Hi, I heard that baddha konasana is contra-indicated in women who have recently given birth. Can someone explain why this is?
I haven’t heard that. I do know that it is actually beneficial to pregnant women though.
The short answer is, the post-labor hips are returning to a normal position and baddha konasana is a very “open” position. I think a few months is the normal time frame to wait after birth. Of course, I have no personal experience. 
I hope this helps.
Paul
Baddha konasana (bound angle pose) is a wonderful asana to use during pregnancy, and up to delivery, to support the apana prana vayu (the downward moving prana vayu) and to support the vata dosha. On the annamaya kosha, this posture strengthen the hip flexors, sartorius, glut medius, and external hip rotators. It stretches hip adductors. All wonderful to support that external rotation and openness needed to prepare the hips and sacrum for birth and to move that baby safely out. The drishti of baddha konasana is on the 3rd eye, which is also the spiritual heart; this builds love with a kapha-type quality to it–a steady and readied love prepared to deliver the baby in the face of great pain or fear.
Many women will be vata provoked immediately after their delivery and possibly for many months to follow. To name just a few issues, vata provocation can result in postpartum depression and low milk production for some women. Immediately after the birth, and for 42 days after, the ideal is to strengthen the kapha dosha and vyana vayu while pacifying (and lessen) the vata dosha and the apana vayu. Now that the baby is delivered, the effects of baddha konasana on the apana vayu and vata dosha are no longer desired, since the need now is for the uterus and bladder to move upward and back to their home, for the hips to return to an ideal openness for walking and carrying the baby on the outside of the body. Baddha konasana builds vata, but the need now is to support kapha. The kapha dosha needs to be strengthened to produce ojas-rich milk, for the rematrixing of ligaments, a heighten sense of smell (keeps baby and family safe from spoiled foods, fire, dirty diapers, etc), the ability to keep going even when sleep deprived, and a steady and protective motherly love.
Reading through this reply, I realize there is much to share on this subject and that I have been incomplete in my reply. If you are interested, Martha Oaks was the AyurDoula program creator at the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda, the school I attended. You can find more on her program at Welcome to the Home Page for Sacred Window Ayurveda for Mothers & Children.
Best wishes for your good work.
I hope that Katgi, a Yoga Forums member who is a midwife and who has a center in Athens, will also add to this post.
Namaste
[quote=Nichole;6069]I hope that Katgi, a Yoga Forums member who is a midwife and who has a center in Athens, will also add to this post.
Namaste[/quote]
hello,everyone!
your thoughts are very interesting on the matter. I think that badha konasana is not a contradiction for women after birth. through pregnancy and labour they have done such a good work on working this area and its a pity to return to their fears of opening. badha konasana gives a sense of opening to the muladhara chakra and releases the apana energy.This means that the woman after birth comes out more grounded,more confident and ready to take up her responsibilities.
In reality not all women breastfeed but in their practice after birth they should do a lot of inversions for energising the brain glands to release hormones for the uterus to come back to its place and shrink. but one has to balance it with the grounding exercises.
Very interesting! Thanks for posting that. 
[quote=katgi;6083]
In reality not all women breastfeed[/quote]
This was a excellent reminder for me. I was very much writing my reply with breastfeeding and milk production as the ideal. All of my training is such, and, after thinking about, I haven’t actually had a client, student or friend who hasn’t had this as their ideal postpartum plan. Though for each, it was a personal journey.
It is very good to have my view re-widened and I apologize for being exclusionary. Thank you for the reminder!
From sitting position with both the legs outstretched forward, hands by the sides, palms resting on the ground, fingers together pointing forward, the legs are hinged at the knees so the soles of the feet meet. The legs are grasped at the ankles and folded more until the heels reach the perineum. The knees remain on the ground, the body erect and the gaze in front. The asana is held before coming back to the starting position. The thighs are stretched with care.