Pregnancy is an incredibly strenuous physical event, there is no doubt about that.
But there is some confusion as to why issues that arise postpartum are so multifactorial and take SO long to fix.
And there is also some confusion as to why you might have gotten away with having one baby, but once you had your second baby, everything fell apart.
Let Me Break This Down
Given how incredibly severe compounding issues that may have started postpartum can become 15 years after having your baby, many of our patients wonder:
Is this simply some sort of punishment for being female?
First off, make no mistake that our culture is certainly not HELPING you figure out your uniquely female-related medical issues.
But Here's How I See It.
As a society, all genders are developing hip, pelvic, back, shoulder and poor abdominal recruitment strategies from the moment they start sitting all day long, and in chairs rather than deep squats.
So it's this sedentary pattern in one position that is creating problems in EVERYONE at a young age.
Then, we compensate for these issues with faulty patterning and mechanisms that are sure to break down into back pain, hip problems and pelvic floor issues overtime.
For some men, this could take until they are in their 40's or older to really manifest, depending on how active and hard they are on their bodies (but they will).
But for women who are going through pregnancy, there is very little room for these faulty movement patterns.
Because women go through pregnancy, they need to be far stronger and healthier than men need to be in order to avoid manifesting serious issues in their childbearing years that can compound later on in life.
It Looks Like This
You develop movement dysfunctions through early adolescence due to sitting, injuries, repetitive sports, etc.
These issues are covered up by your body compensating so well that you never know you have them.
But then you get pregnant, and pregnancy requires an enormous amount of core strength and hip mobility that you might not have.
So then all of your issues are pushed to the surface. But it wasn't just pregnancy that caused them. Pregnancy just exacerbated them and pushed your body over the edge where it could no longer compensate pain-free.
And that's just the pregnancy. That doesn't actually include birth injuries or traumas that are actually NEW injuries to your body.
This is why postpartum rehabilitation can take over a year of intentional, consistent work to actually heal your body fully of pregnancy and birth related issues, AND restore your movement mechanics from the rest of your life.
If you do not address your issues postpartum, they will compound and become serious, serious problems down the road.
Now is the time to fix it.
What If I Feel Fine Postpartum?
In the instance that you actually feel amazing and strong after having a baby, fabulous! Good for you!
I would still recommend seeking out pelvic floor physical therapy for a few sessions just to make sure you have restored good movement mechanics and won't have issues throughout your subsequent pregnancy, or 10 years down the road.
If you are postpartum and wondering how to heal, make sure you book a session with us through this link today!
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