Richmond Park with babies

Richmond Park is pretty much up there as one of my favourite places of all time. I used to come here in my young, free and single days to do run loops of the park. Over the years I've spotted a celeb or two here too - Nell McAndrew, Andrew Marr, Ben Shepherd plus many gazelle-like Kenyan athletes effortlessly bounding past me. I've got so many lovely memories of the park - all linked to running - so when I was first able to come back here with Freddie I was in my element.I wasn't in a very good place when Freddie was young. I missed London. I missed my freedom and I missed running. We moved out of London just before Freddie was born. In hindsight that was a mistake. I found having a baby almost too overwhelming at times. I felt like I had been hit by a truck but had to carry on as normal as there was no alternative. Some people find the newborn months an absolute breeze. I hated them. I loved Freddie. I just felt completely out of my depth and panicked. That combined with living in a strange, unknown place made for a horrible time, when I happily thought a few months before, it was going to be the best of my life. Just goes to show things are never what you seem. Anyway, getting out of the house on a daily basis was essential for me to maintain any level of sanity on maternity leave. Even better if it was to one of my all time favourite places. We bought a running buggy when Freddie was four months old. Richmond Park is an ideal spot to go running with a buggy as there is offroad gravelly trail all the way around the edge of the park. Plus there are toilets and cafes en route so it's a lovely way to spend a few hours with a baby out in the greenery but with facilities to hand. It's really easy to park there on a weekday, and it's free too! I felt so free again being able to go running in Richmond Park, but with Freddie. I guess one of the hardest things I found about the newborn stage is that you are a little like a prisoner. You are tied to this vulnerable person 24/7. They need you on call day and night. I think I went for a very short jog around six weeks after Freddie arrived, but didn't really manage much till he was around four months old. You are tired, your pelvic floor muscles aren't what they were, you have no time to go to the loo or drink a cup of tea, let alone go for a run! Which made this trip all the more exciting as I felt like the old me again, just with my new best friend and sidekick tagging along!

The essential exercises to do after childbirth - pelvic floor (kegels) and core work

Well folks, I'm feeling a bit bummed out as I've been told I still have diastasis recti (separation of your stomach muscles - pretty common after childbirth) so running is not really advised until my core is stronger and better aligned. But I guess I need good foundations to come back running stronger after having a baby, so I'm going to focus on core work over the next 8 weeks, along with some leg and arm strengthening and some swimming (this is, of course, if I can find the time. My two boys run a tight ship so we'll see...). So hopefully, come October, I'll be in a better position to not do any lasting damage to my body and I can start training again properly.

I'm trying to turn this negative into a positive. It will give me more time to really focus on getting my stomach back into shape - something I've always said I wanted to do, but never have. Also I've always wanted to get into yoga more, so this is a great opportunity to do so. Plus, I loved swimming when I was pregnant, so I hope I'll still get enjoyment from a different form of exercise.

That said, it is very hard. Running is a very easy way to give yourself half an hour's grace from the realities of childcaring. Plus it does form part of my identity. If I can't run, I get sad. But! It's not for long! People have injuries for longer than 8 weeks, so I must think myself lucky.

It's actually quite hard to find good advice on the correct pelvic floor (kegels) and core exercises you should be doing after childbirth. I saw a women's health physiotherapist after my first son, and these were the pelvic floor exercises she gave me. I swear by these. Correct postnatal core exercises to follow in the next post.

1)  Start lying down with your knees bent. Imagine your pelvic floor is like a hammock running from front of the pubic bone to the base of your lower spine. Pull up your hammock, but keep your breathing normal and your tummy relaxed.
2) Hold for 10 seconds (if you can. You may need to build up to this right after childbirth). Try not to hold the contraction at full effort, more 60%. Relax. Repeat 10x. This exercise helps strengthen the fibres that work at a low intensity for longer i.e they help hold all your internal organs in all the time.
4) Next do 10x short, quick contractions. Hold for 1 second at a higher intensity, then relax. This exercise helps strengthen the fibres that work to prevent you wetting yourself when you sneeze, for example.
5) Repeat the exercises 3x. Aim to do these daily. It helps to remember to do them at the same time each day, or when you do something specific like make a cup of tea or breastfeed.
6) When you can easily do these exercises lying down, try them in a forward lean kneeling position, and then standing up. Gravity will make the exercises harder to do.

