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One of the most-asked postnatal questions!
If you’ve been Googling “when can I start exercising after birth” at 2am during a feed, first of all – hello, I see you, and welcome. This is one of the questions I get asked most often at Centred Mums, and the honest answer is: it depends on you, your birth, and your body but there’s a gentle, supportive path to get you there safely.
You may have heard “wait until your 8-week check” and that’s a sensible general guideline, especially as a green light from your GP or midwife that nothing needs further investigation. But your 6-week check is a starting point for a conversation, not a starting gun for a 5k. Every postnatal body is recovering from something significant, whether that was a straightforward vaginal delivery, an assisted delivery, or a caesarean birth, and each of these comes with its own healing timeline.
However you gave birth, a huge amount of internal healing is happening that you can’t see:
Your pelvic floor has supported the weight of a full-term pregnancy and, if you had a vaginal delivery, has been significantly stretched (and possibly torn or grazed) during birth
Your abdominal muscles have separated to accommodate your growing baby and need time and the right kind of movement to reconnect
If you had a caesarean, you’re recovering from major abdominal surgery, and your scar tissue needs time to heal and regain mobility
Your ligaments and joints are still under the influence of pregnancy hormones for some time after birth, particularly if breastfeeding
This is exactly why returning to exercise isn’t about waiting for a specific week number and then leaping back into your pre-baby routine — it’s about rebuilding from the inside out.
In the very early days (week 1 onwards)
Gentle walking and simple breathing and pelvic floor reconnection exercises are usually appropriate for most women, as guided by your midwife or a postnatal specialist. This is about reconnecting, not training.
From around 6 weeks (with the go-ahead from your GP).
This is often when women can begin more structured postnatal-specific movement — think gentle abdominal and pelvic floor rehabilitation, not high-intensity workouts. A specialist postnatal Pilates class is one of the best places to start, because it’s designed specifically to rebuild deep abdominal and pelvic floor strength progressively and safely.
From 3 months onwards
For many women, this is when higher-impact activities like running CAN start to be reintroduced — but only once you’ve built a solid foundation of core and pelvic floor strength, and ideally after being assessed by a pelvic health professional. Returning to running too soon, before your pelvic floor and core can properly support the impact, is one of the most common causes of ongoing symptoms like leaking or heaviness down the line.
My honest advice is that unless you have been REALLY on top of your rehabilitation and were already really strong beforehand, three months is too early to be doing high impact exercise. I tend to think that a realistic timeframe for most people is closer to six months because then your body has had longer to heal and you have had more time to do the ground work in strengthening yourself.
Recovery isn’t linear, and it isn’t the same for everyone. Some women need longer before impact exercise feels right for their body, and that’s completely okay.
Whatever stage you’re at, these are signals that you may be doing too much, too soon:
None of these mean something is “wrong” with you – they mean your body is asking you to build your foundation a little more before adding load but they are all worth seeking support from a specialist physio to help you work correctly.
This is where Centred Mums comes in. Postnatal Pilates isn’t the same as general fitness – it’s a specific, progressive process of reconnecting to your breath, rebuilding your deep abdominals and pelvic floor, closing abdominal separation, and gradually reintroducing load in a way your body can actually handle. It’s the bridge between “cleared to exercise” and “ready for high impact” and it makes all the difference to how you feel, both now and for years to come.
You don’t have to figure this out alone, and you certainly don’t have to just accept leaking, heaviness or pain as the new normal.
Ready to start your postnatal recovery the right way?
Explore our Pilates for New Mums classes in St Albans or get in touch – we’d love to support you.
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