How Long After Cesarean Can I Exercise (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Eight Weeks

Cesarean delivery is a process in which a baby is delivered. In some places as Caesarean delivery is the delivery of one or multiple babies by making an incision in the abdomen area of the mother. It is performed because, in cases of vaginal delivery, there are certain risks for the mother and the baby.

Anciently, babies were delivered through the vagina, which was very painful for the mother, and the baby also feels a lot of issues. But as modern technologies evolved and medical techniques start reaching higher points, the Cesarean procedure was started. This process is found to be very successful, and efficacy is also good.

How Long After Cesarean Can I Exercise?

Pregnancy is a nine-month process and is very special for all mothers. As the outer world prepares for the baby’s arrival, the inner organs also try to gather all their strength for the ultimate delivery process. As a result, the average duration is capped at eight hours after the woman can see and feel visible signs of the baby getting delivered. These signs are not governed by an exhaustive list of symptoms but are unique to every pregnancy.

How the pregnancy of an individual goes depends on the person itself. Some have a painful experience, while others do not get even the slightest clue of this set of internal changes. The visible differences include a slight or considerable lowering of the baby bump. In addition, the pregnant lady might feel an internal pressure that extends from the diaphragm to the abdomen, similar to the gravitational pull. This average duration is applicable from the second pregnancy onwards. The first one might take a bit longer owing to the unprepared metabolism and other related reasons.

It is not advised to exercise immediately after Cesarean surgery. Regular exercises like running can be resumed after eight to ten weeks. In contrast, intense exercises like weightlifting should only be resumed after a time gap of fifteen weeks.

Why Does It Take That Long After Cesarean To Exercise?

Cesarean delivery has been in practice for a long time, but historically, this surgical procedure resulted in the mother’s death. That’s why Cesarean delivery was only performed when the mother becomes dead near the time when the baby was to be delivered. However, modern technologies have evolved rapidly in the past few centuries, and now Cesarean delivery is performed in almost all cases of pregnancy as now mother and baby both can be saved.

There are multiple reasons why it is not recommended to go for vaginal delivery currently. The physical reasons include the elasticity of the inner walls of the passage. In the case of the first baby, the duration is longer owing to this very reason. In addition, the whole body has to come into an alert state to deliver the baby finally. Since the reproductive organs have no prior experience of such a process, the signals take a longer time and can be excruciating as well lengthy. However, in many villages, vaginal delivery is still preferred over Cesarean delivery.

It takes that long after a Cesarean to exercise because the body suffers a lot in the Cesarean delivery. This will be very painful for the mother, and the stitches after the Cesarean delivery might start opening up. Therefore, eight weeks wait is recommended in these cases. A mother can make an exercise routine after consulting with a medical expert and then can resume exercises.

Conclusion

Finally, it can be concluded that Cesarean delivery is a surgical process performed to deliver a baby. Staying abreast with authentic information is essential for pregnant women and the caretakers, be it the immediate family or the husband. The duration of delivery of a baby depends on whether the baby is delivered vaginally or by Cesarean surgery.

On average, a woman should only exercise after a time gap of eight weeks after the cesarean delivery. This surgery can be painful, but anesthesia is applied, which reduces the pain many folds. Still, the patient is recommended a thorough examination in case of any abnormal signs or even the normal ones which persist for a seemingly longer duration after the delivery.

References

1. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18977/revisions/w18977.rev1.pdf
2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1043659609358780