This is an exploration of the experiences of pregnant women who do capoeira - or who decide to stop doing capoeira. There was not much I could find to guide me when I wanted to know what to expect, just some anecdotes of very experienced capoeiristas who trained right up until the day they gave birth! 


But what could a less-experienced capoeirista expect? Would you have to switch to non-physical roles? If not, would training be harder to manage? How long could you keep it up? Would some movements be too difficult or dangerous? Are there pregnancy-specific aches and pains? What would the doctors and midwives say? And what would the physical return to normality after childbirth be like?

If you have any stories or experiences you would like to share, please get in touch! (capoeirakitty@gmail.com)

 ~

Wednesday, 9 September 2015

Postnatal capoeira


How long postpartum until you can go back to capoeira?

After a "normal" delivery, the accepted wisdom is that you shouldn't do anything more strenuous than walking until you've had your final check-up at 6 weeks (by which time your lochia has probably also stopped).

For perspective, for the first three weeks I couldn't stand or walk for more than 30 minutes once or twice a week, and after short walks I had to sleep. Energy levels picked up around 1 month. I was able to return to capoeira after 2 months, after the episiotomy pain improved.

I'm now training once a week and bringing baby along to spectate for the other classes. She loves the music! Here we are learning about pandeiros :)
What difficulties are there?

Lots of things felt different at first...

* Tiredness, lack of stamina
Loss of stamina was acute but has improved over a few months.

* Abdominal weakness
My separated abdominal muscles were very weak at first, and painful too. After 5 months I am finally noticing them get better. A lot of capoeira movements are difficult with compromised core stability - take care!

* Be kind to your chest
If breastfeeding, you need good support for your chest when exercising but not too tight... don't encourage blocked ducts.

* Painful joints
Joint pains are common after having a baby due to persisting ligament laxity. I found that capoeira mostly affected my knees, back and wrists. It seems that all you can do is go gently and strap up. The soreness will eventually get better as long as you avoid an injury during the hypermobile phase! On the NHS you can self-refer to a physiotherapist for free help.



When will you feel 'normal'?

I'm starting to feel like my old self after 5 months, but who knows if I'll ever be really normal again!



** Edit **

Exactly 6 months post partum, I got back my bridge! My back was stiff and painful for so long, I was wondering if it would ever return to normal. In training I avoided pushing it and took it really easy. After 6 months I tried a bendy sequence and although stiff at first, it limbered up quickly. Yay! <3
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1 comment:

  1. Unknown11 September 2015 at 01:21

    It was great hearing your experience - thanks for sharing and all the best :)

    ReplyDelete

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