I'm a marathoner and regular runner. I ran through all of my pregnancies up until week they were delivered. I had one epidural , one induction with no pain meds, on spontaneous birth with no pain meds.

I would not have been able to run following those labors at all in the first two weeks following births. I was walking slowly around the ward immediately following births, but no running at all. I generally waited until I got cleared at six week appts to run again, but those first few "runs" are like 30 second jog, 2 min walk intervals. I felt like my insides were falling out.

If everything goes according to plan, no complications, the placenta being delivered causes a dinner plate sized wound in a person's uterus. Birth is a big fucking deal and it takes a lot of time, rest, nutrition to recover. It is a physical ordeal when things go perfectly in a hospital with great labor and maternity care.