Risks and Benefits

Postnatal

Congratulations on making a great choice to be active after the birth of your little one!

No matter how active you were prior to birth, exercise should be gradually built up after birth, allowing your body time to recover. Eventually aiming for 120 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise is recommended and appropriate for most people in the postpartum period, spread across 4 or more days of the week.

It is best to include aerobic (cardiovascular) and resistance (strength) training, alongside pelvic floor training.

It is best to commence with light intensity physical activity (e.g. gentle walking) until any incisions or perineal tears have healed and vaginal bleeding does not increase with activity.

For optimal pelvic floor benefits, seek a 1:1 consultation with a pelvic floor physiotherapist.

Babes on Board exercise classes can be commenced from 6 weeks after birth.

This page relates to postnatal classes. Click here for pregnancy risks and benefits.

Benefits

Physical activity during the first year after birth is linked with

Better mental health

Likelihood of being depressed reduced by 45%. Reduced symptom severity if experiencing depression or anxiety

Reduced risk factors relating to diabetes

Improvements in body mass index and triglyceride levels. Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes by 28%

Reduced risk of urinary incontinence

Likelihood of urinary incontinence reduced by 37%

Improved aches/pains

Specifically reduced severity of lower back and pelvic pain

Improved energy

As physical activity is associated with better sleep quality and reduced fatigue

Reduce weight retention

When combined with other factors such as healthy diet

Improved health of family

By modelling engaging in regular exercise, your family is more likely to engage in regular exercise, helping reduce long term health risks for your family too.
Note that moderate daily aerobic exercise does not affect breast milk quality or quantity or growth of baby. Exercise in the first year after having a baby is also not associated with any increased risk of harm.

Risks

Inherently all exercise comes with some risks, some specific to postpartum. These risks are generally small and unlikely to occur, particularly with the pre-screening and design of Babes on Board classes, as well as with the education given to those participating. Nonetheless, they do exist.

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Heart/blood pressure events

STOP in the unlikely event you experience:
Severe chest, neck or jaw pain, persistent excessive shortness of breath, racing heart, severe persistent headache or persistent dizziness/faintness that do not resolve with rest or change of position.
Seek immediate medical attention. Tell your physiotherapist.
There is a low risk of this occurring.

Muscle/joint injury

Start with low impact exercise, build strength and use good technique
Breastfeeding prolongs some of the hormonal changes that occur post birth and may have some influence in some breastfeeding parents having greater laxity in their joints compared with pre-pregnancy. For those this occurs in, these changes can be present up to 3 months after finishing breastfeeding.
Babes on Board reduces this risk by encouraging good technique and modifications for individuals as required.

Breast discomfort

Wear a supportive and well fitting bra
Breast pain related to exercise may be experienced in up to 72% of exercising females outside of pregnancy/postpartum.
Discomforts that may be present due to change in size/shape of breasts and lactation, can also be a factor in discomfort during exercise in the pregnancy/postpartum period.

Pelvic floor dysfunction

e.g. incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. Seek a physio assessment
Post birth, regardless of mode of birth, the pelvic floor is weakened from stretching required to carry and birth baby and potentially also muscle injury (e.g. tearing or from episiotomy).
Being overweight can increase the risk of pelvic floor symptoms (BMI >30) due to the increased load through the pelvic floor.
Injury to and weakening of the pelvic floor can lead to issues with incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.
All Babes on Board Postnatal classes:
• offer low and high impact options to reduce pressure on pelvic floor when needed, so you can target your exercise for where your body is up to.
• offer modifications (if exercises are causing symptoms).
• focus on technique and encourage and practice pelvic floor activation (to reduce pressure on pelvic floor and to improve strength).
High impact exercise is not recommended until at minimum 3 months post birth.
Babes on Board Physiotherapists want to work in cooperation with your 1:1 physio, to gain the best outcomes for you. Ask your physio to email through a summary of their recommendations for you and any updates.

Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)

Ensure your energy input is meeting your output
RED-S occurs when a person does not take in enough energy to fuel the demands of exercise and daily living, which can affect menstrual function, fertility, pelvic floor function, immune system, bone and psychological health.
The demands placed on a new mum in association with poorer sleep, change in routine, often a change in nutrition and increased nutritional demands when breastfeeding and for some a feeling of pressure to return to pre-pregnancy figure/fitness can increase the likelihood of RED-S.
Remember moderate to vigorous intensity exercise (the range of intensity we aim to work in at Babes on Board) does not affect the volume or nutrition of breast milk and doesn’t impact baby’s growth

If anything has changed since your previous class – from aches/pains to new diagnoses, let your physiotherapist know (before arriving at next class if possible).

By attending Babes on Board classes, you are recognising these benefits and are aware of and agreeing to the risks of participation and agreeing to notify your physio instructor with any new changes.

If you are interested, you can read more about exercise in the postpartum period in the 2025 Canadian Guidelines for physical activity and movement postpartum and Return to running postnatal guidelines (page 12)