By 
There are a lot of milestones following the birth of a baby: coming home from the hospital, taking photos with the family, the first time they sleep through the night (hallelujah!).
The milestones aren’t just for your new little one; the standard postpartum check-in with your OB-GYN, which generally happens around six to eight weeks after childbirth, is a turning point for moms too. During this visit, your doc will check your physical and emotional recovery and will likely do a pelvic exam to ensure you’re healing properly (like making sure your uterus is shrinking back to its pre-pregnancy size). If all is good, they’ll clear you for sex and exercise.
That’s a big deal for many new moms—especially if you’re a runner itching to get back to racking up the miles. But it doesn’t necessarily mean your body is back to its pre-baby ways and ready for action.
More From Runner's World
When I eased into jogging a couple months after giving birth to my second son, my hip flexors were super weak and achy. Hoofing it up the neighborhood hill I run up all the time felt like a totally new experience—and one that I was attempting with jell-o hips.
The entire two miles I was out there on the road, I kept wondering, Is this feeling normal? Even though my OB said all clear… is this actually okay?
“Each body goes through such unique challenges during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum,” says Susie Crossland-Dwyer, ultramarathoner, Pilates instructor, and founder of Studio S in Cincinnati, who gave birth to her son in 2021 and did a lot of fine-tuned cross-training as she was easing back into her mileage. “Getting a professional to evaluate your body and what it needs is crucial to returning to any type of movement practice.”
To help you figure out whether you need a little extra TLC when returning to your running routine, even if your doc gave the go-ahead, we tapped experts to offer advice. They share how to tune into signs you’re ready for more movement, when to dial it back, plus a handful of training tips to focus on so you come back stronger than ever.
Signs You’re Good to Get Running Again
Clearance from your OB might seem momentous, but it’s really just the first step in your return to exercise if you want to run without any aches or pains. Before you go run a few miles, you should check a few other boxes off as well: First, make sure you can walk the same distance you want to run with absolutely no problem, says Andrea Yarbrough, D.P.T., orthopedic and pelvic floor expert with the HOPE Doctors in Florida. It’s also a good sign if you have zero or very minimal soreness post-walk.
From there, another good indicator that you’re ready to run is if you can do some interval training comfortably. We’re not necessarily talking speedwork, but rather alternate 1 minute walking with 30 seconds running and work up from there. And if you’re doing strength training to support your cardio—and doing it all pain-free—you can likely head out for a run knowing you’re prepared.
Signs You Need More Prep Work First
Still pee a little when you laugh or sneeze? Yes, that’s super-common when you’re pregnant, but afterward, it can also be a warning sign that your pelvic floor muscles have been damaged or weakened and need some extra attention. Other signs that these muscles need work include constipation, excess gas, or pain with sex, says Yarbrough. And if you don’t address the pain or weakness in the pelvic floor before demanding more of your body through exercise, chances are it will just compound the problem.
“These issues usually don’t resolve on their own or with time, and I’ve seen them cause other issues within the body—even issues like TMJ pain in the jaw, abnormal gait patterns, and poor balance,” says Yarbrough. A pelvic floor physical therapist can help you with these issues by doing a full-body assessment to pinpoint muscular weakness or imbalances, then putting together a plan with massage, mobility drills, and strength moves.
Other sneaky sensations to watch out for: core fatigue, back pain, and soreness or swelling around any scars (from a C-section or vaginal tearing). Feel any of these and you should do some cross-training to support your miles—and maybe also just go easy on yourself. “Anytime I felt these symptoms, I’d back off how many days I was running per week, cut a run short, or just give myself extra rest,” says Crossland-Dwyer.
What to Focus on in Your Workouts
Don’t worry: We’re not giving you extra homework to try to squeeze into your already-busy, sleep-deprived schedule. Some simple adds and tweaks to your routine are all it takes to make your mileage comfortable. Yarbrough recommends focusing on things like deep breathing, single-leg balance, and glute strength. Try these three techniques whenever you have a few minutes to spare.
Do Diaphragmatic Breathing
“This practice doesn’t have to take extra time out of your day and is very effective in re-establishing the right amount of intra-abdominal pressure,” says Crossland-Dwyer. “Also, since the pelvic floor and diaphragm work together, healing happens in tandem.”
To do it, place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly, just below your ribs. Breathe in slowly, letting your belly rise as you inhale (your chest should remain still). Then slowly let your belly collapse as you exhale. Continue for five to 10 minutes.
Bonus: “This is such an easy tool to use in early postpartum when life feels overwhelming,” says Crossland-Dwyer, who loved the technique for calming her nerves so much, she continues to do it at bedtime nearly a year after giving birth to her son.
Strengthen Your Single-Side Movements
Add some moves like single-leg glute bridges and side planks into your workouts, suggests Yarbrough. These work deep-core muscles and improve your stability, which will help keep you strong during the side-to-side motion of running.
Focusing on these strength-training exercises can also help to injury-proof your body, as they fight imbalances. This can help protect your muscles, joints, and ligaments as you add in more impact.
Walk Before You Run
Crossland-Dwyer says she couldn’t wait to get back to running post-baby: “I wasn’t in a rush to be running long or fast but I missed the joy, the sweat, and the fatigue of a run.” But to start off, she committed to walking for 30 to 60 minutes daily to build back her endurance before adding in the impact of running. And then once she began running again, she continued taking frequent walk breaks to ease her body into it.
The good news is, walking is something you can probably start within just a couple weeks of giving birth to your baby. The great news is, you can bring baby in tow in the stroller and prep for your return to running at once.
