6 Weeks After Baby

I wanted to share with you all a conversation that I had with a friend today. My friend just had her second child a week and a half ago and is also in the fitness industry, but was unaware of the information I shared with her. I called to check up on her and she began to question me about how soon after my second child I had begun doing abdominal exercises. Like me, she's ready to get back in pre-baby shape!
After having Emma I researched exercise, how long you should abstain from exercise, and particularly, how long you should abstain from abdominal exercise. The abdominal muscles separate during pregnancy and it takes them time to close together and become normal again. Doing too much too soon can damage these muscles. I told her that I was so worried about damaging my precious ab muscles that I did precisely what the doctors recommended and waited six weeks to do any serious abdominal work.
Furthermore, I prefer to lose the extra fat around my middle before working my abs hard. Otherwise, I will just end up bulking up my middle (because the extra fat lying over the muscles will just cause it to extend and look a little butchy instead of lean and sleek).
I know some women who jump right back into things after having a baby. While I wanted to do that, I also wanted to enjoy my baby, enjoy any sleep and rest that I could, and take things slow and simple. When you train and instruct all the time workouts tend to be intense and fast-paced. Personally, I enjoyed the downtime. I enjoyed the leisurely walks with my new daughter and my son on his trike. I enjoyed slow and gentle yoga. I enjoyed occasional workouts when my body and mind felt up to it. Yes, I wanted that old body back, but I also really enjoyed not working so hard for awhile. I hope my friend will do the same.
If you are way past the baby days just know that it's ok for you to slow things down some days as well. It feels great to have some super sweaty days followed by some less intense ones, maybe doing things that you and your family love. As long as you're staying active and prioritizing, you're doing great!