Why are these pelvic floor exercises so important? Well apart from the obvious that they prevent you wetting (or worse) yourself, they hold in your internal organs, including the womb, safely where they should be. Worse case scenario is a prolapse. Yeah, you're ok thanks.

Amba City of London Mile

What a fantastic race! The City of London Mile takes place in the heart of the city next to St Pauls. Runners are split into categories - men, women, family, youth (11-16), wheelchair, and international (elite) and each category sets off for their mile run in timed waves which run from 10am to 12:30pm. Not only does this make the race inclusive to all abilities, shapes, sizes and ages, it's free to enter. How good is that?

We entered the family mile. I think our littley may well have been the youngest "runner", and toddler also may well have been one of the youngest running too. Most children were 4 plus. It was so good to see youngsters exercising and having fun. We too often read those attention-grabbing headlines about obesity, computer games and children, or of children not getting outdoors to play. This sight was a reassuring check on all that.

The atmosphere felt more like a festival than a race, lots of laughter and people talking to one another and cheering each other on. It was well organised and not too crowded, which is a definite plus when you have small children to monitor.

Waiting at the start line in running gear with a baby strapped to me and a toddler holding my hand is definitely an experience I've not had before. I had to resist the temptation to bolt off when the gun went off as I don't think my 8 week old would have appreciated too much jiggling about.

Running our mile (read walking) was the most fun I've had in a long while. Our toddler LOVED the start and ran a great sprint for about 50 metres (before asking to be carried for most of the rest of the route). We managed a respectable 17 minutes - possibly the fastest mile ever run by a 2 year old.

It's fairly unusual to have a mile race, which makes the event even more special. Without children, it's a great opportunity to see how fast you can run a mile. We met a couple of families who had entered both their event plus the family mile, which is possible to do as the categories set off in waves.

Definitely a race to mark for future years. We'll be back both to run solo and with our kids.

Running has resumed

I've had my 6 week check and I'm free to start exercising (gently) again. Hooray. And what better way to celebrate than a family running track session?!

We're very fortunate to have a cinder running track walking distance from our house which is FREE to use. Amazing. There is a long jump there too - which nicely doubles up as a sandpit for kiddo.

I eased my way back into it all with a very slow 5x 400m with lots of rests. The pelvic floor held up woo hoo. My pelvic joint feels a bit fragile still so I'm being ultra careful.

Then last weekend I went for my first solo run. I ran 5km in 30 minutes which I was pretty chuffed about. I felt pretty broken at the end of it but really, really pleased. It was so good to have a bit of time alone too (sorry family).

I've signed up to a small 10km in September in Richmond so I'll be working towards training for that for the next few months, with lots of core work and gentle jogging. The aim will be to get round and feel ok, not to break any pbs. As I'm still breastfeeding and I'll only be 4 months post birth I need to take it easy still.

First six weeks of newborn life - take two

Okay cool. I'm still writing this blog. It may be a bit sporadic but that's newborn life. I'd forgotten how it was. You have five minute windows to do stuff, so stuff is often left half done. Then you forget about said stuff to be done, only remembering two years later when no one gives a fuck anyway.

I did have time to read this post yesterday on the great website The Pool about fit "moms" (god I hate that word) of Instagram. It argued that we shouldn't get all judgypants over these women parading their washboard stomachs days after giving birth, but we should accept that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to motherhood and fitness.

While I agree with some of the sentiments, I also do think this type of image does create unhelpful messages, similar to looking at celebrities online who have apparently "just snapped back into shape", though possibly worse as many women on Instagram are supposed to be just like you and me (but with added filters). No one really knows what effort has gone into that one image. Those fit mums out there may well have had huge amounts of time or money to dedicate to fitness both pre baby, and after birth.

