Following on from my blog about the guidelines for return to running post partum, I thought I would tell my personal experience of running and having a baby. It is by no means a textbook way to return to running, but an account of how it was for me and what I have learnt along the way.
Running has always been a big part of my life – a family activity as a kid, my social life, my sense of achievement and certainly my mood booster. Reflecting back, I have probably been exercise dependent for the last twenty years.
When I found out I was pregnant, I was stoked and thought that I was going to be one of these pregnant ladies of Instagram running on the same day I gave birth. Although many women can and do this, it certainly was not the case for me. I tried very hard to enjoy pregnancy. I LOVED my bump, but as for the rest of it, I was pretty miserable (and my husband can vouch for that- it was the hormones Cole!). I also tried very hard to run throughout pregnancy, but from around four months I didn’t feel great running. I pushed through until about seven months, but I really should have stopped long before that, but stubbornness took over! I was also a bit anxious that when baby finally came I was going to get quite stressed that I couldn’t run and wondered whether this running dependency was going to impact on my feelings of motherhood.
I had a pretty straightforward birth (although I can tell you I wasn’t saying this at the time) and had a beautiful baby boy, Jake, in September 2018. I had a reasonable tear that required some stitches (maybe too much information but it is relevant to the running recovery) but overall, I recovered well.
That first month seemed to take forever, yet fly by at the same time. Running was literally not on my radar. I was pretty sore initially but was able to start some gentle walking within a couple of weeks. I then had to walk A LOT in order to get Jake to sleep. This fresh air, quiet time and often a social date was really great for me and my overall feeling of wellness. My body felt pretty good walking and suddenly a few months had gone by and I hadn’t even thought about running. People would ask me if I missed running and the truth is I actually hadn’t even thought about it and that was pretty remarkable for me. It was actually refreshing that my days no longer revolved around fitting in a training session.
I then started to do some research into running post baby. Unfortunately, those guidelines had not been published at this stage and the internet is a dangerous place to look for advice! I felt good in myself as I was no longer sore with daily activities. I didn’t seem to have any continence issues and I thought my pelvic floor was doing OK. I started to see others getting back into exercise and, as with anything baby related, it becomes very easy to compare yourself to others. As a physio I have said “everyone’s journey is different” so many times I can’t even count, but when it is related to yourself, somehow that message doesn’t get through. “Oh I am back at the gym” is just as horrible to hear as “My baby sleeps through the night”. But I began to think, maybe I will have go at running again. So when Jake was about three and a half months old I tried to run (to be honest I still am impressed with myself that I waited this long!).
That first “run” felt pretty crap. Slow, uncomfortable in my abs and a heavy feeling around my pelvic floor during and after the run. I had a couple of days off and tried again, but same feeling. I was disheartened but a few giggles from Jake and I forgot all about running again. After another couple of weeks and a break over Christmas, I tried again. This time it started to feel a bit better but still not 100% right. While I wasn’t too worried about running, it was frustrating not to feel like my old running self. It was hard to decipher what my “new normal” post baby was, or whether something was actually not right and I needed more rest or treatment.
I decided I needed some professional advice and help, so I had a couple of sessions with an AMAZING women’s health physio. I thought I was doing my pelvic floor exercises correctly, which I generally was, however, what I didn’t realise was that I held my breath for the entire time while contracting (you should continue to breathe). She taught me how to do these effectively and also advised me not to push the running, start a run / walk return to run program and add in some strength training. This again felt a bit disheartening but I also knew this was the right thing to do. I just needed to hear it from someone else!
Mum life disappears so quickly and suddenly I was more than six months post baby. Run / walking sessions were feeling really good and I was able to build it up without the heaviness feelings – hooray! I was very religious with my pelvic floor exercises (and ladies please make time for this – it is vital!) and soon everything started to click.
Where I’m at now is running three to four times per week up to a distance of 8km. I still feel pretty sluggish and a long way off how it used to feel. But I have just got back from running the Mount with a bunch of mates that I used to regularly run with, and it felt EPIC! Although I accidentally let out a little fart which didn’t go unnoticed so I still have some pelvic floor work to do haha!! I am also entered in my first run race tomorrow, a 10k at the Tauranga half and I cannot wait to get back out there again.
Although throughout this entire process, I felt like I was very very slow to return to running, I have actually been extremely lucky that I am now running again. I can’t stress enough that everyone’s pregnancy, birth, and mum journey is so different and you CANNOT COMPARE! Use the guidelines from the other blog to help make a sensible, safe return to running, seek guidance from professionals, but most importantly ENJOY your baby. There is plenty of time for the running (or other exercise) to come.
The baby journey has been such an amazing experience and as cliche as it sounds, has taught me a lot about myself and what’s important to me and my family. I think I have really learnt not to sweat the small stuff and if I don’t fit that run in, it really, really doesn’t matter. You do change in the most amazing way once becoming a mother, but you are still the same person under it all. Running has always been my thing and hopefully will continue to be a little bit of me. Where I am at now is a happy mum who runs on the side, and it feels good!