New study offers modernized exercise guidelines for postpartum wellness

New guideline for postpartum sleep and exercise includes evidence-based recommendations for new mothers in their first year after birth.

A new guideline shows evidence-based recommendations for women in their first year after birth. Professor in Active Healthy Living, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta, Margie Davenport, joined CTV Morning Live to discuss a world-first.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Kent Morrison: Let’s talk about the need for this, because this is rather incredible. There wasn’t really anything before.

Margie Davenport: No. Our last guideline was actually from 2003, so 22-years-old, and all that was recommended at that point in time was to engage in pelvic floor muscle training, and that exercise was OK when you’re breastfeeding.

Kent: What is recommended now, as far as physical activity?

Margie: Based on review of 19,000 different articles, we found that engaging in at least 120 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity was associated with a 45- per-cent reduction in the odds of developing depression, a 37 percent reduction in the odds of developing urinary incontinence and a 28 percent reduction in the odds of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Importantly, we were looking for any potential adverse outcomes. We didn’t see any. There was no increased risk of injury, and infant growth and development was just fine.

Kent: This is while you’re pregnant leading up to childbirth, or post childbirth?

Margie: This is postpartum. Historically, women are told to not do much of anything in the first six weeks. You get medical clearance at six weeks postpartum, and then you can go back and do whatever you want to at that point in time. But what our study has found is that early engagement and mobilization and activity helped with recovery and healing. We encourage early mobilization, soon after delivery. And as soon as you feel that you’re ready to start gradually resuming and rebuilding your foundations, to gradually get up to that more moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity.

Kent: Sleep is important at all times, but certainly in this situation, it’s a priority for new moms. How does this work together with sleep?

Margie: When we surveyed all of our postpartum women, sleep came across as one of the most important things they wanted to know more about, and our studies actually found that engaging in higher levels of physical activity improved overall sleep quality. Moms weren’t necessarily sleeping longer, they were still getting up frequently, but when they were asleep, they slept better and they had overall reduction in daytime fatigue as well.

Kent: For new moms who are out there right now, what would your advice be?

Margie: The number one thing is that we do want to be screening for medical conditions where exercise may not be recommended. We also developed a new tool called the Get Active Questionnaire Postpartum. It’s designed to screen for those very few contraindications to exercise postpartum. After that, start off slow, gradually rebuild, and it should be progressive, individualized and based on whatever symptoms that you’re feeling.