Health and Fitness

Running Post-Baby

First, I should share that I am an avid runner. I did my first marathon at 15 and at that time, that was pretty unusual and lots of people actually discouraged me from doing it ‘so young’! Now I see lots of teens doing distance races and it makes me smile. I have loved running for years and it is truly my happy time. My running mentor back in my home town shared with me that she ran until the day she delivered all three of her boys. I thought to myself- yes! That will be me one day! I did Triathlon Team in college and even did an IronMan post college. I LOVE RUNNING! So, when 4 months into my pregnancy I had pain that made me choose to stop running, I was shocked and disappointed. I always thought I would be the kind of mom who ran the entire way through pregnancy. It made me feel like a real quitter. But, I knew the difference between ‘bad pain’ and ‘good pain’ when working out, and this didn’t feel like ‘good pain.’ It simply wasn’t worth any risk or even anxiety that I may have had feeling that pain while running. I was so sad, but tried to maintain other exercise and was so looking forward to getting back to running after little guy came. After he was born, I started my joyful count down to the 6-week postpartum appointment when I would be able to run again. I couldn’t wait!

At my 6-week post baby appointment I was cleared to resume all exercise- hooray! Just the news I was hoping for! When I got home, I laced up my sneakers and hit the road. Something was definitely not right. For starters, I felt like a stranger in my own body. It certainly didn’t feel like mine. I was also out of shape, despite my best efforts to maintain as much exercise as possible in pregnancy. Did I mention I also gained 50 pounds in pregnancy (I’m only 5’2)? Despite maintaining a very healthy diet and sensible exercise routine 6 days a week, here I was feeling like I could barely make it down the street. I was so disappointed. But beyond my disappointment discovering I was out of shape, I was shocked to learn that I really wasn’t even able to run. It felt like something was going to fall out of my body. It was extremely painful in my pelvic floor region. It was even painful to walk up a hill, in fact. So I made the hard decision to stop that run. I couldn’t believe it. Not only did I have to give up running nearly right away in pregnancy, now I couldn’t even get back to it at 6 weeks postpartum. I was feeling like a real failure. I watched college friends posting their 3-mile runs post baby and it made me feel even worse. What was wrong with me?

I wish that my 6-week postpartum appointment had focused more on pelvic floor issues or equipped me with the ability to evaluate what type of physical activity I was ready for. Had the doctor explained that my pelvic floor muscles still may be very weak, and my abs totally separated, I would have felt a lot better about making the choice to stop running. Had she told me your bladder may fall out if you don’t heal these injuries before running, I would have known what to expect. I also didn’t have any friends who shared any experiences like this with me, so I felt very confused and disappointed in my body.

It took me about 6 months to get to the point where I felt like I could run slowly and for short distances. Six months! It is so important to listen to your body, no matter what your exercise or fitness level and capabilities were prior to pregnancy. Cut yourself some slack! Pregnancy completely changes your body and it is OK to need to alter your exercise regimen when getting back to working out after baby. Now I share my experience with anyone I know who is about to have a baby (sorry in advance!) in the hopes that I can help someone else out there coping with these issues. How long did it take your body to recover post-pregnancy?