I know that there are tons of postpartum workout plans for moms; however, there are not many plans revolving around the ever-popular Cesarean section. One of the MOST common questions I get is: “How did you get a such defined ABS after TWO C-Section?”
I personally had TWO c-sections. The first one was not planned, I pushed for over an hour with this boy and he’s head was just way too big to fit through my canal. I did not go into active labor, I was 34 years old and have kidney disease, so I was considered a high-risk pregnancy. I went in every other day from 32 weeks through 40 to have my Amniotic Fluid checked and on my due date it was very low so they had to keep me, induce me with Pitocin. Hours later I felt contractions, WOW they hurt and got an Epi, then 12 hours later I dilated to 10cm and pushed for an hour. I was in labor for 34 hours before I started to push and he wouldn’t come out then they suggested a C-section. WOW, I wish all of that could have been avoided right?
C-sections take a toll on your pelvic floor and abdomen, and diet + exercise is the best way to bounce back. Plus, I felt better knowing that I took charge of my own healing.
At first, I started with cardio and did endless of hours running with the stroller outside. I did lose weight but the belly pooch did not get to where it is today after my 2nd C-section. In order to lose the pooch, I had to burn off body fat that I gained during pregnancy in order to be on the road to tightening things back up.
Weight lifting plus cardio did the trick and removing most of processed foods and lowering sugar is what finally worked for me.
Do not push yourself too hard and it’s always best to wait until you get cleared by the doctor which is usually around 8 weeks. After the first baby, you may want to wait till 12 weeks just to be sure but after the 2nd c-section I started walking at 4 weeks and lifting light weights at 8 weeks and I gradually increased the weights as I got stronger.
If you’re not sure what to eat, or how to start, I got you covered. I created The Eat Your Way To Fit Guide which is exactly what I followed and still follow today. This guide includes a membership into my EYWTF Mom’s group where we workout together virtually from anywhere.