The reality for me is I have no help, other than my husband who often works late, and my wonderful childminder who looks after my toddler 3 days a week. I have my baby 24/7. Some mothers don't even have this. So finding time to exercise can be tough, particularly if you only get five minute windows of me time, and then all you want to do in that time is close your eyes.

They say the first three months of newborn life is like the fourth trimester. Don't expect too much too soon. Try to relax and enjoy the time with your baby, however chaotic and tiring it can be. Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up that you haven't done any exercise yet - you've just created a human being FFS!

I have to remind myself when I look in the mirror that I.AM.NOT.FAT.I.HAVE.JUST.GIVEN.BIRTH.AND.EATING.CHOCOLATE.BISCUITS.IS.OK! It can be a bit demoralising (particularly when looking at washboard stomachs of women post birth) but wobbly post baby bodies are normal and should be admired. It takes nine months to make a baby. It should take nine months (or more) to get your old body shape back, should you want it.

So this first six weeks I've really done bugger all exercise and I've enjoyed sitting on the sofa eating too much chocolate with my new son, thinking about all the exercise I will do soon. You can see what exercise II managed with my first son in the first six weeks here. I love running and I miss it, but I have embraced not doing anything other than resting for the first half of the fourth trimester. There will be plenty of time to post my inspirational posts of Instagram. I doubt they will be of washboard bellies, but they will hopefully be a realistic take on how fitness can fit into family life.

How hypnobirthing techniques can be used for general wellbeing

I'm on the other side. I've given birth. And it was....... great.

And I think it was down to hypnobirthing.

I've been reflecting on what I've learnt from the course and realised that hynpobirthing techniques don't have to just be for mothers giving birth, they can be used for most things in life, including running and general wellbeing.

Hypnobirthing sounds a bit woo, but I'd heard a lot of positive things about it so was intrigued. Its basic premise is to help mothers feel less anxious, fearful or worried about giving birth through relaxation and breathing techniques. There are a few different methods out there including Marie Mongan, the yesmum and Wise Hippo. I chose to go with natal hypnotherapy (Maggie Howell) as there was a teacher near me who could do a private course plus I'd heard great things about this style of hypnobirthing (though Hollie de Cruz at the yesmum in London is fabulous if you can attend one of her courses).

My experience of childbirth with my first was not one I really wanted to repeat, so this time round I thought I would try everything possible to make this a more positive experience. Difficult with childbirth as you never really know what's going to happen, though there are definitely some things you can control, like your mindset. And this is where hypnobirthing comes in.

There are a few key elements to hypnobirthing which I found to be most empowering, and easily translated into other areas. 

1) Self hypnosis
The major part of hypnobirthing is to teach yourself to be able to get into a calm, relaxed state quickly through self hypnosis. This takes practice, so every day you are encouraged to listen to a set 15 minute audio track. This audio track uses cues such as '3,2,1 relax', plus visualisation techniques that help you focus in detail on positive, safe places in your life, such as a sunny beach, your bedroom or a dappled wood. This self hypnosis is coupled with other positive reinforcement cues such as getting into a comfortable position, dimming the lights, and dropping some lavender oil on your pillow - basically things you may do to help you get to sleep.

Being able to get into a hypnotic state is helpful for birth as it gives you an increased receptiveness to positive suggestions and helps your body and mind to remain calm and relaxed.The aim is to encourage your conscious brain to switch off and to let your subconscious take over. In other words, to go into a daydream-like state.

This practice of self hypnosis is obviously extremely useful for anything in life, not just birth. I practiced 15 minutes a day and it was just a really nice 15 minute break to give my mind a break from more conscious thoughts. For specific events, such as a big race coming up, or more general worries, such as I'm not good enough to try running, it's also brilliant, as it can help reframe your mind into feeling more relaxed and confident about what's ahead. A bit like mindfulness rebranded. 

