Who better than Laure Manaudou , Olympic swimming champion and young mother, could give us all the advice to get back to the water after pregnancy ?

Why swimming is the ideal sport after a pregnancy?
Swimming is the sport with the least impact. In the water, we are a little weightless, like in a bubble. Also, it is the most complete sport, where one is least exposed to the risk of injury.

Precautions to take before starting?
Before resuming any physical activity, after a pregnancy, you must first think of strengthening your perineum. Then we can tone his abs which also loosened during these 9 months.
It is sufficient to ask his doctor for a prescription for postnatal rehabilitation sessions that can be performed with a physiotherapist or a midwife. They can then give them a small list of specific exercises to do at home. Personally, it took me 6 months after the birth of my daughter to reinforce mine.

When we want to resume the sport smoothly, at what pace should we practice swimming?
There is no point in doing too much! 30 to 45 minutes twice a week is not bad. The important thing is to be consistent in the effort. It is better to swim 500 meters several times a week than to do a lot and to space the pool passages too much.

Breaststroke, crawl, butterfly ... what swim do you recommend?
It depends if you want to wet your hair or not. The breaststroke is perfect for those who do not wish to damage their blow-dry (laughs!) . Otherwise, there is not really a swimming that is better to resume the sport smoothly. On the other hand, I advise you a small simple exercise: with a board, arms in front and palms with the feet, make lengths. Very effective for strengthening the legs and buttocks.

Do you think it's useful to take private lessons to get started?
Swimming lessons are handy for teaching children to swim but it is not essential to get back in shape. Except perhaps 1 or 2 courses to learn to place your breath ... so to swim longer. More fun than private lessons: go to the pool with friends to get motivated!