These exercises can help a mom regain her strength after having a baby.

After having a child and going through a natural labor, I can see the desire to more fully understand body recovery from pregnancy.

Not only does your body need to recover from being pregnant, but now your body needs to be prepared physically to hold and grab your child.

I have received requests in the past to help a mother’s hips and/or back from hurting, because holding her child takes a toll on those areas.

So, let’s address some exercises that can give your body the strength and support needed to handle your little one:

RDLs: Romanian deadlifts are a tremendous exercise that helps strengthen the entire backside.

What’s great about RDLs is their ability to build hamstring strength, but also train your lower back to become strong and able to take on loads in various positions.

Begin by holding two dumbbells in front of your thighs. Keeping the weight riding on your legs for the duration of the exercise, push your hips backwards, your heels taking your weight, and bend over at the waist.

It is vital to keep a flat spine the entire duration of this exercise.

Rounding the back can be quite dangerous for your spine. Once your chest is parallel with the floor, come back to standing position.

Side plank with hip lifts: This is a great exercise that targets the transverse abdominus and obliques, and the outer glute muscles to help maintain strong hips.

Begin by going into a side plank position, shoulder over elbow, and keeping your body straight.

Next, drop your hips toward the floor, and just before your hips hit the floor, pop your hips back into neutral position.

Single arm farmer walks: Along with building strength for your grip and back, these help abdominals because of holding weight in one hand.

Begin by holding a fairly heavy weight in one hand at your side. Stand tall, keeping your torso perfectly upright. Then, walk a distance of, say, 25 yards. This will train the core to handle having more weight on one side of your body.

Give these a try, and feel your best when holding your baby.

Lisa Hilinski is a certified strength and conditioning specialist at Executive Personal Fitness.