Childbirth groups angry as new mothers are advised to exercise

Childbirth groups have reacted angrily to advice that new mothers should take two hours of exercise a week and avoid using screens before bedtime in the three months after their baby's birth.

- Denis Campbell

Mumsnet, the social network, said the recommendations - which also include daily pelvic floor exercises - "seem wildly optimistic about what looking after a newborn entails".

And NCT, the parenting charity, said new parents could come to harm if they undertook the physical activity advised and could find the sleep advice "overwhelming".

The groups were responding to guidance drawn up by an array of doctors and researchers, who based it on their analysis of 574 previous studies involving new mothers' health.

The Canadian experts, whose guidance is published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, concluded that following their recommendations would improve mothers' physical and mental health. They say that from as soon as their child is born, mothers - unless there is a physical reason they cannot do so - should:

Do at least two hours of moderate to vigorous exercise a week, such as cycling or brisk walking, spread over four or more days.

Do pelvic floor muscle training daily.