2) Positive affirmations
Alongside self hypnosis to help keep your mind and body in a calm place is the process of positive affirmations to help you feel positive about the task ahead. I kept two or three affirmations in each room so that I read them whenever I saw them. Affirmations are personal to you but could include things like "I am relaxed and calm" "I can do this" or "I am confident in my body". Affirmations need to be specific to you and you need to read them regularly too. 

Reading short, simple phrases like this can help reprogramme the mind by changing negative beliefs and patterns. Changing negative thought processes can be a long and hard process so having a visual cue like this helps to remind ourselves of the more positive thoughts we should be having.

I'm a firm believer that not having confidence in yourself is the major thing stopping us achieving what we want. We are all amazing and can achieve great and good things, yet this inner critic often stops us. This is true of birth, and of all other stuff too. How many times have you said to yourself "I'm not good enough to do that" "I'll fail that" etc. Using positive affirmations, coupled with hypnosis, can help us to think more along the lines of YES I CAN! So positive affirmations are great for believing you can give birth, but also for everything else too.

3) 'What if' scenarios
My hypnobirthing course encouraged me to think through scenarios I was concerned about or fearful of and to figure out what I would do if it really happened. Some situations you will have some control over and can influence, and some you cannot. What's important is how you react to events. Going through all scenarios can also help to make you feel prepared - forewarned is forearmed.

I use this technique a lot before races too. I think about all the things that could happen - stitch, falling over, late for race, hit the wall etc and what I will do in each event. The main thing to note is when you have control over things, and when you do not.

Another technique which is transferable is visualising the perfect birth. This can also be used pre races too. I used to do this a lot before marathons where I would imagine the glory of the last mile and getting that PB!

4) Breathing techniques 
Though not a major part of natal hypnotherapy, breathing techniques are used, and I found them to be invaluable for controlling pain. The main technique used is the focus on the breath - in and out, ensuring it is steady and rhythmic. Outside of giving birth, focusing on breathing is always a good and simple technique to quell anxiety and fears.

I've got so much out of my hypnobirthing course - my dream birth for one. I never thought that hypnobirthing could be useful in other areas of life though. The key to success is to practice regularly. I'm hoping to keep my positive affirmations out to remind myself of all the POSITIVE things about me, and to find a spare 15 minutes here and there to lie back, switch off and relax.

How exercise helped me regain my identity

No one can prepare you. Such a cliché but true. Before you have your first child, you think you understand what it will be like. I remember thinking the first three months would be chaos but I'd roll with it and then things would slowly fall into place. I imagined lazy days on the sofa watching box sets with baby sleeping soundly on my chest. And for some people this may be true, but it wasn't for me.

My reality was a traumatic birth and a colicky baby who did not feed or sleep well. I felt like I had been been run over by a train. It wasn't just the physical - 2l of blood loss, near death experience, anaemia, general what-the-fuckness about giving birth, it was the mental side that punched me harder than Muhammed Ali on steroids.

Sudden loss of freedom and of independence. Huge, huge responsibility for a human being! With no instructions! It's like being made CEO of a Big Deal Company when you have no experience and are still in primary school. I felt completely out of my depth and it was very very frightening.

I had no confidence and couldn't switch off. There was a small person lying on me, effectively like a wild animal in my eyes, who I had no idea how to read or look after. I just waited with bated breathe for the next howl, wondering what to do. Many people told me "oh you will know what to do, it will come naturally". It didn't for me. I loved this small person but I was also frightened of him.

In hindsight it is easy to say I shouldn't have worried so much. I should have relaxed more. Everything is just a phase. But I couldn't. Instead I turned into a google monster. Googling everything to do with babies and THINGS.THAT.COULD.WRONG. How much should babies cry?Why is he crying so much? Is it normal he cries so much?  What if he had silent reflux? Should I use a dummy? Will his speech be delayed if I use a dummy? How do I use a sling? Which sling should I use? What do I do if my baby hates a sling? I want to be a natural parenting mother but it appears my baby does not like me anyway I try to parent him.

