Swimming post-partum...question!!!

[Ashelen]

Alright so my son was born 2 1/2 wks ago and I'm desperate to get back into exercise...and my doctor OK'd swimming "in a few weeks" when I was still in the hospital but he never specified....has anyone gone swimming 2-3wks post-partum and been fine? I'm barely bleeding anymore, a few spots every day but nothing steady..no flow whatsoever. I had 2 small stitches from an episiotomy but they're completely healed. I forgot to call before the doctor's office closed today and now they're closed for the weekend and I'm hoping to go swimming on sunday...it would be in my parents' pool which IS chlorinated and there are no strangers that swim in it so it's fairly easy to know that it's about as sanitary as any pool ever gets...my dad is also giving it a dose of chlorine tomorrow (saturday) so that it will be extra sanitized for us to swim on sunday...

any thoughts? i'm desperate to swim I'm a total water baby....but if it's gonna be bad news I'll hold off I just don't see any reason not to as long as I'm not still flowing blood??

[BTS1022]

I may not be the best influence lol, but here it goes.

As soon as I leave the hospital from giving birth....I use tampons, and IF I have been given some type of birth control...i'm usually sexually active about a week after I have the baby.

I never do the 6 week pelvic rest. In fact after Conner was born in October I went swimming just 4 days later. I used a tampon of course, and i'm still alive and kicking, with no long term issues.  I was honest to my doctor about it, and he said it wasn't that big of a concern. They tell you pelvic rest, because using a tampon can be painful for some, but if it isn't painful, then it's okay. As far as the 6 weeks of no sex...pfft yeah okay lol. My doc also said it's because women are actually more fertile 6 weeks AFTER they have a baby, and although the body needs to heal, it's usually the uterus and the abdominal muscles that need to heel....not the vagina.

So, I say go for it!! Especially if your not bleeding...I don't see how there could be an issue. Your cervix is fully closed 24 hours after you give birth anyways...so nothing can get in there and cause an infection.

[Ashelen]

thanks ladies...hmm yeah I guess I will call the L&D I think Sabrina's working there today (ironic, eh smj? LOL) and she and I got really close when I was in the hospital so I know she would be happy to hear from me...I'm so desperate to swim I mean would it be bad if I just got in and floated? I don't HAVE to exercise I just really want to swim like I said I'm totally a water baby and I would live in the water if I could...any type of water a bath, a pool, the ocean...*sniff* I'll call L&D later but in the meantime maybe someone whose done it will respond.

[smjmekg]

You could call a hospital/the hospital you delivered at and ask...it's worth a call.

[Michele, Katy, TX]

I would personally wait until I get the okay from your doc.  I know my mom told me that about 2 weeks after she had me, she decided that she wanted to exercise again too.  She said that caused her to start bleeding again when she had stopped.  IDK....I, myself, always wait for my 6 week pp check up to get the green light from my doc but I have heard of many that don't :)

[ammanda]

I dont think it would be a problem. as long as your not bleeding everywhere lol.  I personally didnt go swimming till like 7 weeks post pardom cause I bleed heavily that whole time, and I had a 3rd degree episiotomy.  But I think you'll be fine.. Go have fun!!