EDMONTON — The on exercise and sleep for new mothers has been released in Canada, providing evidence-based recommendations that support women’s health in their first year after giving birth.
Previously new moms were encouraged to wait at least six weeks until beginning exercise, but the guideline says moms can start as soon as they’d like, as long as they don’t experience negative symptoms.
The guideline recommends that women engage in at least 120 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity to gain the most health benefits, including better quality sleep and improved mental health. Those who engage in this kind of physical activity in the initial 12 weeks after giving birth also have a 45 per cent reduction in the risk of depression.
Postpartum women who follow the recommendations will likely experience a reduction in fatigue as well as improvements in mental well-being, pelvic floor health and musculoskeletal health. They will also lower their risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.
The guideline also highlights that light-intensity activity soon after giving birth has been shown to help with healing.
“We now recognize that the postpartum period is far more complex than simply transitioning from pregnancy to not being pregnant,” says , the U of A professor who led the creation of the guideline – hence the need for new recommendations focused solely on the first year after giving birth.
The development of the guideline was supported by the . The research was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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To speak with Margie Davenport about the guideline, please contact:
Riley Tjosvold | ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ communications coordinator | riley.tjosvold@ualberta.ca