I mourned for my old life. I mourned for routine and sleep and being able to go for a run when I wanted to and knowing what I was doing. I didn't feel like me anymore. I didn't know who I was. I felt so jealous of my husband whose life had stayed relatively the same. He hadn't given birth and he didn't have to breastfeed and he went back to work as normal.


I felt like I had to learn to do easy things again, like a child would. Going for a walk, entering a shop, driving the car. All these tasks seemed too huge and momentous to do anymore with a baby attached to me. Even having a bath was very difficult to do. Going for a run seemed out of the question for a long time. 

However, things do change. My body did recover from birth, and I found enough time to get my trainers back on and get out of the house on my own. There is no question that exercise helped me overcome my experience of postnatal depression. 

Even when not suffering from depression, going for a run has always made me feel in a better mood. I come home feeling more relaxed, confident and with more positive thoughts. Running has always been a good way for me to find the space to think through any issues or negative thoughts and reframe them positively. 

After having my son, finding 20-30 minutes to go for a run was probably my lifeline. It gave me time to just be me, not a mother. Having physical space away from my son was important for me, as if I was in the house with someone else looking after him I still could not switch off and take time out. I needed some space to get some perspective on my situation. And because of how running helps me feel more confident and happy, I would come home feeling much more confident and happy in my ability to be an ok-mum.

Going running also helped me remember that I was still me. Yes the old me might have gone forever - that woman with time on her hands, and no real responsibilities, but underneath the new mum me I was still the same person, and I could still feel part of the real world and participate in something other than being a mother. That may sound selfish to some, but part of my crisis with having my firstborn was I did not feel like myself anymore and felt like I had been excluded from the the rest of the world as I felt unable to do the many things I used to take for granted. 

As I improved I felt ready to enter a few races, which built my confidence further. And this in turn, I think, helped increase my confidence in being an alright mother too. I was doing ok! My son seemed to like me! I felt I could relax and enjoy being a mother more. 

Reflecting back now I wish I could have injected myself with some confidence when I became a mum. It's been a very steep learning curve and I hope this second time around I do feel a little more relaxed. If I don't, I know lacing up my trainers and getting some exercise is going to help big time. Selfish? I don't think so, as a happy me equals a happy mother. 

What pregnancy has taught me about running

I have been running for quite a few years now and BC (before children) I would always be striving to beat my PBs or go further than I've run before. I was a speed and distance freak. I began with a few 10kms, then found my time crept down from 60 minutes to around the 45 minute mark. (The sub 40 still eludes me. Bah!)

Then I thought I would try some half marathons and was elated at coming in at under 2 hours for my first half. This gradually came down to 1:38. Again, I wanted more - sub 1:30 for sure!! Confidence creeping up I entered my first marathon and sneaked under the 4 hour barrier. Good yes, but I wanted to do better. I'm now at 3:38 and sure one day I'll go sub 3:30. "More, more, more" I said, so signed up for and completed the Marathon des Sables - 150 miles of desert running. The most crazy, amazing experience ever.

This is what running is like. You start off small, and see gradual improvements. You want more. You begin entering races and end up constantly chasing your times to try to recreate that feeling of joy of crossing the finish line having run a good, fast race. You start running further, and think "well how far could I go", and so run further to see where your limits really are.

Then you get pregnant. And your body is not really your own anymore. You have a life inside of you to take care of. PBs will have to wait. Distances will have to wait. But that's ok.

Pregnancy has reminded me that it really does not matter how far or fast you run. The real enjoyment is in just running. I sometimes lost sight of that before becoming pregnant. I can now plod out about a 10 minute mile for a couple of miles and that's me done, but I get as much enjoyment from that as from running a fast 10km race. The satisfaction is in putting your trainers on and getting out of the door into the fresh air, and doing your best - whatever that may be. I know that any form of exercise in later pregnancy is good going so I'm proud of what I am able to achieve here and now.

