I
had several conversations with my doctor regarding recovery, both before and
after delivering. I wanted to know
what restrictions I would be given, how soon I could get back out there, and
what to expect so I could mentally prepare myself. I also asked other women how quickly they were able to get
back to running. They talked about
it being several weeks before they were back running. That was disheartening to hear. So I braced myself for a chunk of recovery time (that I did
not desire) before even hearing what my doctor had to say. My recovery conversations with him went
something like this...
Me: "So... how long until I can do stuff again?"
Doc: "You can go out and run 5 miles the next day if
you want. I don't think you'll feel like it, but you can. You probably won't
want to bike for a while, just because it won't feel good to sit on the seat,
but nothing is wrong with that. You have to wait at least one week for swimming
though."
Best. Doctor. Ever.
He
did expand as well. He explained
that when I started running again I would probably have an increase in
post-delivery bleeding. I had heard
that from others as well, but he said that it would even back out again
though. He also talked about how
back in the stone age days, a woman would have a baby, and then most likely
strap her other two kids on her back and go out and gather food for the
family. Women do not need to feel
so restricted afterwards! He did
say that you’re not supposed to lift more than the weight of your baby (and the
car seat of course).
I
was released from the hospital two days after having Baya, and the following
day I walked 4 miles while carrying her in an arm. It was awesome.
I felt good, really good, like so good I wanted to try running already
at that point. I appeased my
husband though, and did not.
Instead I waited until 5 days post-delivery before heading outdoors for
my first run. I didn’t know how it
would feel, after all, I struggled with running the most during pregnancy. I ran 3 miles that day. It was grand! I was already faster than I was at the end of my pregnancy
(hooray!). I’m not sure how
to describe it, but I did feel a tightness with what seemed to be my uterus,
for the first quarter mile, but that went away. There was some lingering pelvic pain, but it was bearable. I just took it at an easy pace. I loved being back at it though! I ran again
the next day, another 3 miles, and I hit my former easy pace. It had been far too long since I was a
sub-9 minute pace!
I
tested out the bike one week post-delivery. I rode for an hour.
I discovered it was too soon.
I had to sit very upright to be able to ride with minimal pain. I was left with additional discomfort
for days afterwards. I have no
regrets for trying it out, but I did need more time. I went back to running for the next two days, another 3 and
then almost 4 miles. I was a
little slower again, and hurting from the ride. The next couple of days it was cold and rainy, and I was
also running a fever, so I took them off and tried not to feel guilty about it
(I typically try to never take days completely off). I then ran four miles, and it felt great! I ran at a sub 8:30 pace, just because
I wanted to feel what it was like to go faster! I missed running, but I really missed being able to run fast. An 8:30 pace is not fast, however, it
is much faster than the 11 minute pace that I was doing at the end of my
pregnancy.
I
hopped on the bike again 13 days post-delivery. It was so much better this time! I was interrupted by Baya waking up and wanting to be fed,
so I went back and finished out the ride after her feeding. I have my bike set up on a trainer down
in the garage, so I just use the baby monitor while I try to ride during her
naps. The system is working out
well, she just doesn’t always nap as long as I would like her to at times,
unfortunately. She is now the boss
of my world.
Two
weeks post-delivery I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill at an 8:30 pace. I was also already coaching for the
track season (track practices started when Baya was six days old), and so it
was sometime around here that I also just HAD to try pole vaulting again. I was super slow on the runway and
didn’t do anything impressive, but it was fun to have a pole in my hands again. I wasn’t told I could NOT pole vault
right after having a baby, so why not?
I was anxious to swim again, but at this point the bleeding was still
too heavy. I ended up having to
wait 16 days before getting back in the pool, but oh was it glorious when I
finally got back in and swim again!
I was truly fortunate in how quickly I was able to get back at it. A huge factor I’m sure was how active I
was leading up to delivery. Being
so active during pregnancy has certainly had its rewards!
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