A practical guide to returning to running after having a baby – why six weeks is rarely the finish line for recovery, what your body needs first, and how to build back safely.

I see it more often than you might think.

A new mum comes to see me – motivated, determined, desperate to feel like herself again – and tells me she’s been given the green light to start running at her six-week check.

So she laced up her trainers, headed out the door, and something didn’t feel right.

Pain. Heaviness. Leaking. Or just a nagging sense that her body wasn’t ready, even though she’d been told it was.

And she’s right. It wasn’t.

Here’s the thing about the six-week check: it’s valuable, and I’m not here to dismiss it. But it was never designed to clear you for high-impact exercise. It’s a general health review.

Ticking that box does not mean your pelvic floor and abdominal wall are ready for the repeated impact of running. And acting as though it does is where so many women run into trouble – literally.

This blog is for every mum who has ever been told “you’re fine to get back to it” before they really were. And for every mum who wants to get back to running properly, safely, and in a way that supports their body for the long term – not just for the next few weeks.

What pregnancy and birth actually do to your body

I think it’s important to start here, because I genuinely feel that women are not given enough information about this.

We’re brilliant at preparing for birth. We’re not nearly as good at preparing for what comes after.

Pregnancy places an enormous demand on your body over nine months. Your pelvic floor carries the weight of your growing baby, your placenta, and a 50% increase in blood volume.

Your abdominal muscles stretch significantly to accommodate your bump – and in many women, the connective tissue between the outermost abdominal muscles (the rectus abdominis) thins or separates, a condition known as diastasis recti.

Then comes birth itself.

Whether you delivered vaginally or by caesarean section, your body has been through something significant. Vaginal birth places direct strain on the pelvic floor muscles. A C-section involves cutting through multiple layers of the abdominal wall – major surgery, however routine it might feel by the time you’re discharged from hospital.

The muscles, ligaments, tendons and connective tissues that support your core and pelvis need time – real time – to recover.

The current evidence-based recommendation is that returning to running is not advisable prior to three months postnatal – and even then, only if there are no symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction present.

Three months. Not six weeks.

Why the “six-week clearance” isn’t what you think

I want to be gentle about this, because I know a lot of women have been told something different.

But anyone advising you to start running at six weeks because you feel fine is offering outdated guidance – not current evidence.

The Goom-Donnelly-Brockwell guidelines – one of the most widely referenced postnatal return-to-running frameworks used by physiotherapists and sports therapists across the UK – are clear that the muscles of the pelvic floor and core need to return to strength and function before high-impact exercise.

That process can take at least three months, and often significantly longer.

Feeling fine is not the same as being ready.

The pelvic floor is an internal structure. You can’t always feel damage or weakness until you load it.

I’ve worked with women who had no symptoms at all at six weeks and went back to running too soon. Months later they were dealing with prolapse symptoms, bladder leakage, or chronic lower-back and hip pain that traced back to returning to impact exercise before their body was ready.

It’s heartbreaking – and often preventable.

The warning signs to take seriously

Before and during any return to running, please don’t push through:

• Leaking when you run, jump, sneeze or cough
• A feeling of heaviness or dragging in the pelvis
• Pelvic or lower-back pain during or after exercise
• Vaginal bleeding that increases with activity
• A visible doming or coning in the midline of your tummy during exercise

Any of these are your body telling you it needs more time and more support before you increase load.

They are not things to push through or ignore. They are things to get assessed.

A realistic timeline for getting back to running

Every woman is different, and I want to be clear that these are guidelines rather than a strict rulebook.

Recovery is rarely linear.

But here’s a broad framework that reflects the current evidence and what I see working well in practice.

Weeks 0–6: Rest, recover and start gently

This is the time to focus on rest, sleep – as much as a newborn allows! – gentle walking, and beginning very gentle pelvic floor activation.

These initial exercises can be started as soon as you feel able after birth, provided there are no complications.

Think breathing, gentle core awareness and short walks. Nothing high impact.

Weeks 6–12: Build your foundations

From around six weeks, you can begin to progress to resistance-based work – things like Pilates for pelvic floor and core, alongside gentle strength training.

