Chapter 9: Body Wellness

My incision is so red and my whole belly is puffy...will it always look like this? . . . I'm not pregnant any more, but from the side I still look it and I still need to wear my maternity jeans! . . . How can I exercise if I'm worried I'll split my incision open every time I move? . . . Sex? Forget it!

Yep. We know exactly what you're thinking. And the information we've compiled for this chapter and the one that follows, "The Ultimate Post C-Section Workout," will help you take the first steps back to fitness (and intimacy). But we can't proceed without a gentle reminder that it took nine months to grow your baby and you can't expect every trace of your pregnancy—Cesarean scar included—to disappear within nine days or nine weeks of delivery. In fact, it may take nine months or more until you are able to fit back into your "regular" clothes or return to your pre-pregnancy fitness levels.

If that sounds like an impossibly long time, consider the position that one renowned pregnancy-and-exercise expert takes: "The definition of the postpartum period should be extended to one year because many of the physiological changes from pregnancy exist at least that long," says Michelle Mottola, Ph.D., a Canadian exercise scientist who helped develop the Canadian health system's pregnancy exercise guidelines. Whenever you're feeling frustrated by how you look, try this little trick: Pick up your baby and walk to the nearest mirror. Look at yourself while you're holding him in your arms and tell yourself the truth: you have never looked better! It's hard to be critical of your body when you're holding a newborn in your arms.

Other information that's included in this chapter:

• Why it’s essential to get up and around after surgery
• The role of diet and exercise in your recovery
• Sex after a Cesarean