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Postpartum fitness classes: The benefits go beyond exercise

by Skylar Hill-Jackson & Karen Weinthal
published in Pre & Post Natal News, 2001.

The e-mail message read: Please join us in a potluck lunch celebrating our babies’ first birthdays. The second e-mail message responded: Can you believe how many of us June mommies have stuck together? Robyn and Jordana met each other, and four other pregnant women, while attending prenatal aqua fit classes. After their babies were born, the six joined yoga-with-baby and stroller fitness programs, which meant they continued to meet once or twice a week. They often went for lunch after class.

As postpartum fitness instructors we always hope the new mothers in our classes will forge bonds, maintain support systems and continue long-lasting personal connections as Robyn and Jordana did. Most communities now provide prenatal fitness programs. Many have postnatal programs as well, although these many be fewer and harder to find. At Baby & Me Pre/Postnatal Fitness we have been developing and expanding our postnatal programs over the past few years in response to increased demands from clients..

Why the increased interest in postnatal programs? There may be a spill over effect as more pregnant women are exercising through pregnancy and want to continue. We are seeing longer maternity leaves, so new moms who previously may not have bothered to take courses now have the time.

Women are also seeking connection with other mothers who are sharing the same experience. They may want to regain the camaraderie they enjoyed in prenatal fitness. Networking with other mothers can help build confidence in parenting skills. Our classes all include a discussion: an opportunity to share experience, acquire new information, debate ideas and developments in the baby field, and talk about diapers, sleep deprivation and domestic arrangements. Just as we all do in our working lives, new mothers need opportunities to communicate with others in a similar situation. Postpartum fitness classes provide an environment conducive to networking and community building.

Among all the well-known concerns a new mother has is wondering if she will ever fit into her regular clothes and get her body back! Often these new mothers seek fitness programs with a number of goals in mind: a return to pre-pregnancy weight, a rapid improvement in abdominal tone, an improved body image and increased endurance, strength and flexibility. Postpartum fitness classes provide a supportive environment that helps women feel comfortable about their different-shaped bodies. Some women are self-conscious about attending regular fitness classes. They may have extra weight, larger (possibly leaky) breasts and they may not want to be separated from their baby. They need a place where they can stop and attend to baby and breastfeed when necessary.

Regardless of their motivation, we know that all new moms benefit from the physical and social aspects of an exercise class. Childbirth professionals are aware of the potential for isolation and depression in the postpartum period and we know, anecdotally, the positive role postpartum programs play in reducing these problems. According to James F. Clapp III, a researcher in the area of pre and postnatal exercise, when women return to exercise after the birth of their baby they “report a more rapid physical and emotional recovery.... and the incidence of significant postpartum depression is also low.” Childbirth educators are also committed to helping pregnant women make connections that will benefit their clients during the challenging first few months with their new babies. Sometimes bonds are made during the seven-week childbirth education class series and sometimes during the postpartum get-together. Childbirth educators can also help clients to connect with other new mothers by providing information on suitable local mother/baby fitness programs.

The early months are an intense time for a new mother with establishing breastfeeding, getting to know her baby’s personality, sleep depravation, recovery from the birth process, fatigue, insecurity about her parenting skills, and wondering if she will ever fit into her regular clothes and will she ever get her body back!

These new mothers, seeking fitness programs that include their babies, have a number of goals in mind: a return to pre-pregnancy weight, a rapid improvement in abdominal tone, an improved body image, improved endurance, strength, flexibility, as well as, time for self, bonding with their babies, connection with other mothers who are sharing the same experience and networking with these other mothers to build self-confidence in parenting skills and to build a support system.

Women can join our classes four to six weeks post-birth and stay until the baby is crawling. Many women like to attend their six-week follow-up appointment and let their health-care providers know of their intention to begin exercise. Women who have had Caesarean births may wait longer. Whether it is the first or the fifth baby, as long as the mother feels ready, her bleeding has stopped and there are no medical reason she shouldn’t exercise, she may begin.

