On collecting my son from school with my 3-day-old daughter in hand, I was warmly greeted with a chorus of “what a beautiful baby!” Sadly—and inexplicably—the congratulations were followed by comments about how large I still was! This prompted me to think about how I was going to go about losing the weight safely and slowly, while not compromising the health of my baby. I spoke with Robyn Wexler, director, co-founder and teacher at Yoga Yard, who enlightened me on two important issues new moms should be aware of before actively getting back into shape.

“Firstly, high levels of the hormone relaxin in breastfeeding moms can cause ligaments and joints to be looser than normal, potentially leading to over-stretching,” she says. “This is why I recommend that new moms focus more on stabilizing the body. Secondly, before going back to any exercise—yoga included—it is important to ask your doctor and/or your instructor to check for abdominal muscle separation. This is common among new mothers, and is a very important condition to understand and address properly and without delay.”

Assuming your doctor has given you the all-clear, then new moms may proceed with exercise—albeit slowly. “Yes, the faster you get back to your exercise routine the better,” says says Alona Vostrikova, founder and chief instructor of Alona Pilates Studios. “For example, if you begin exercising the first three months after delivery, you will get rid of the baby weight in approximately three months. If you wait one year, then it will take you around that long to lose it. But even then it’s best to start with soft exercises to give your joints a chance to recover.”

Wexler recommends waiting at least four weeks before starting yoga practice. “For a caesarean birth, we recommend waiting a minimum of six weeks. Everyone and every birth is different, though, so it is important that you listen to your body and move slowly and mindfully,” she says.

In other words, I still have a couple weeks to go before I should seriously consider my exercise regimen.

Classes at Yoga Yard are ¥960 for 10. Classes at Alona Pilates Studio are ¥1,600 for 10.