# Running again after a baby

> Twelve weeks is a guide, not a finish line. What to check before your first run, and how to build up.

Sanne de Wit, 2026-09-30 · https://linen.themes.dev/journal/running-after-a-baby/

You will hear that you can run again at twelve weeks. For many women that is about right. For some it is too soon, and a few are ready earlier. The calendar matters less than what your body can already do.

## Before the first run

Try these at home. If you can do all of them without leaking, heaviness or pain, you are probably ready to start:

- Walk briskly for 30 minutes.
- Stand on one leg for ten seconds, each side.
- Do ten single-leg squats, each side.
- Jog on the spot for one minute.
- Hop on one leg ten times, each side.

## Building up

Start with walk-run intervals: one minute of running, two of walking, for twenty minutes. Add a minute of running each week. Run on flat ground at first, and keep the pace easy enough to talk.

## Signs to stop and ask

Leaking, a feeling of heaviness or dragging, or pain in the pelvis or lower back during or after a run. They are common, they are not something to push through, and they usually get better with a few weeks of targeted work. Book an intake with a pelvic physiotherapist; you can bring the baby.