Returning To Exercise After C-Section

Returning to Exercises after a C-section can be a daunting task. Most of my work involves helping mothers yet to fully heal after delivering their babies. Many were uninformed in the postpartum period and damage their core without knowing it. The ways and examples are endless!

The biggest mistake C-section mamas make is not giving their body the time to heal properly. Many women are confronted with a lack of information and guidance, and of course no specific post C-section workout protocol!

returning to exercise after c section

Rushing back to exercise after C-section increases the chances of long term repercussions on your body. I know it can be frustrating, but most new Moms will have to remind themselves to take it easy on more than one occasion. You have one chance to heal properly – so make the most of it!  

It’s much easier to prevent issues by beginning the postpartum journey on the right track, than to fix issues years later. Be cautious and don’t simply jump back into whatever you were doing pre-pregnancy, our bodies go through so much during those 9 months, surgery, and postpartum. You need to reset and progressively work back up to your favorite activities to prevent major implications on your long term recovery

C-sections are common, but they aren’t small procedures. 

To all of you wondering what your body goes through during a c-section... Here’s a great visual representation made by Natural Abundance, that shows the “What and How” behind this often unexplained MAJOR surgery. 

As you can see, the abs aren’t cut, but look how many layers of tissue they need to go through and how much repair needs to happen! 


The uterus is stitched back up, the bladder put back in place, then the connective tissue, the abdominals, and the skin stitched up too.

There are many layers of sutures and scar tissue that will form, which will need to be taken care of to recover as well as possible. Hopefully this video will help you realize how gentle and patient you need to be when resuming exercise after C-section




From birth to 8 weeks postpartum

Your job as a new Mama is to feed, cuddle, sleep, and recover. Having someone bring your baby to you at feeding time can make a world of difference in the early days/weeks.

+ When can I exercise after C-section?

Well, it all depends what you mean by “exercise after C-section”, but specific exercises based on breathing and core activation can be done almost immideately! They are extremely beneficial to your body’s recovery right after a C-section.

Core restoration begins by resetting your core to function from your diaphragm down to your pelvic floor.

+ What are the things to avoid?

Driving for at least four weeks. Having intercourse before receiving your doctor’s green light. Lifting anything heavier than your baby. Overdoing it. If you feel soreness on your scar, it is a sign that you need to slow down. Neglecting posture and inner core engagement.

+ How to breathe properly?

Your first C-section recovery exercise should be breathing properly, and by properly I mean by using your belly. It’s common for C-section mamas to be afraid to breathe using their abdomen. As a results they are very tense, keep their shoulders high and breathe trough their chest which promotes shallow breathing. Breathing using your abdomen doesn’t hurt. Instead, it will help you relax and prevent constipation.

In addition to proper daily breathing, here’s a very helpful C-section exercise to do a few times a day:

On the inhale, let the air drift in through your nose, relax and and let your belly gently expand without forcing the air in (don’t take a big breath).

On the exhale, gently activate your pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles. Lengthen your spine to prevent shortening your abdomen.

Remember to use this exercise before you do any exertion. Engage your inner core before getting out of bed or before picking up your baby. Start the exhale and then begin your movement or lift.

+ Whar about walking?

Try to stay off your feet as much as possible in the early days. Use this time to breathe, relax, and move gently. Once you feel like it, walking is a great exercise after C-section to prevent blood clots. Start with very short walks around the block and slowly increase the distance. It’s important to monitor your energy level and the way you feel.

+ How to move without pain?

Recovering properly depends on more than simply performing the right kind of exercise after C-section. Daily activities can have painful implications and anything increasing the intra-abdominal pressure can lead to strain and/or sharp pain (sitting/breastfeeding with poor posture…). So let’s look at a few ways you can avoid pain during this delicate time. Remember, this is the time to ask for, and accept help and offers from your friends and family. Every little bit helps.

Try to get into the habit of lying on your side first before slowly rolling to your back when getting into bed. Then, when getting out, roll to your side, lower the legs off the bed, and use your arm to push yourself up to seated. In short, avoid anything leading to big crunches and sit-ups – these aren’t a safe exercise after C-section because they put a lot of pressure behind the ab wall and scar – leading to pain and more damage.

+ How to sneeze / cough without pain?