Running is such a great leveller. It is enjoyed by young and old, large and small. You can compete against others or just yourself, or run just for the pure joy of running. Do not compare yourself to anybody else. Instead, embrace the fact that there are so many different sorts of runners out there. Some run 5km, some 100 miles.

Whether you are embarking on a "couch to 5km" programme or going hell for leather for a sub 3:!5 elite marathon pace, the beauty of running is in setting your own goals for this point in your life, and ultimately remembering how running should make you feel - bloody brilliant.

Five tips for running during pregnancy

1. Go slower and don't get too hot - now is not PB time
Kind of obvious really though I couldn't have run faster if I tried I was so breathless. Seeing as I now have to sit down after walking up one flight of stairs, I'm definitely not going to win any prizes for speed. I also didn't feel much like running at all during the first trimester due to morning sickness so when I started again my general level of fitness was lower anyway.

Not overheating is particularly important in the first trimester as the baby's organs are growing and you are not as good at regulating your own temperature, but makes sense throughout the pregnancy. If you are too hot, your baby may be too hot too.

2. Revamp your clothing
You'll definitely need a change of bra. You may even need a change of trainers into the third trimester as your feet will have expanded with the increase in blood flow and relaxing of ligaments. Swollen ankles anyone? You will also need some maternity leggings (there are surprisingly little choices out there unfortunately) and some baggier tops as you get larger. I knew my extra large London Marathon t-shirt would come in use one day! You can also buy supports for your bump and back, though I never really found these particularly helpful or comfortable.

3. Combine your running with a targeted strength and core workout
The biggies to concentrate on are your core and pelvic floor muscles. I found the best core exercises to concentrate on were planks and supermans (kneel on all fours and slowly move one arm and opposite leg straight out) in the earlier stages of pregnancy. As you get heavier and into the third trimester these exercise may be too much strain on your lower back, so I would then swap to standing single leg lifts with weighted pulldowns or these. I would avoid straight forward sit ups due to the possibility of diastasis recti (a gap between your abdominal muscles).

There are a variety of pelvic floor exercises you can do. I found the most helpful to be these. One of the (many) benefits of being a runner is that you will probably be more inclined to do these exercises as it will mean you can get back to running postpartum quicker.

I also liked doing squats and lunges to help strengthen my legs. There are many strength workouts out there for pregnancy if you google them. I'll post about mine soon.

4. Listen to your body
Yes running with a bump will feel different. Your sense of gravity will be slightly askew. Plus you will feel a little odd running with what feels like a bowling ball stuffed up your jumper. I liken it to training for marathon des sables but carrying your weighted backpack on your front. Your ligaments will also be more flexible meaning it is more likely you may strain something. I found my pelvic ligaments got a bit sore in my third trimester of running and my braxton hicks would increase. When this happened I would walk for a while before resuming my jog. If it feels like a bad pain stop. Listen to your intuition.

5. Be zen and be proud
It's frustrating not being able to enter all these races and go for pbs, scrolling through twitter getting envious at all the fun stuff that other people are able to do. But be zen about it. It's such a tiny part of your life and is a good opportunity to practice some mindfulness thoughts about it all. If you were injured, it would be worse - you couldn't run at all. Accept that this is what your body can do at this particular point in your life and be happy about that. Your baby is the youngest runner out there bouncing along with you! So be proud to be a pregnant runner. There aren't many of us out there. I do struggle a little (ok a lot) with feeling self conscious about running when pregnant. There are still a few folk out there who think women should not be exercising when pregnant, so I like to think I'm helping to change this mindset.

how to come last at parkrun

I had a fab but cold weekend last fortnight at Riddlesdown parkrun with old buggerlugs and the bowling ball. I decided a few weeks ago there was no reason I shouldn't carry on running if I felt ok so I actually have picked it back up in the last few months of pregnancy. 

