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physical health is important after having a baby but healing is more important. make sure to heal before trying to over do it and when cleared by a doctor.

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Exercise after pregnancy: How to get started

Exercise after pregnancy can help you feel your best. Consider the benefits of exercise after pregnancy, plus ways to stay motivated.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Exercise after pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Follow these tips to safely get started.

Benefits of exercise after pregnancy

Regular exercise after pregnancy can:

Promote weight loss, particularly when combined with reduced calorie intake

Improve your cardiovascular fitness

Strengthen and tone abdominal muscles

Boost your energy level

Staying physically active can also help:

Relieve stress

Promote better sleep

Reduce symptoms of postpartum depression

Better yet, including physical activity in your daily routine helps you set a positive example for your child now and in the years to come.

Exercise and breastfeeding

Moderate exercise isn't thought to affect breast milk quantity or quality, or your baby's growth. If you're breastfeeding, it's important to stay hydrated. Keep a water bottle handy during your workout, and drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.

Some research suggests that high-intensity exercise might cause lactic acid to accumulate in breast milk and produce a sour taste a baby might not like, but this is likely rare.

If vigorous exercise is a priority during the first few months of breastfeeding, consider feeding your baby before your workout or pumping before your workout and feeding your baby the pumped breast milk afterward. Alternatively, exercise first and then take a shower, express a few milliliters of breast milk and, after a half-hour or an hour, offer the breast.

When to start

If you had an uncomplicated pregnancy and vaginal delivery, it's generally safe to begin exercising a few days after giving birth or as soon as you feel ready. If you had a C-section, extensive vaginal repair or a complicated birth, talk to your health care provider about when to start an exercise program.

Physical activity goals

For most healthy women, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity - preferably spread throughout the week - after pregnancy. Consider these guidelines:

Take time to warm up and cool down.

Begin slowly and increase your pace gradually.

Drink plenty of fluids.

Wear a supportive bra, and wear nursing pads if you're breastfeeding in case your breasts leak.

Stop exercising if you feel pain.

Activities to try

Start with something low impact and simple - such as a daily walk. If you're looking for camaraderie, see if you can find a postpartum exercise class at a local gym or community center.

With your health care provider's OK, also consider these specific exercises:

Pelvic tilt. Try the pelvic tilt a few times a day to strengthen your abdominal muscles. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent. Flatten your back against the floor by tightening your abdominal muscles and bending your pelvis up slightly. Hold for up to 10 seconds. Repeat five times and work up to 10 to 20 repetitions.

Kegel exercise. Use this exercise to tone your pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. When practiced regularly, Kegel exercises can help reduce urinary and anal incontinence. Contract your pelvic floor muscles, as if you're attempting to stop urinating midstream. Hold for up to 10 seconds and release, relaxing for 10 seconds between contractions. Aim for at least three sets of 10 repetitions a day. Avoid Kegel exercises when urinating.

Happy baby yoga pose. Your pelvic muscles can tighten and become painful after childbirth. This yoga pose can help relax and gently stretch your muscles to relieve pain. Lie on your back and bring your knees toward your chest. Open your knees slightly wider than your hips. Keeping your arms on the inside of your knees, use your hands to hold onto the outside of your feet or ankles. Bend your knees so that the bottoms of your feet face upward and gently pull your feet downward to lower your knees toward the surface. Focus on relaxing your pelvic muscles as you work toward holding this pose for about 90 seconds.

Overcoming barriers

When you're caring for a newborn, finding time for exercise can be challenging. Hormonal changes can make you emotional and some days you might feel too tired for a full workout. But don't give up. Seek the support of your partner, family and friends. Schedule time for physical activity. Exercise with a friend to stay motivated. Include your baby, either in a stroller while you walk or lying next to you on the floor while you do abdominal exercises.

Exercise after pregnancy might not be easy - but it can do wonders for your well-being, and give you the energy you need to care for your newborn.

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Exercise after pregnancy can help you feel your best. Consider the benefits of exercise after pregnancy, plus ways to stay motivated. By Mayo Clinic Staff Exercise after pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Follow these tips to safely get started.

