Postpartum Recovery: How To Move GENTLY (and Why It Matters)

Fitness, Postpartum

I’m excited to share my early postpartum recovery journey with you. I’m currently three days postpartum with my fourth baby, and today I want to guide you through some gentle movements and breathing exercises that have been helping me reconnect with my core and pelvic floor.

Why Gentle Movement Matters

The first few days postpartum are crucial for healing and rest is paramount. During these initial days, I focus on staying in bed and prioritizing recovery. After about five days, I begin to move around the house more, and by around ten days postpartum, I start integrating short walks and gentle core exercises. It’s important to remember that four to six weeks is a long time to do nothing, but it’s also too short to rush back into intense workouts. This period is about reconnecting and easing into movement gently.

In the early postpartum, we can focus on gentle breathing, gentle core exercises, and mobility movements to help with initial postpartum healing. Here are some movements you can try in the early postpartum:

Diaphragmatic Breathing: Reconnect with your core and pelvic floor.
Thoracic Mobility: Movement in the thoracic back helps alleviate pain/stiffness from laying in bed or sitting, as well as frequent nursing sessions.
Side Body and Rotational Movement: Finding lateral and rotational movement helps unstick the ribs and the back.
Hip flexibility: Gentle stretching for the hips that may get stiff from sitting.

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If you want more of a guide to help you with that gentle movement in the early postpartum, definitely check out our free early postpartum recovery course. It’s a four-week program and very easy to follow. It focuses on breathing, mobility, gentle core exercises, and just a general guide to help you figure out how to even begin the process of movement again in the postpartum phase.

Postpartum Gentle Movement Routine

Let’s dive into each of the movements you can do during your early recovery.

Diaphragmatic Breathing:

1. Reclined Breathing

To start reconnecting with my core and pelvic floor, I begin with some deep breathing exercises. I lay back on my pillows or flat on my bed, focusing on feeling my back push into the bed and my rib cage expand out to the sides. This gentle breathing helps expand the back area and relieves any tightness.

How-To:

Find a comfortable reclined position.
Breathe in deeply, feeling your back expand and your ribs move outward.
Exhale gently, allowing your body to relax.
Do about 10 breaths, focusing on expanding your back area rather than pushing your belly out.

2. Engaging the Core

After some deep breaths, I engage my core at about 30% intensity. Inhale deeply, then exhale while gently lifting up the pelvic floor.

Gentle Mobility Movements:

1. Rounded Back Breathing

I then move into a more rounded position using a pillow for support. This position helps release tightness in the back and improves mobility.

How-To:

Sit or kneel with a pillow in front of you.
Round your back over the pillow and focus on breathing into the back body.
Take 10 breaths, feeling your back expand and release tension.

2. Thoracic Mobility

Next, I work on thoracic mobility to alleviate stiffness from sitting and nursing. I move between arching and rounding my back in a kneeling position.

How-To:

Start in a kneeling position or tabletop position.
Alternate between arching your back and rounding it.
Incorporate side-bending and rotational movements for a full range of motion.

3. Hip Mobility

Since sitting in bed can make my hips stiff, I incorporate gentle hip movements. A simple figure-four stretch helps open up the hips without being too intense.

How-To:

Lie on your back and place one ankle on the opposite knee.
Gently lift your foot and feel a stretch in your glutes.
Twist your lower back slightly if comfortable, and switch sides.

Here is an example of some gentle breathing and mobility exercises you can do shortly after birth–it is important to note that all of our postpartum healing will vary, so it’s okay if you don’t feel ready yet!

If you want to try a gentle yoga flow designed to ease you into postpartum recovery, check out the video below! Led by physical therapist and yoga instructor Casey Backus, this session focuses on reconnecting with your body through mindful breath and movement. Suitable for both early and months-long postpartum stages, this video aims to alleviate discomfort and regain connection to your core and pelvic floor.

If you want to return to fitness after birth, our postpartum fitness programs can be a great option for you! We have trained hundreds of postpartum athletes to reconnect with their core as they return to functional movement and sport!

Our postpartum fitness programs are offered in two main formats:

Teambuildr App: list of exercises with short demo videos. This is a great option for those who want to workout in a gym or home gym setting and refer to workout at their own page.
On-Demand Videos: these workouts are delivered as full length workout videos that you follow as you workout as the same time. We have a fitness and yoga variation!

You can return to fitness and feel stronger than pre-pregnancy with our programs!