 8 week recovery time is for returning to baseline movement and activity, not pre-pregnancy strength training! Try first going for short walks and then longer walks if it feels ok. I’m currently 5 weeks post CS and even walks aren’t very comfortable right now. But everybody is different.

 

[katrina2017]

@hennaz222 Yes but it took probably 9-1 year. Closer to a 1 year.