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there are 3 million us cases a year of postpartum depression a year and there are may was to treat it like therapy medicine or even at home treatments

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Postpartum Depression Explained: Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Treatment | Mass General Brigham

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going back to work can be hard and for some people they can stay home but for others they have to go back, so going on peoples blogs may help not to feel guilty.

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If you’re entering the world of working motherhood, start here with some of our favorite resources and links full of inspiration and advice.

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alot of people struggle with going out without a baby or even just going out so make it a mission to have date nights and go out without the kids and make time for you and your partner and friends

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TRIGGER WARNING: TORN EVERYTHING!

In her first book,

Laura's life has changed a great deal since she wrote Publishers Weekly

-Placenta pills, mom brain, and vibrator manifestation
-Nipple-twisting orgies and flinging a butt burrito in your doctor's face
-ADHD, autism, postpartum depression, and the wisdom of a ninety-eight-year-old sage named Anne
-Unsolicited dick, sexual assault, and sister-drugging
-Cheating, fights, and forgiveness
-Choosing love over fear and healing the world

Laura does not hold back when it comes to sharing stories of screw-ups, triumphs, and learning from her mistakes. Whether she's crying into a diaper in a Whole Foods parking lot or desperately soliciting advice from a random elderly stranger (who has most certainly considered a restraining order), Laura is able to laugh at herself even during her worst moments-more importantly, she makes us laugh, cry, and feel less alone in the world.

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Idiots: Marriage, Motherhood, Milk & Mistakes

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Amazon.com: Idiots: Marriage, Motherhood, Milk & Mistakes (Audible Audio Edition): Laura Clery, Laura Clery, Simon & Schuster Audio: Books

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things will be hard for a long time you are new to this and having a kid is hard we don't know everything as humans and so it takes time to figure it out and you are always learning

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It can be easy for me to forget that the way infant specialist Magda Gerber taught me to engage with babies isn't the norm. This is especially true now that my own children are well past the infant/toddler years. The only parents of young ones I regularly spend time with are in my weekly parent-child classes, where we're in our own little insulated parenting bubble.

But during a recent weekend trip for one of my son's soccer tournaments, I had several reminders of the unusualness of my approach...
Weird parenting experience #1: The Baby Across the Room
I was sitting down for a postgame lunch in a coffee shop with my husband and son when I noticed the baby gazing at me from her highchair several feet away. She seemed around 10 or 11 months old. We locked eyes, and I smiled. She continued to hold my gaze, which is one of many reasons I'm appreciative of very young children. If you're open, willing, and not pushy, they are not at all shy about connecting soul to soul with you.

Suddenly a hand was waving in front of the baby's face. It belonged to a woman sitting next to her with her back to me. She must have thought the baby was staring off into space and was trying to get her attention. "Hey, we're connecting over here!" I exclaimed good-naturedly. The woman, who appeared to be baby's grandmother, briefly smiled my way and then continued engaging her grandbaby. She waved, clapped her hands, vocalized excitedly and made crackly noises for the baby with an empty potato chip bag.

Now before readers accuse me of being critical or judgmental of this lovely grandma, I assure you that I am neither. I consider her behavior harmless, well-intentioned and normal, which is my point: the incident made me realize how weird I've become. The grandma's actions were all things I might have done - have done - in the past. I remember believing that the only way to connect with a baby was to work very, very hard at it. I thought I needed to attract interest by creating motion, making sound effects and speaking in a loud, animated, gushy voice. Before RIE, my instinct was to entertain my infant nonstop. I believed that was my job.

And I still don't see anything wrong with these kind-hearted gestures except, perhaps, that they waste our precious parenting energy when genuine eye contact and a simple "hello" would suffice.

The baby in the restaurant once again confirmed this for me as my husband, son and I were leaving. We'd forgotten all about her by that point, but as I opened the restaurant door, I happened to glance back in her direction. I was stunned to see her looking at me from across the restaurant, at least 100 feet away, and my family and I were tickled by the opportunity to say a gentle goodbye.
Weird parenting experience #2: It's Okay if Kids Don't Share
The next day a friend, RIE-inspired mom and blogger Suchada Eickemeyer, who lives near the area we were visiting, brought her three children (ages 5, 3 and 1) to watch our son's late morning game. Suchada had brought them to one of my son's games previously, and I was again impressed by their attentiveness and cooperative behavior. But what really struck me was the exchange they had as we were leaving.

