Quick answer: After a cesarean, ACOG's guidance is to allow time to heal before strenuous activity and to ask your ob-gyn when it is safe to begin exercising again.

What ACOG says

ACOG's cesarean birth FAQ: "It will take a few weeks for your abdomen to heal." It advises: "Allow time to heal before doing any strenuous activity." And: "Call your ob-gyn right away if you have fever, chills, leg pain, draining or leakage from your incision, heavy bleeding, worsening pain, shortness of breath."

Source: ACOG: Cesarean Birth

ACOG's exercise after pregnancy FAQ: "If you had a cesarean birth or complications, ask your ob-gyn when it is safe to begin exercising again."

Source: ACOG: Exercise After Pregnancy

Committee Opinion 804 says exercise "may be resumed gradually after pregnancy as soon as medically safe, depending on the mode of delivery (vaginal or cesarean birth)". ACOG gives no specific week count for exercise after a cesarean.

Source: ACOG Committee Opinion 804

Questions about your own pregnancy, birth or recovery belong with your doctor or primary healthcare provider.

Related articles

• When can I start exercising after giving birth?

• Leaking, pelvic floor and prolapse after birth

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• Returning to running and high impact after birth

MOMDAY is not a healthcare provider. This article shares general information from public health sources such as ACOG and is educational only, not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk with your doctor or primary healthcare provider about what is right for you, and never delay seeking care because of something you read here. If you think you have an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.