After a straightforward vaginal birth, the NHS says you can start gentle exercise such as walking, gentle stretches and pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel up to it. Wait until your 6 to 8 week postnatal check before anything high impact, like running or aerobics. After a caesarean or a more complicated birth, recovery takes longer, so talk to your midwife, health visitor or GP before doing anything strenuous.
That is the short answer. Below is what each stage looks like in practice, what a sensible first workout involves, whether Pilates at three weeks is a good idea, and the symptoms that mean stop and get checked.
If you are further along and want a coach for the next stage, book a class in Angel once you have been cleared.
The timeline at a glance
Every recovery is different, so treat this as a rough guide, not a deadline. How you feel and any symptoms matter more than the date.
| Stage | After an uncomplicated vaginal birth | After a caesarean |
|---|---|---|
| First days | Breathing and pelvic floor exercises can start within hours, says POGP | Breathing exercises; pelvic floor exercises once your catheter is out |
| Weeks 1 to 6 | Short walks, gentle stretches, pelvic floor and deep tummy exercises, building up slowly | Short walks; nothing heavier than your baby to lift for at least 6 weeks |
| 6 to 8 week check | Ask your GP before high-impact exercise | Ask about your wound and when to restart exercise |
| 6 to 12 weeks | Low-impact strength and fitness work | Similar, often at a slower pace |
| From about 12 weeks | Running and jumping can be considered if you pass basic readiness tests with no symptoms | The same, guided by how your wound and core feel |
The first-days and lifting advice comes from Fit for the Future, the postnatal exercise booklet from POGP, the physiotherapy network for pelvic and pregnancy health. The UK Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines say that after the 6 to 8 week check, and depending on how you feel, you can build intensity from moderate to vigorous over a minimum of 3 months. The 12-week point for running comes from Royal Berkshire NHS physiotherapy advice on returning to running, which is based on UK return-to-running guidelines and POGP.
After a vaginal birth
If your birth was straightforward, gentle movement helps. Walking with the pram is the obvious start. The NHS suggests pushing the buggy briskly with your arms bent and your back straight. Keep the first walks short and add a few minutes at a time.
Start pelvic floor exercises straight away. The NHS post-pregnancy guidance describes long squeezes held for up to 10 seconds and short, quick squeezes, building up to 10 of each at least 3 times a day. Our guide to postpartum pelvic floor exercises explains the technique.
For now, leave out sit-ups, planks, high-impact exercise, heavy lifting and straining on the toilet, all of which the NHS advises avoiding while your tummy muscles recover. If you had stitches or a tear, let comfort guide you and ask your midwife if anything feels wrong.
After a caesarean
A caesarean is major abdominal surgery. The NHS caesarean recovery page says you may not be able to exercise, drive or carry anything heavier than your baby straight away, and that this may not be for 6 weeks or so. Restart things when you feel able and they are not uncomfortable.
In the meantime, breathing exercises, pelvic floor squeezes once the catheter is out, gentle deep tummy work and short walks are usually the starting point. POGP suggests supporting your wound with your hands, a pillow or a small towel when you cough, sneeze or laugh in the early days, and avoiding things that strain it, such as vacuuming or carrying heavy bags.
What a sensible first workout looks like
Your first workout should be short, gentle and boring in the best way. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. A good first session:
- Breathing: lie on your back or side, breathe in gently, then breathe out slowly and let your ribs soften. Five slow breaths.
- Pelvic floor: 10 long squeezes and 10 quick squeezes, relaxing fully between each, as above.
- Deep tummy exercise: the NHS describes lying on your side, breathing out, and gently drawing in the lower part of your stomach like a corset while squeezing your pelvic floor. Hold for a count of 10, breathing normally, and repeat up to 10 times.
- A walk: 10 minutes at an easy pace, building up over the following weeks.
If that feels fine the next day, repeat it most days and add a little walking time. Our beginner postpartum workout plan takes you from here through the first six months.
Can you do Pilates at 3 weeks postpartum?
Gentle Pilates-style exercises at 3 weeks can be fine after an uncomplicated vaginal birth, if you feel ready. POGP notes that low-level Pilates exercises, such as stretches, can help recovery. That means breathing, pelvic floor work, gentle stretches and small movements like heel slides on your back.
A full mat or reformer class is a different matter. Many include curl-ups, planks and long holds that load the tummy muscles the NHS suggests avoiding early on. Save those for after your postnatal check and tell the instructor you have recently had a baby. After a caesarean, wait for advice from your GP or midwife.
When can you go back to classes like Lagree?
Lagree is low impact, so there is no running or jumping, but it is high intensity. Classes use slow, controlled movement and time under tension on a machine called the Megaformer, and the core works hard throughout. It’s not Pilates. It’s Lagree, and you can read the differences between Lagree and Pilates here.
A sensible route is to wait until after your 6 to 8 week check, spend several weeks on gentle strength work at home, and only then try a class, when you can walk briskly for 30 minutes and do your pelvic floor and core exercises without leaking, heaviness or pain. That fits the Chief Medical Officers’ advice to build intensity over at least 3 months. Tell your instructor how old your baby is and how you gave birth so they can suggest easier options.
Red flags: stop and get checked
Some symptoms need urgent medical help, whether or not you have been exercising. NICE postnatal care guidance lists these as needing urgent assessment:
- Sudden or very heavy vaginal bleeding, or bleeding that is persistent or getting heavier
- Leg swelling and tenderness, or shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- A persistent or severe headache
- Red, swollen breasts that last more than 24 hours
After a caesarean, the NHS also lists a wound that becomes more red, painful and swollen, or discharge of pus or foul-smelling fluid from the wound. Contact your GP or midwife straight away, call NHS 111, or call 999 in an emergency.
Other symptoms mean ease off and book an assessment with your GP or a pelvic health physiotherapist. POGP lists urinary or bowel leakage, heaviness, vaginal discomfort, pain, increased bleeding, and bulging of your tummy muscles. The NHS adds that if the gap between your stomach muscles is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth, you should contact your GP.
How you feel matters too. If you are struggling to cope or think you may be depressed, the NHS says to talk to your midwife, health visitor or GP.
FAQs
Can I exercise 2 weeks after giving birth?
Yes, gently, if your birth was straightforward and you feel up to it. Walking, gentle stretches and pelvic floor exercises are what the NHS suggests. Leave high-impact exercise until after your postnatal check.
When can I do sit-ups or planks after having a baby?
Not in the early weeks. The NHS advises avoiding sit-ups, planks and high-impact exercise while your stomach muscles recover. Build up deep tummy exercises first, then move on to the gentler moves in our postpartum core exercises guide, and ask at your postnatal check if you are unsure.
When can I go swimming after giving birth?
The NHS says to wait until 7 days after your postnatal bleeding has stopped. After a caesarean, POGP suggests you may need to wait until your six-week check.
Can I exercise while breastfeeding?
Yes. The Chief Medical Officers’ guidance for women after childbirth says you can be active while breastfeeding.
Try Lagree in Angel
When you have been cleared and feel ready for more, a Lagree class at Blood, Sweat & Tears is 45 minutes on the Megaformer: full body, low impact and high intensity, with slow, controlled movement. New clients can start with two weeks unlimited for £139, and the studio is about three minutes’ walk from Angel tube. Book your first class here.
