1.  Visit your doctor and get their seal of approval to resume physical activity.

2.  Work from the inside out. Take at least five Pilates classes to strengthen your deep pelvic floor muscles. You won’t regret it when you are the only one of your friends not dealing with incontinence and pelvic pain.

3.  Tell your Instructor you are post-pregnancy. If they are not aware then they cannot help you and modify your workout to make sure it’s appropriate and safe for you.

4.  Forget the celebrity weight loss pressure. Dropping all your baby weight too quickly doesn’t necessarily make you fit. It more often makes you skinny and weak.

5.  Hydrate! Even if you are not nursing your newborn staying hydrated is important for your body to heal and rebuild itself after pregnancy.

6.  Avoid exercises and movement that separate your legs wide apart for a minimum of 6 months, like squats, for example. The same goes for jumping and running.

7.  Wear a good sports bra and some breast pads to catch any milk that may leak while you workout.

8.  Focus on your breathing, alignment and working smarter not harder.

9.  Swimming is an excellent way to get your cardio in without excess strain on your body.

10. Stay motivated. Stay positive. It’s not all about the weight. Enjoy moving your body, having time to yourself and remembering how beautiful all of your curves are.

If you’d like to get in touch, you can email Natalya.

Visit her websites Pilates Body Workout and Pilates Mommy Workout.

Follow her on twitter @PilatesMommy and instagram pilatesbodyworkout.