I tried running 1.5 miles as a test and nothing fell out so thought I could progress to a 5km run. My pelvis did feel a little bit tired afterwards but was fine after a couple of days. You do have to be really careful when pregnant as your ligaments become all stretchy to allow a baby through your bits (I try not to think about that too much) and obviously you have a lot more weight to support plus your posture is thrown all out of sorts, but apart from all that, running is just fine if you feel comfortable doing it, and have been used to running in the past. 

The folk at parkrun are so friendly. If you have never tried it I urge you to have a go. Every Saturday, 9am. Free. What's not to love. There are parkruns all over the country so no excuses. I think because they are free, weekly events, there is less of the serious, competitive spirit you may find in paid-for 5km races, which makes them damn perfect for families and friends to do. There is a real sense of comradeship and the volunteers are all extremely helpful and welcoming. If you have never run before and want to build up to a 5km I would recommend running a parkrun as a starter for ten. You'll be hooked! 

It's a good job I didn't feel too intimidated at parkrun as I was at the back of the pack. It's a bit of an odd feeling as I'm really quite competitive and when not pregnant/have time/energy (sob!) I'm usually nervously waiting at the start line, ready to press my garmin and try and chase that elusive pb. But in a way it was quite nice trundling around with my husband and toddler at the back of the field, waving to the volunteers and slopping through all the mud left by the faster runners. I forgot how good it feels just to get out of the house and get some fresh air by going for a run. That said, I'm still going to go back and try and beat my time this weekend. You can take the runner out of the race...

The reality of exercising when you have a baby

When I first started this blog over two years ago I thought it would be easy to get fit again after having my first baby. Ha ha ha ha ha! Dream on.
The reality is this. You have windows of 15-20 minutes to GET.STUFF.DONE. And by this I mean brush your teeth, drink that cold cup of tea from two hours ago, try to remember where you left your brain, lie there in a daze wondering what the fuck just happened. The thought of doing any form of active exercise in the early days made me want to weep. All I wanted to do was sleep and eat biscuits.
However, this is just FINE in the early weeks. You are not supposed to exercise (much). Your body has just made a human. A whole human! That's a pretty huge goal to be feeling smug about for a while.
The NHS recommends waiting till after the 6 week check up before doing any exercise other than walking, stretching or squeezing those shot-to-pieces pelvic floor muscles, particularly if you have had a c-section or non-straightforward birth. Pregnancy hormones can also affect your ligaments up to 6 months post birth so if you haven't been exercising during pregnancy, it's also best to not do much high impact stuff too soon either.
The main things preventing me from getting back to my previous fitness were completely rubbish pelvic floor muscles, anaemia, exhaustion and lack of time. Physiotherapy really helped with regaining my pelvic floor muscle strength but it did take a good year for me to feel confident in them. Funny enough, I think being a runner helped me here as I was more inclined to do the exercises as I wanted to run again.
I lost a lot of blood during birth (which is apparently fairly common) and I wasn't prepared for how wiped out I would feel initially. The double whammy of anaemia and tiredness meant it was all I could do to get off the sofa and go walk round the block each morning. You may be lucky and have a straightforward birth and feel just fine afterwards, but be prepared to bide your time until your body feels ready to get out there again, and don't be too hard on yourself (like I was) if you do just want to crumble in a corner and weep.
Once I'd fully recovered physically, the main issue with regaining any level of fitness was TIME. No longer was I able to go for long runs at the weekend easily, and my mornings and evenings were spent either feeding and looking after my baby or, once I had gone back to work, rushing to and from work, juggling childcare and the commute. I had no nearby family support to look after my son during the day. It was just me and my husband, who was generally at work in London during the day.
So what did I do? I had to adapt for a start. My time was no longer my own. To be honest I still struggle with this a little but the benefits of having my lovely little son obviously far outweigh the lack of me-time. Planning and sticking to an exercise regime was essential. If my husband left later for work one day a week it meant I could rush out to do some track sessions for 40 minutes. If I was working at home I had an hour I could use instead of commuting to get to the swimming pool. You have windows of opportunity so you have to make the most of them. On the positive, this does make you much more focused and gives you no room to make up excuses!
I also invested in the Out N' About Nipper Sport running buggy which is amazing! It meant I could still get out for a run with my son. I used it from when he was 4 months old and he still goes in it now at 2 years old (though bribery is often needed now to get him to stay in it for longer than 20 minutes without moaning).
I thought I would be able to run a marathon 10 months after having my son. My reality was 14 months. I managed a slow 10km at 4 months that I probably should not have run (let's just say my pelvic floor muscles had absconded the building). Neither I trained for properly nor did that well at. But I probably got more out of them as I realised I had done bloody well getting back out there even though I knew I wasn't going to win any prizes for speed.
Everything changes gradually when you have children. You think it will all last forever when you are in the midst of it all and you won't ever have any time to brush your hair let alone go for run, but slowly, slowly things start to return to where you remembered being pre-children. And the major bonus is YOU ENJOY EVERY RUN as they are so preciously rare. I'm now pregnant again and can just about manage to shuffle two miles extremely slowly, though my default exercise of choice is swimming for now. I know the newborn months will be hard and I won't have much time to exercise how I want to, but I also know that my fitness will also improve gradually again and I'm doing the best I can and that's good enough.

