4 Things Every Birthing Person Should Know About Postpartum Health & Pelvic Health
By: Dana Solomon, MS, OTR/L, RYT, PCES
Did you know that most people get about 15 prenatal visits and only ONE postpartum follow-up?! There continues to be gaps in postpartum care. These gaps set us up for fear and anxiety or jumping back into things too quickly and injury because there is a lack of guidance. Here are 4 things I wish every single birthing person knew about postpartum healing and pelvic health.
1. Nothing magical happens at 6 weeks postpartum
There’s still A LOT of healing to happen. The good news is that this means there ARE gentle exercises you can do before 6 weeks. The bad news is that your body isn’t suddenly ready for ALL the exercises after 6 weeks. If you expected to feel like your pre-pregnancy self at 6 weeks and feel disappointment that you don’t - it’s not that there’s something wrong with you, it’s that it actually takes much longer. Be patient, it will happen.
2. There’s no “safe” exercise list
We all just want a list of what to avoid, unfortunately it’s not so simple. Movements are not inherently “safe” or “unsafe”. The better question to ask when it comes to movement is: How does this movement support my body as it is right now?
In general it is beneficial to start with postpartum movement that have a focus on:
Breathing
Reconnecting to the deep core
Foundational and functional movement
Signs that a movement or exercise might be currently too advanced:
You can’t breathe well during the movement
You experience leaking or increase in pelvic pressure/heaviness
You notice significant doming at your belly
You experience pain during or after the movement
Does this mean that these exercises are “bad” or “dangerous”? Probably not. But these are signs that what you’re doing is not doing your body any favors.
3. Kegels are typically not the cure-all solution
Learning to understand the ways that your pelvic floor muscles move and knowing how to coordinate them is important, but that alone is not going to fix your issue. It’s also not functional!
What IS much more likely to support your healing is:
How your whole core system is working together
Hip and glute strength
Managing pressure
How you execute functional movement
Your nervous system
Habits & Routines
4. Those with C-sections deserve support
A C-section is a MAJOR abdominal surgery that deserves the same (or more) follow-up care that we would give to a shoulder or knee surgery. Most who experience a c-section are sent home with a short list of instructions to not lift anything heavier than their baby and not to drive for a few weeks…and that’s it.
Did you know that pelvic health OTs/PTs can:
Support initial healing by teaching you strategies for positions such as getting in/out of bed
Teach you movement to support your core healing
Help with body mechanics for holding your body, pushing a stroller, and more
Do hands-on work to help your scar tissue
Want guidance on what’s a good fit for you in postpartum so you can get back to the things you love? Pelvic Health therapists can help!
Dana Solomon is a proud pelvic health occupational therapist and owner of Triangle Pelvic Health & Wellness. She is committed to educating, empowering, and advocating for birthing people to expect better - through navigating fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum. Diastasis recti and pelvic organ prolapses is not a life sentence for fearing movement. Sex should be pain-free and pleasurable. Leaking urine is not a part of motherhood. Her whole-person approach helps people build resiliency from the inside out, using intuitive bodywork, retraining movement patterns, and tuning into lifestyle habits and routines, to do the things you love without fear or doubt. Get Dana’s 20 page e-booklet, Postpartum Essentials: Guide to Healing from the Inside Out, for free here or connect directly by setting up a FREE discovery call.
Last medically reviewed on October 11, 2023