Pranayam (esp. Kapalbhati) after 3.5 months of c-section??

Question

Hello, Can I do Pranayam (esp. Kapalbhati) after 3.5 months of c-section? I've gained lot of weight esp. on breast (was wearing 34 B now wearing 38 D). I am really disappointed with my body. FYI, I am both breast feeding and bottle feeding my baby.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Congratulations on having a baby!

Wait for some time more, approximately one month more. Women with normal delivery can follow yogasana/pranayama schedule after 3 months of delivery, however, women who have gone through c-section should start after approximately four and a half months after delivery. I would recommend to start with morning walk from the new year on alternate days and naadhi shuddhi pranayama alongwith om chanting on regular days.  I do not know where you are writing from. If it is winter season on your side, start your yoga workout session at end of February next year as it is good time to start for yoga or any workout to let your body acclimatize. Meanwhile, you may focus on your diet in consultation with some qualified nutritional expert.

Further, you can measure as to whether you are overweight or obese by calculating body mass index which is measured by dividing your weight in kg by square of your height in metre.  I have mentioned below the table on classification of normal weight, under weight and over weight. If your BMI is more than 25, you need to work out on your weight using yogasanas and pranayama and some mudras.

As regards accumulation of weight over breast region, it is due to hormonal changes that occurred during pregnancy and post-delivery phase and these changes will automatically resume to normal phase after some time. I should suggest you to balance your workout and nutrition in such a way that feeding your child should not be compromised.

Since you are feeding your child, the suggestions are informative only and should be followed only in consultation with your family doctor and yoga therapist, who is expert in pre-natal and post-natal yoga instructions. You can also refer to the following books on post natal yoga:

• Post Natal Yoga (New Age Series)
• Postnatal Yoga for Beginners (Plucky Penguin Publishing)
• Pregnancy Health Yoga: Your Essential Guide for Bump, Birth and Beyond

After four and half months, you can start with brisk morning walks, sukshama vyayam or loosening exercises, light surya namaskar, yogasanas – Trikonasana, Tadasana, Vakarasana, Bhujangasana, paschmitonasana, shalabhasana, vajarasana, followed by light pranayama including light bhastrika and kapalbhati. I will describe if you intend to know more on these workouts.

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Classification	BMI(kg/m2)
	Principal cut-off points	Additional cut-off points
Underweight	<18.50	<18.50
Severe thinness	<16.00	<16.00
Moderate thinness	16.00 - 16.99	16.00 - 16.99
Mild thinness	17.00 - 18.49	17.00 - 18.49
Normal range	18.50 - 24.99	18.50 - 22.99
		23.00 - 24.99
Overweight	≥25.00	≥25.00
Pre-obese	25.00 - 29.99	25.00 - 27.49
		27.50 - 29.99
Obese	≥30.00	≥30.00
Obese class I	30.00 - 34.99	30.00 - 32.49
		32.50 - 34.99
Obese class II	35.00 - 39.99	35.00 - 37.49
		37.50 - 39.99
Obese class III	≥40.00	≥40.00

Answer 2

Please do not forget that your cesarean section is a major abdominal surgery.  This type of surgery takes longer time for recovery as compared to normal delivery.  It takes around six months to fully heal your incision..  Sometimes, after the full healing has taken place, some mothers feel some numbness in the area.  So, it is better to take rest as much as possible during the first few weeks at home.  The more you take rest after the surgery, there will be faster recovery.  Your abdominal muscles will take own time to regain their strength and flexibility. 

You can start gentle exercise to help the muscles heal. I think it does not require much understanding that you should not exercise immediately after the birth. Mild exercises can be started after 5-6 weeks. Some even take nearly 10 - 12 weeks to try doing exercises and generally, the doctors recommends 6 weeks at least. So, after recommended number of weeks, listen to your body and do not overdo and see if you have recovered and healing process is completed. Therefore, I think that one should go for lighter exercises and lighter strokes of Kapalbhati. In fact one can rather focus on other pranayamas - causing less stress on the abdominal tissues.