Postpartum Recovery Workouts: A Gentle Guide for New Mothers

Let’s be honest. After having a baby, the idea of “working out” can feel… well, laughable. Your body has just done this monumental thing, and now you’re navigating sleep deprivation, a new identity, and a body that feels both familiar and utterly foreign. The pressure to “bounce back” is everywhere, but that phrase? Honestly, we could do without it.

Real postpartum recovery isn’t about snapping back to some old version of you. It’s about rebuilding—gently, wisely, and with immense respect for what you’ve been through. Think of it less like a race and more like carefully tending to a garden after a major storm. The soil needs care before you can plant new seeds. That’s what these workouts are for.

First Things First: The Non-Negotiables

Before we dive into a single exercise, you’ve gotta get the green light. And I don’t just mean from your Instagram feed. Your body has been through a major medical event, whether you had a vaginal delivery or a C-section. So, rule number one: get clearance from your doctor or midwife. Usually, that’s around the 6-week mark, but it can vary wildly. Listen to them, not the internet.

And here’s another big one: check for diastasis recti. That’s the separation of your abdominal muscles, and it’s incredibly common. Doing the wrong core work can make it worse. You can do a simple self-check or, better yet, have a pelvic floor physiotherapist assess you. This is a game-changer, truly.

The Foundation: Breath and Pelvic Floor

Your first “workout” doesn’t look like a workout at all. It’s breathing. Seriously. Diaphragmatic breathing is the cornerstone of everything. It helps reconnect your brain to your deep core and pelvic floor—those muscles that have been stretched and stressed for nine months.

How to Start (Like, Today)

Lie on your back with knees bent, or sit comfortably. Place your hands on your lower ribs. Inhale deeply through your nose, letting your belly and ribs expand. Feel your pelvic floor relax and descend. Exhale slowly through your mouth, as if blowing out a candle, and gently draw your lower abdominals in, feeling your pelvic floor lift. That’s it. Do this for 5 minutes a day. It’s rehab. It’s stress relief. It’s your new baseline.

Your First Phase: The “Rebuild” Weeks (Weeks 6-12ish)

Okay, you’ve got clearance. The urge might be to jump into planks or jogging, but pump the brakes. This phase is about re-establishing connection and stability. We’re focusing on low-impact, functional movements. A typical 15-20 minute session might include:

Heel Slides: Lying on your back, knees bent. Inhale to prepare, exhale as you slowly slide one heel away from you, keeping your core engaged and your back flat. Inhale to slide it back. This re-teaches control.
Gentle Bridging: Again on your back. Inhale, then exhale to tilt your pelvis and lift your hips just a few inches. Focus on the connection, not the height.
Wall Sits: Great for rebuilding leg strength without impact. Hold for 20-30 seconds.
Seated Posture Work: Simply sitting tall on a stability ball and doing gentle pelvic tilts engages everything while you’re, you know, possibly feeding a baby.

Building Up: The “Re-Energize” Phase (3-6 Months+)

As you feel stronger—and I mean genuinely stronger, not just “I slept three hours in a row” stronger—you can gradually add more. This is where many moms find a rhythm. The key is still low-impact but with more intention. Think: walking, postnatal yoga, swimming, or specific postpartum strength training routines.

Movement	Why It’s Great	A Quick Tip
Walking	Boosts mood, gentle cardio, can do with baby.	Start with 10 mins. Focus on posture—stand tall, don’t hunch over the stroller.
Postnatal Yoga	Improves flexibility, breathwork, and mindfulness.	Look for instructors specifically certified in postnatal practice.
Resistance Band Work	Rebuilds strength safely, targets glutes & back.	Anchor it under your feet for rows, or above knees for clamshells.

During this time, you might start integrating compound movements, like a bodyweight squat with proper form. But here’s the deal: always prioritize form over reps. If you feel any pressure in your pelvic floor (like a bearing-down sensation or leaking), that’s your body’s stop sign. Regress the movement.

Listen to Your Body’s Signals (Not Society’s Noise)

This is the most important part of your postpartum fitness journey. Your body will give you feedback. Some days, a brisk walk feels amazing. Other days, those foundational breathing exercises are the major win. And that’s perfectly okay. Fatigue, hormone shifts, and the demands of caring for a newborn mean your capacity will fluctuate. That’s not failure; it’s reality.

Red flags? Pay attention. Sharp pain, increased bleeding (beyond your normal postpartum lochia), feelings of heaviness or pressure in the pelvis—these mean stop and consult your healthcare provider.

The Mental Shift: Movement as Nourishment

Ultimately, the goal of postpartum recovery workouts isn’t to fit into pre-pregnancy jeans. It’s to feel capable in your new skin. To carry your growing baby without back pain. To have the stamina for the marathon days. To reclaim a sense of agency over this vessel that created life.

So maybe you reframe it. Don’t call it a workout. Call it “connection time.” Or “strength-building.” Or even “the five minutes I breathed for me.” The path isn’t linear. There will be setbacks—a fussy baby, a sick day, a week where you just can’t. That’s all part of it. The real recovery is in the returning, gently, again and again, to the simple, powerful act of caring for the woman who’s doing the caring.