Different bodies need different types of exercise and in many Canadian towns and cities there are a variety of choices for new mothers offered through recreation centres, fitness clubs and yoga studios. These include low-impact aerobics, yoga, aqua fit, dance and, now, stroller fitness. Any class must allow for individual modification. Often our participants do not fully complete a workout but spend some time interacting with their babies: soothing, changing or feeding. High-impact movements, which will jar the pelvic floor, are to be avoided. New mothers are usually interested in toning the abdominals, strengthening the back and stretching, all exercises that increase physical comfort. Every exercise class we do includes the Kegel exercise to tone and strengthen the pelvic floor. We encourage all women to make this exercise part of their daily routine, especially new mothers who may be experiencing some stress incontinence.

Baby & Me Fitness postnatal classes include a 45 to 50 minute workout and a half-hour discussion. Women are encouraged to attend twice a week and each class has eight to 15 participants. Two of our programs which have proven to be extremely popular are yoga and stroller fitness. During the past year there has been an explosion of interest in postpartum yoga classes. Baby & Me Fitness introduced one Yoga with Baby class in September 1999 and by July 2000 we ran five classes per week!

Motherhood is an intense mid-body experience and new mothers feel the need to open up and connect their mind, heart and body. There is a close link between how we feel mentally and how we feel physically. Our physical state interplays with our psychological state. Through yoga, and other forms of activity that include breathing, postures and various forms of relaxation, we use the mind to calm the body and vice versa. Including the baby in yoga practice also recognizes the intense mind-body experience a newborn faces in coming into the world. When a baby opens up its little body through gentle stretches, a beautiful interaction (eye and touch contact) passes between mother and baby, forging a crucial bond. This can be especially important to those mothers who are having difficulty connecting with their baby.

The Baby & Me Fitness postpartum yoga program is designed with a three-part combination of yoga postures; those for mother alone, those for mother including the baby (modified yoga postures) and those for baby along (with mother’s help). The yoga environment is quiet and private, and the class rhythm follows from one combination to another and back again. The babies experience an ongoing connection through their mother’s touch (unless they are lulled to sleep by the calming and focused yoga energy). Performing gentle stretches on babies stimulates brain development as well as stimulating the muscles in their tiny bodies. Yoga postures and breathing awareness help new mothers to quiet the mind, focus inwardly and calm themselves. How often do we see new moms who are stressed out, nervous and anxious? Yoga works its magic slowly through a variety of stretches and postures that strengthen the body as a whole. All yoga movements strengthen back and abdominal areas. Each yoga class begins and ends with relaxation for both mother and baby. What a new mother learns and practises in yoga classes she will use in her home environment. The focused breathing and relaxation techniques help her to cope with the stresses experienced with a new baby.

Yoga is not for everyone and some women prefer a familiar low-impact fitness program designed and modified for new mothers. These classes should include the babies, too. Or, for the spring, summer and fall months, new mothers and their babies may enjoy a low-pact program of Strollerfit - cardio fit in the park. Stroller fitness is a low-impact class adapted and moved to the outdoors: fresh air, babies in tow, exercise with other mothers. Other park users are often inspired to stretch an arm or kick a leg with us! Fussy babies benefit from the constant movement, giving the mother much-needed relief and time to focus on herself and her body. In stroller fitness the emphasis is on aerobic activity (jogging or running, skipping, speed walking, moving up and down hills) as well as stretching and muscle toning. We take advantage of park paths, grassy fields, benches and picnic tables and use them as equipment for push, leg lifts and abdominal work. We have designed a route through each park and stick to it so moms who are late or get waylaid feeding or soothing can catch up. No one gets lost. We only cancel if the rain pours down.

Elizabeth Noble, in her well-respected book Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year, writes that postpartum women “can establish a lasting pattern in which exercise maintains optimum muscle strength and length, relieves nervous tension, enhances the benefits of good nutrition, and thus becomes an essential component of healthy living.”

Every new mother should have access to programs that will help her cope with the challenges of the postpartum period. And all of us have a role to play in encouraging fitness and postpartum support. There may be programs offered in your area. Check with Parks and Recreation, YM/YWCA, community centres, yoga studios, fitness clubs and independent perinatal education groups. And encourage your clients to get out and exercise!

Robyn and Jordana say they benefited from the “... excellent fitness program and the terrifically supportive social group...” and they have made lifelong friendships. Every new mother should have access to programs which will help her cope with the challenges of the postpartum period.