This phase is about rebuilding the foundations, not rushing back to your pre-pregnancy routine.

It’s also a good time to consider a proper postnatal assessment if you haven’t already.

Weeks 12+: Gradual return to running

From around 12 weeks, a graded return to running – perhaps using a structured walk-to-run programme – can begin, provided there are no pelvic floor symptoms present.

Start cautiously. Build gradually. And pay attention to how your body responds in the 24–48 hours after each session.

Some women feel ready at 12 weeks. Others need longer.

Both are completely normal.

A note for C-section mums

A caesarean section is major abdominal surgery.

For women who have delivered by C-section, it’s particularly important to pay close attention to abdominal strength and scar tissue before beginning a running programme – and a return to running before 16 weeks is generally not recommended.

What to focus on before you run

In my experience, the women who return to running most successfully are the ones who spend time on these things first.

Pelvic floor rehabilitation

This is non-negotiable.

Your pelvic floor has been through a huge amount. Working with it – gently and consistently – before you add impact is one of the most important things you can do.

If you’re not sure where to start or whether you’re doing it correctly, please see a specialist. Guessing is not good enough here.

Core reconnection

Deep core retraining starts with breath, not with obvious abdominal exercises.

Learning to breathe well and reconnect with your deep core muscles is far more valuable in the early postnatal period than crunches or sit-ups – which can actually make things worse if diastasis recti is present.

Hip and glute strength

Your glutes, hip abductors and hip flexors all play a crucial role in absorbing the impact of running and protecting your pelvis.

Strengthening these before you run can help prepare your body for the demands you’re about to place on it.

Soft Tissue Therapy

This is something I feel passionately about in the postnatal period.

Pregnancy changes your posture, your gait, your muscle balance and your connective tissue.

Soft Tissue Therapy can help address the tightness, tension and imbalances that build up over nine months, supporting your body as you begin to move and load it again.

How I can help

I work with postnatal women at SLS Therapy and I genuinely love this work – because the results, when things are done properly, are brilliant.

A proper assessment allows me to understand where your body is right now: what’s tight, what’s weak and what may need attention before you lace up your trainers.

From there, we can build a plan that’s specific to you.

Your birth. Your body. Your goals.

Soft Tissue Therapy can help release the tension that builds up during pregnancy and in those early weeks of feeding, carrying and not sleeping. It can also support the connective tissues that have been under load for nine months.

And if we identify something that needs input from a pelvic health physiotherapist – which is sometimes the case – I’ll always say so and point you in the right direction.

Getting you back to running well matters more to me than trying to treat something that belongs with another specialist.

A final thought

The six-week check is not automatically a green light for running.

Current evidence-based guidance recommends waiting until at least three months postnatal before returning to high-impact exercise – and only then when pelvic floor function is good and there are no symptoms present.

The foundations matter: pelvic floor rehabilitation, core reconnection, hip strength and appropriate Soft Tissue Therapy can all play a role in preparing your body for running again.

Warning signs such as leaking, heaviness or pelvic pain should never simply be pushed through.

And above all, recovery is not a race.

The women who give their bodies time to rebuild in those early months are putting themselves in a much better position to enjoy running for years to come.

You grew and birthed a human being.

Your body deserves the same care and attention in recovery that it received during pregnancy.

Ready to get back to running – properly?

If you’re postnatal and thinking about returning to running, I’d love to help you do it well.

Whether you’re six weeks postpartum or six months down the line and still not feeling quite right, get in touch for a chat. There’s no obligation and no silly questions.

Book an assessment with Sarah at SLS Therapy
07904 900 383

Please always consult your GP or midwife if you have any concerns about your postnatal recovery, and seek input from a pelvic health physiotherapist if you have any symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Sources and further reading

Goom, Donnelly & Brockwell – Returning to Running Postnatal Guidelines (2019, updated 2026)
Royal Berkshire NHS – Return to Running After Childbirth
Physio-pedia – Current Guidelines and Recommendations for Postnatal Exercise
Runna – The Ultimate Postnatal Running Guide