Two years on....

I never made it very far at all with this blog two years ago. Being a first time mother took up more time than I thought. That said, I did manage to get back into some form of exercise. Nowhere near what I had the time for pre-children, but that's ok. Life is different. I am different and my body is different. I've had to adapt.
Since Freddie was born (Jan 2014) I managed to run:-
Bristol 10km May 2014 55:18
Titsey Trail 10km October 2014 51:20
Thames Meander Marathon March 2015 3:47
Raneleigh Harriers Richmond 10km June 2015 45:33

So I'm pleased with that.

Training for a marathon was hard mainly because of time limitations. I no longer have long free weekends to eat up the miles and run commutes are now taken up with train journeys and nursery drop offs rather than sneaking in a morning 10km.

Nevertheless I just about managed to do it justice, though it was noticeable I had no stamina. At 18 miles I hit the wall and had to walk.

The key to training when you have a toddler is to have a supportive network - in my case my husband. We would tag team looking after the little guy at weekends so long runs could be done (and recovery could be had in terms of sofa lazing afterwards!)

I didn't beat myself up if I missed a session. If I managed to run 3x week that was great.

We invested in a running buggy - which has been amazing. Ditto a treadmill, even better. When the little guy rests, I can still churn out the speed work sessions. No gym trips needed.

I'm now seven months pregnant again and hoping I do better this time to keep this blog up to date and keep fit. How hard can two under three be?!

I want to get back into running of course, but I also want to try out other ways to keep fit when you have kids. Swimming and yoga have been amazing to do during pregnancy and I want to get better at both these practices. 

I want to meet like-minded people and share and inspire others. Fitting in time for exercise when you have kids is hard but it is not impossible. Let's see what happens with baby round two. Ding ding!

First steps

I ventured out today for my first run post baby. I've been looking forward to it since the start of the week. Makes me chuckle when I think of all those training mornings when I've struggled to haul my bum out of bed to go for a run. Running after a five month break is strange. It felt oh so familiar but at the same I felt like a fish out of water. I puffed my way up a couple of hills and had to stop and walk here and there. I feel like I'm back to square one and a beginner runner again. I guess that's what I am. It's really exciting though. I know I won't be able to dedicate training runs like I used to, I've just got to fit them in when I can. I feel like I've come through a bit of a dark tunnel and have made it out the other side. Surprisingly my pelvic floors held up (they are shot to pieces still and technically I probably shouldn't be running yet). It's my boobs that suffered. I need to invest in a new sports bra that will hold the milk jugs in place. Time run? 30 minutes Soundtrack of Dido's Take My Hand