any exercise suggestions after baby?

I am currently 8.5 mos pregnant. I am planning on getting back into shape after the baby is born and once I am done recovering. What are some good exercises I can do at home while taking care of a newborn? I live in a small 500squarefoot one bed room apartment. I don't have any exercise equipment or room for any for that matter. The only things I have are one 5lb & one 10lb weights. I also have a few of those stretch bands and a dancing game with a pad thing. I just try not to use it because the stomping around makes my neighbors upset lol. I would consider walking around the apartment building but I dont live in a safe area. Any suggestions????

The best way to get a workout with a newborn is either DVDs or walking. If you can't do either of those, I would suggest a gym. However, most child-care facilities inside gyms won't care for infants under 6 weeks old (honestly, I wouldn't WANT them caring for my newborn).

Does your apartment complex have a gym? Every one I've lived in does. Maybe you could take your baby over there in a stroller or her car seat and work out while she naps.

Keep in mind that exercise isn't recommended until 6 weeks postpartum most times. It was for me, anyway, since I had c-sections both times. I think it's probably the same if you have an episiotomy or tearing that needs to be repaired. Take it easy the first few weeks :)

While I'm not a mother, I'm still going to chime in. With summer coming and your due date just around the corner, I would suggest walking a lot. Pop your lovely baby into the stroller and you get the benefits of exercise while lulling he or she to sleep. It will be great for both of you!

If your neighborhood isn't safe, are there any nearby parks or walking trails? I live in a suburb of Kansas City and we have a Parks and Recreation Department run by the county. They have a website that shows where all parks and walking trails in the city are. You may want to do a quick Google of "parks and recreation in (insert city here)" because walking is by far the easiest exercise to do with a baby.

Edited to add: I saw on your profile that you live in Washington DC. Here is the website I found that lists all the parks in your area:

http://dpr.dc.gov/dpr/site/default.asp

I clicked on the "Recreation Facilities" link and found all kinds of different parks.

Thanks for all the replies. I actually live about an hour South of DC. I don't know of any parks in my area other then the one in my complex. I just don't feel safe beacuse of the drug traffiking in the area. Believe me I am trying to move out as fast as I can!

There is a gym at my complex but I am not going to use it. When I first moved in it was free, but now there is a membership fee you have to pay.

I was thinking about getting a used treadmill if I can find a place to put it!

How about walking in a mall?  LOL!  Someone suggested that I do that once, and I'm not into that at all, but if you don't feel safe in your neighborhood, it might be a better alternative.  Plus, it's air conditioned, so you don't have to worry about taking your baby out in the summer heat.  :)

cecilyb03 has an excellent suggestion. There may even be groups of new moms that walk together (we have a group in my area that does that).

I think that going to a mall is a great idea because you can window shop at the same time! But you gotta stay away from those food courts~! Haha. That would be my only problem.

Original Post by gelahope:

I think that going to a mall is a great idea because you can window shop at the same time! But you gotta stay away from those food courts~! Haha. That would be my only problem.

Is it really a good idea to bring a newborn to a mall? at least right away?

Supposedly, you're not supposed to take your newborn out for the first 4-6 weeks. Realistically, give me a break.

I took my son out when he was 10 days old. We went out to eat with my parents. When he was three weeks old, we went out trick-or-treating. I took him to the grocery store, my daughter's daycare, my office, etc. within the first month. My life didn't stop when I had a baby so I couldn't either.

It's your decision and you should make it considering the advice of your pediatrician. I chose to ignore mine and my son is just fine :)

it was so hard for me to be confined to the house when julia was born.  i took her for walks around the block for the first two months.  I know that when I have my 2nd-  all that advice to keep them home just won't work-  i'll probably try to limit the public exposure- but reality strikes I think when you have your 2nd-  but I could be wrong since I only have 1!

I totally understand your dilemna. I used the Danskin Portable Pilates Studio (it's a padded bar with two attached elastic straps for resistance) once my Dr. had cleared me (6 weeks post-partum.) You can buy it at Kohl's or online several places. It's nice because it comes with an instructional DVD and you can pick and choose workouts and also adjust them easily based on how much intensity you want. The bar folds up small between workouts and you really only need enough space in front of the TV to lay down and spread out your arms. Once I learned all the excercises I would lay out a blanket, pop in a good CD, and get a good work-out without leaving the house. Great for between baby's naps. Good luck with your little one :-)

Original Post by bier:

Supposedly, you're not supposed to take your newborn out for the first 4-6 weeks. Realistically, give me a break.

I took my son out when he was 10 days old. We went out to eat with my parents. When he was three weeks old, we went out trick-or-treating. I took him to the grocery store, my daughter's daycare, my office, etc. within the first month. My life didn't stop when I had a baby so I couldn't either.

It's your decision and you should make it considering the advice of your pediatrician. I chose to ignore mine and my son is just fine :)

 Likewise. With my first I didn't know what to expect so I planned on staying home with baby for a while, but in reality, we took him to Wal-Mart when he was about a week old. It's not very realistic to stay at home all day long. First of all, you have things to do. Second, you will go NUTS with no one but a screaming baby around you.

Still think the mall is a good idea. But that's just my opinion. Good luck~

Original Post by ughfat:

Is it really a good idea to bring a newborn to a mall? at least right away?

My pediatrician didn't tell me not to take my son out, so I took him to the grocery store when he was 4 days old and to a rodeo when he was 15 days old.  Then the pediatrician mentioned at our 2 month old appointment that it was okay to start going out in public.  Oops!  I really had no idea as he was my first child.  However, nothing happened, and in fact, my son was never sick until his first birthday.  He was literally sick on his first birthday.  I would've cancelled the party except for the fact that he didn't show signs of illness until the guests started to arrive.  It was an awful day, but I digress.

I tried to stay home for the first couple months of my daughter's life, but it was very hard to do.  I ended up taking her to the grocery store and such when she was about a month old.  I really don't think going out in public is a big deal, but use your best judgement.  If it's flu season and everyone seems to have it, it's probably a good idea to stay home to avoid germs.  Our pediatrician told me that it's more important to limit the number of people that will be holding your baby since they can pass germs through direct contact, than to be too concerned about just being around other people in general.