I have been meaning to write something for ages but time has a funny way of slipping through your fingers when you have a toddler. I am now expecting my second in just a few days so thinking about what I did the first time round is a good reminder for me as well. I feel like I have a lot more to say on the postpartum period as well the last four years in general but it is hard to find the right words (and not waffle), I hope I can put something together in the not to distant future.
I wouldn’t say I got fully ‘back into climbing’ although I felt good my body definitely wasn’t up to its previous strength or capabilities before getting pregnant again. With that in mind, these are the top five things I did to begin my climbing journey again.
- Rest
- Women’s Health Physio
- Pelvic floor, posture & rehab
- Start easy
- Be kind to yourself
1. Rest & the fourth trimester
I’d not heard of the fourth trimester until getting pregnant, it is the 12 week period after the baby is born. It seems to vary across different cultures and countries, from one extreme to another. Some expect mothers to crack on as usual and even go back to work just a few days/weeks after the baby is born, others don’t allow mothers to do anything or even leave the house, just simply recover and look after the baby.
So many days, weeks, months are carelessly flung around for when you might expect to feel better, and you might look on at another mother who seems to be “back to normal” or coping with life quickly. The reality is, they probably aren’t (or they have a secret nanny, chef, cleaner or a magic baby that never cries and sleeps well). More to the point don’t focus on them, just look after yourself.
For me being respectful to what my body has just been through was one of the most important things to remember and it could be easy to start forgetting after a few weeks. In all honesty I was not prepared for how drained I would feel after labour and how long it would take my body to recover. When you are being woken by a baby through out the night it takes longer to physically and mentally recover.
This isn’t supposed to scare you because it is one of the most wonderful times and for me something to be treasured not rushed away with thoughts of getting fit again. You also have lots of lovely hormones making you feel good and helping the sleep deprivation feel not quite as bad (plus caffeine!).
2. Women’s Health Physio
This was the best money I spent during pregnancy and postnatally. I saw an NHS women’s health physio and I was lucky enough to be able to afford to see a women’s health physio privately. I would highly recommend seeing someone if you can. My physio checked how well my pelvic floor was functioning and gave me appropriate postnatal exercises. If you live in North Wales I’d highly recommend Sarah Jane.
3. Pelvic floor, posture & rehab
My NHS women’s health physio told me the body under goes a huge amount of healing between 8-12 weeks and this is just when you are starting to feel a little bit more like doing some exercise. I had quite a big diastasis recti (where the two long parallel muscles running down your stomach separate to allow room for the growing uterus) which terrified me a little, but it is quite normal for most women after having a baby. She urged me as an individual to wait until I was at least 12 weeks before going climbing.
I spent the first 6 months postpartum doing a lot of walking, sometimes low short walks or if I felt up to it I’d go into the mountains for the day. I put a lot of focus on my rehab exercises from the physio and working on my pelvic floor and posture especially when I was out walking.
Walking and swimming in the mountains
4. Start easy
I finally started climbing again at 6 months postpartum. For me this felt like a good amount of time and in all honestly I wasn’t ready any sooner. I was lucky that I timed it with a holiday sport climbing abroad this meant I couldn’t compare myself to indoor climbs/grades I’d previously done. I just did lots of mileage on easy climbs and rested when I was tired or not slept well. I started on very easy climbs and worked up as and when I felt ready.
Sport climbing on Anglesey
5. Be kind to yourself
Being kind to yourself is the biggest and hardest thing to do (and I know I am going to find it even harder second time round). It is so difficult to recognise what your body has been through as time passes by and just wanting to ‘be back’ is a normal and frustrating feeling. I definitely shed a few tears over this but the key for me was not to focus on training and remembering why I loved climbing – going friends, having a laugh and simply just trying to get outside on rock when I could.