Here’s a little trick for coughing, sneezing and laughing: Place your hands on each side of the scar and gently bring them closer together to promote more slack on this tight area. Don’t push our belly out. Be sure your belly goes in as your cough, sneeze of laugh.

After 8 weeks postpartum

You may have now received the green light to resume exercising by your doctor! Congratulations!

However, though you may be cleared to begin working out after C-section, the healing process is not done! From the outside, your scar might appear mostly healed, but the deeper layers are still recovering.    

+ Exercises to avoid when beginning Exercise after C-section:

  • Any type of crunches, sit-ups, leg raises, front planks
  • Any type of high impact activities such as running, jumping jacks, burpees…
  • Any type of heavily weighted exercises
  • Any type of exercise putting pressure on your pelvic floor or behind your ab midline.

+ Myth : “I Didn’t push my baby out, so my pelvic floor is fine.”

The idea that your pelvic floor muscles endured less stress because you delivered via C-section is a misconception. Pregnancy in itself exherts a tremendous amount of stress on the pelvic floor and heightens your risk of pelvic floor dysfunction. Here’s why:

• During pregnancy, your growing baby/uterus has put significant pressure on your pelvic floor muscles. The muscles and connective tissues have been stretched and are now more lax than normal. Your other pelvic organs have endured this stress as well, disrupting their normal function (bladder and rectum)

• Having a C-section affects the pelvic nerve function, leading to sensations like the feeling you need to pee all the time, and/or pain in the clitoris and labia.

• During pregnancy your center of gravity shifts and many women try to counterbalance by tucking our tailbone under the pelvis, affecting the tone of the pelvic floor muscles.

In addition to your C-section workout program (Better Body after Baby program), I highly recommend consulting with a Physiotherapist specializing in women’s health issues.

+ Returning to strength training or yoga after c-section

Returning to exercise after C-section with a strategy and care is key to heal, lose the post pregnancy belly, enhance pelvic floor functions, recover properly, and enjoy a well-functioning body. Believe me, it’s so worth it!

Though you may be anxiously awaiting the day that you can feel like yourself and start exercising as before, it’s essential to focus on your core foundation before building upon it. If you make the time to condition and re-strengthen your body properly, you will progressively be able to get back to the activities you love. Returning safely, and possibly stronger than before!

Bring your postpartum fitness journey to the next level, start your post C-section workout plan with me.

+ Stick to abdominal breathing exercises, but ramp up the difficulty

I hear you… you’re ready to learn more about a “real” postnatal workout now. You want to lose the post pregnancy belly and you may be thinking that you need something more dynamic than breathing exercises to recover, heal your diastasis recti, and flatten your tummy!

Many underestimate the importance and effectiveness of breathing and pelvic floor exercises, and the fact they appear so passive does an injustice to their stunning efficiency! They go beyond the external, acting as the catalyst to tremendous internal changes and well being improvements.

+ Re-train your body to do the things you love – start slowly and progressively

Your core and pelvic floor are not in a state to cope with high intensity, weight lifting, or traditional yoga classes right now – even though you feel you can handle it, most realize later that it was a very bad idea...

Imagine you tore a knee ligament. You wouldn’t start running right after a surgery. There would be weeks of physical therapy to prepare and it’s essentially the same here.

Consider your return to exercise after C-section as if you had been injured! We first need to focus on your pelvic floor and ab strengthening to rebuild strong foundations, then you can slowly make your way back to your favorite activities.

If you love running, a great way to start is with power walking or elliptical. This is a much more gentle form of cardiovascular exercise for you to begin with after childbirth with far less gravity pulling on your joints and organs. Session after session you can increase the duration and intensity of your post C-section exercises to get back on track progressively. Then once you feel comfortable and stronger, you can start running postpartum with a walk-run program by simply alternating intervals of power walking and running. Gently ramping up the intensity progressively is key.

Everyone heals at their own pace, but slow your horses down Mamas. 

There really is no magic date for when you should begin introducing more strenuous exercise after c section. It is important to acknowledge that you’ve just experienced a major surgery. Allow yourself time to heal and give your body the best environment in which to heal.

You body has the ability to regenerate constantly and it does this according to movement patterns and nutrition. With better habits, your body regenerates and heals in a better way.

Postpartum programs: