Moms, when were you back in the saddle after baby?

[SugarCubes]

I still have halfway to go but haven’t been able to ride in almost 4 months My horses are home, so at least I get a daily horse fix. Already dreaming of my first ride back after baby!

I know it’s SO individual and dependent on so many factors, but how soon were you back to riding? How did you find time with a newborn?

My mom and MIL have offered to help out and my husband will help when he can, he travels more than he’s home though which makes it tough! Would love to hear how other people made it work!

[MadTrotter]

I had a c-section so it was 6 weeks before seriously riding. I admit to gingerly walking around on my old tank a bit.

Recovery aside, if I could find a couple hours here and there when kiddo was napping and someone else could watch, I got to ride a few times a week in the first few months. 6 months onwards I had pumping figured out to the point where I could leave some milk pouches for a sitter.

This was right before the pandemic so that wasn’t a factor at the time.

There are a bunch of threads about riding and pregnancy/postpartum

There were a handful of people who rigged up systems where they left their newbies somewhere in the barn area but I admit I don’t have that level of risk tolerance!

[Obsidian_Fire]

2 weeks. Soon as I had my checkup, could not wait. But, I had a normal birth, no complications or anything.
As for baby, I put him in carrier nearby where I could see/hear him but safely out of the way. And he was asleep.
With my second one, he ended up in the hospital at 2 weeks old, so honestly I don’t even remember when I got back on. It was the last thing on my mind.

And yes, if you search there are some threads on this subject! There are many ways to work this out, depending on your situation.

[exvet]

I was also back in the saddle two weeks after delivering each of my children. Fortunately both my pregnancies and delivery experiences weren’t extreme and I continued to ride through my pregnancies which probably helped with me returning to riding soon after delivery.

[ladybugsbw]

Congrats OP!
Y’all’s answers made my day. I have three months to go and I am OVER IT. I’m ready to ride and to not be in constant back pain. I can’t really say how over it I am. This may be a one and done deal…

[sophie]

@exvet

I was also back in the saddle two weeks after delivering each of my children. Fortunately both my pregnancies and delivery experiences weren’t extreme and I continued to ride through my pregnancies which probably helped with me returning to riding soon after delivery.

Same. I kept riding while pregnant as long as I found it comfortable so about to the 8th month maybe - but I stopped jumping after my 1st trimester. I was back in the saddle 2 weeks after delivery, with each baby. My mare was a solid citizen, though. A bit hot but no spookiness or nastiness of any kind.
Funny fact - all through my pregnancies, she stood like a rock for mounting and dismounting. After I gave birth, she was back in her “let’s GO!” mode when getting on.

[She_s_Pure_Gold]

I’m always amazed at the folks who were able to get back in the saddle so quickly post-delivery. For a different perspective, I think it was probably 6+ weeks before I was in the saddle again, and honestly, between exhaustion and time (returning to work, and baby was a terrible night sleeper for over a year), I think I rode maybe a dozen times in my son’s first year, and that was with having my horse at home. I free leased my horse out to someone else so he still got attention and some exercise, but it wasn’t until the following year that I got back to riding in earnest.

Other caveats- We don’t have family close by who were able to swing by and watch baby for an hour or 2 while I rode, baby was not the type to tolerate just being set down in a stroller or pack and play while I rode, and with daycare costs, extra $ for a regular sitter wasn’t an option. So, depending on your network and budget, that may be easier for you.

Another consideration- baby is only small for a short time, they grow fast, so you may not want to spend as much time away.

[luvmyhackney]

I started jogging (driving) my horse at 1 week, but didn’t ride for 12ish weeks. I had a ton of body soreness and horse at the time was safer to jog vs ride.

[joiedevie99]

Mine stayed in full training, so at two weeks pp I started getting on just to cool out after training rides. I also rode through month 7/8, so it wasn’t a massive shock to the system. I wasn’t doing full rides/lessons until more like 6-8 weeks.

[BeeHoney]

So many factors here. I had c-sections and started riding at 6 weeks postpartum. I think it helps a lot of you are able to maintain some level of fitness doing other activities while pregnant. If you are unable to be active, it’s going to take some time to get that fitness and core strength back, but it will happen! Also, I think it makes a difference what your horse has been doing while you’ve been off. It’s really helpful if your horse has been put back into work by someone else prior to you getting back on. Nothing worse that being an exhausted new mom finally getting an hour or two to herself to go ride and the horse acts like a feral cow.

[B-burg_Dressage]

Congrats! I just had my little one at the beginning of April. I had some very significant tearing, and then some follow-up issues with healing that required treatment. So I wasn’t on until 6 weeks. And wasn’t on without pain until about 8 weeks.

I had to quit riding at 5 months pregnant due to pelvic pain, so I’ve been coming back pretty slowly and only now (just shy of 4 months pp) am I starting to feel any semblance of where my horse and I used to be. Some days I still feel like a blob with no core. (I did walk, do yoga, and some spin bike but adjusting to the postpartum body is no joke.) Thank goodness he and I have been together long enough that I have no concerns about feral horse days.

I am able to carve out 4 rides each week. I could definitely fit in more, but haven’t felt the need. I do WFH and have gone down to 35 hours/week at work–both things that make my life way easier. I am always impressed by folks who are able to ride and watch their baby at the same time, but that’s not me. I know as soon as I got on, he’d wake up from his nap or get tired of playing on his mat, or whatever else. So DH and I make it work. It also helps that my horses are kept at home, so I can do chores and ride in just an hour and a half.

Good luck and give yourself grace. Post partum is HARD.

[Widget]

I agree with @BeeHoney on maintaining a level of fitness while pregnant. I was very active through my pregnancy walking 30 minutes 5 days a week and going to the gym. I was riding 2-3 horses 3-4 days a week before I found out I was pregnant at 27 weeks (yes, my daughter was quite a surprise).

I rode my horse (walking) 8 days before I went in for my scheduled C-section. I would have ridden her closer to the surgery date but we had a bit to tidy up or finish before my daughter came home. I was back on (walking) 6 weeks after. I think I could have gotten back on sooner but since I wasn’t supposed to do stairs, mounting seemed like it wasn’t a good idea either.

[EventingMaff]

@sophie

Funny fact - all through my pregnancies, she stood like a rock for mounting and dismounting. After I gave birth, she was back in her “let’s GO!” mode when getting on.

My mare was the same! I stopped properly riding around 5 months but continued to do “school pony” walks around the arena for mental sanity until 7 months. My 4 year old sensitive mare was the BEST babysitter. As soon as I gave birth, she was back to her diva princess ways.

I was back doing light 10-15 minute rides after my trainer had warmed her up at 3 weeks, full riding without trainer warm up a couple weeks after that, and felt completely myself again in the saddle around 7 months post-partum. Horse was a baby so I had her go into professional training the final month of my pregnancy so that we weren’t both coming off significant time away simultaneously.

I had an extremely straightforward birth and easy recovery though. We also had my MIL live with us for 4 weeks in those first 6 weeks so she would come with me to the barn while I rode. Once she left, I would beg for coverage from my mother during the work week or husband in early evening and skip dinner. When baby was 6 months old I was back at work and he had a nanny, I would often duck to the barn during the work day while nanny was on duty (thank you Covid WFH!) and then make up the time at night after baby was asleep.

[Angela_Freda]

I didn’t ride at all while pregnant, and had preeclampsia so exercise was not possible.
I was back on my horse at six weeks postpartum.
I think I overdid it, because I have adhesions…

I really didn’t slip much, in terms of being in shape enough.

As for people offering to sit.
They swear they will, but my mil did it once, was an hour late and could only stay an hour.
She would sit him at her house, but it was 30 minutes in the wrong direction to do that and again, she couldn’t sit him long, so it wasn’t really possible.

[alterblue]

I didn’t ride until 8 weeks postpartum, but I did have significant tearing during delivery so maybe that was part of it. I was happy I waited as I didn’t have any pain when returning to riding and I might have if I pushed it sooner.

I was able to ride ~2-3x a week during maternity leave, but now I’m down to 2x a week since going back to work. My mare is older and semi-retired at this point so it works fine for us as she does not need to be worked to stay sane and we aren’t targeting any goals. My husband watches the baby when I ride, I could not imagine trying to ride and watch him (but kudos to those who can!)

I did not ride my entire pregnancy as it wasn’t a risk I was personally comfortable with, so I totally get the itch! It will go by quickly and you might feel differently when your little one arrives - give yourself grace and have a plan in place in case you can’t/don’t want to ride again for a bit. I had a good friend riding my mare throughout my pregnancy and it helped a ton as I knew she was getting a bit of exercise and I didn’t need to worry. Congratulations!

[AllSport]

I was too tired to remember such things!!
We had the terrible infants not the terrible twos.

[kt]

8 weeks postpartum, but I had twins (C-section), hadn’t ridden my entire pregnancy and had been on bedrest for months prior to delivering (I am a small person, made it to 35 weeks). Needless to say, I was not fit when I got back on and yes my body felt different, but I was so grateful to be riding and outside my head that it didn’t matter. I was able to get on my friend’s quiet mare and go do a normal dressage school out in an open field and it was bliss.

We had no family in the area and my husband worked long hours, so my friend (and husband) just helped me find pockets of time. I would often show up at the barn with my boys and my friend would take over childcare, driving my Tahoe out to the field and feeding them dinner while I did dressage around them (my friend was and is AMAZING). Afterward I’d untack, pack up the kiddos and take them home for bath and bedtime, everyone tired but generally happy.

All that to say, you will find a way to make it work. It might not look exactly like it does now, but riding/horses can still bring the same joy in your life. Congrats!

[PNWjumper]

I rode up to the end with both of mine, but with my first I tore really badly, and the doctor who stitched me up was not very meticulous, and I had complications and pain for about 6 months. I think I was back in the saddle at the 3 month mark, but not comfortably until more like 6 months. With my second, I tore again (though much more superficially), and my doctor was absolutely meticulous about things. I didn’t have the pain I had the first time and was back in the saddle on day 3.

I had family around, but they were much less available than implied during pregnancy. So most of my riding in the beginning was done while hubby was home and then when the kids were a little older, during nap time. I would bring a baby monitor down to the barn with me and listen for kids while riding. They were both good nappers, so that helped.

And I will just add that everyone (and their mother) told me that riding would take a back seat to kids. Maybe it was just my stubbornness after hearing that so many times, but I rode more seriously and at the highest level in those years than ever before (or since - though probably fair to point out that having “the” horse helped that more than time/lack of time)