L, the oldest, was eating from a small bag of cookies, and his 3-year-old brother O wanted one, too. When he mentioned this to Suchada, she calmly replied, "you'll need to ask L." Apparently, O had already finished a bag of his own, but I didn't know this, because Suchada hadn't felt the need to remind him ("You ate all yours already") as a "normal" parent might have. Nor did Suchada implore L to please share just one with his brother, which would imply that his mom thought he really should. Instead, she had complete faith in the boys to work this out, and so they did.

L said "no", and while I held my breath in anticipation of a blow-up, remarkably, there was none. O seemed oddly accepting, and then after his mom assured him, "we have more at home," he jovially exclaimed, "there's more at home!"

Weird? I thought so.
W eird parenting experience #3: The Relaxing Lunch With Three Kids Under 6
The day got even weirder. There were a couple of hours until the next game and Suchada wanted to attend it with her children if they weren't too tired. The little ones had been snacking, but Suchada and I wanted lunch, so she kindly invited me to join them.

I'm going to be honest. As much as I love children and wanted to spend more time with Suchada, the thought of sitting in a café with three kids under 6 did not sound pleasant. While my son and husband generally stay on the fields and watch other teams' games, I adore my alone time...and a quiet lunch by myself sounded really nice. But I also didn't want to be rude, so I decided to go for it. Boy, was I surprised.

First of all, it took us at least twenty minutes to find a place to eat, yet Suchada's three strapped-in children waited patiently. I assume that is because they are used to having their feelings heard, accepted, understood. In all that time, I think there was one brief groan, and that was acknowledged and understood as well.
Weird parenting experience #4: Puzzled Expressions
We finally found a very casual Mediterranean café and had the most delightful and relaxing (yes, relaxing) lunch with Suchada's amazingly mature, secure, well-behaved children. There were no tech devices at the table, and our enjoyment of each other seemed mutual. I was reminded of similar experiences with my own children, though it's hard to compare, since mine are not nearly so close in age. Truly, I'm still pinching myself over the weird wonderfulness of that lunch!

We arrived at the field early for my son's second game and Suchada's sons wanted to go the porto-potties, which were a great distance away. Suchada asked if she could leave her 1- year-old daughter with me. I was thrilled, especially after our time shared in the café. Suchada let S know what was happening, and S remained seated in her stroller next to my chair several feet from the field's sideline. We hung out for a while, just "being" together, both of us comfortable. There was no need to engage. My son's game hadn't started yet. There were other teams playing on the field and plenty of spectators seated along the sideline in front of us.

Then I noticed S squirming, so I asked if she wanted to get out of her stroller and helped her unbuckle it. She climbed out, stood facing the field for a bit and then slowly toddled towards it. I followed her, and as she approached the sideline, I said to her, "That's a little too close to the field. I'm going to pick you up now." As I picked S up I noticed the line of faces turned toward me. Suddenly stepping outside of myself, I realized, "Yes, that was weird. Why not just swoop the baby up?"

Again, I'm not criticizing. When I first heard a parenting teacher speaking to babies in a polite, dignified manner, I found it very strange. When I tried doing that myself with my baby, it felt weird for a long time. Now it seems weirdly normal.

And you'll know you're definitely a weird parent if, like me, you look forward to the day when "weird" is the new "normal".
You'll find the complete scoop in Elevating Child Care: A Guide to Respectful Parenting And finally! I've created the No Bad Kids Master Course to give you all the tools and perspective you need to not only understand and respond effectively to your children's behavior but also build positive, respectful, relationships with them for life! Check out all the details at nobadkidscourse.com. ♥
***

(Photo by Hebe Aguilera on Flickr)

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Respectful Parenting - It's Weird, But It Works - Janet Lansbury

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It can be easy for me to forget that the way infant specialist Magda Gerber taught me to engage with babies isn't the norm. This is especially true now that my own children are well past the infant/toddler years. The only parents of young ones I regularly spend time with are in my weekly parent-child ...