Running after a baby: what we check first
Twelve weeks is a guide, not a starting gun. What we look at before you lace up again.
A lot of women are told they can go back to running at six weeks, at their check-up. A lot of others are told nothing at all. Neither is much help.
We usually suggest waiting until around twelve weeks after birth before running, and using the time before that to get ready: walking, pelvic floor training, and strength work for the hips and tummy.
What we check
Before your first run, we check that you can walk briskly for half an hour, balance on one leg, hop and jog on the spot without leaking, heaviness or pain. We also look at the gap between the tummy muscles, and at how the pelvic floor works when you cough and jump.
If any of that is not there yet, it does not mean no running. It means a few more weeks of the right exercise, and then running.
Our return-to-running class meets on Thursday evenings. Babies in buggies are welcome to watch.
Myrto Karali