It’s been 6 weeks. Your check-up goes ‘well’ and you’ve been cleared to return to exercise. So you lace up your running shoes, head out the door (possibly pushing a stroller?) and go for your first run.

For some, all may go well. For others (many, many others!), there may be symptoms. The focus of this blog is to discuss a few possible symptoms. What is normal and what isn’t?

Peeing in your pants

Urinary Urgency

Pooping in your pants

Heaviness or pressure low in the pelvis

Difficulty keeping a tampon in

Pain

So...if I have symptoms, what should I do? There are many options!

Ignore them and hope they go away (not recommended)
Pretend Kegels can fix everything (also not recommended)
Give yourself ample time to heal and SLOWLY return to exercise (good advice)
See your Pelvic PT who will support your body specific to its unique needs (best advice)

As a pelvic PT, the advice is simple. New recommendations indicate that no person who has given birth should return to running prior to 3 months postpartum! Once you are cleared for exercise (at 6 weeks-ish), it may not be time to lace up those running shoes just yet. There is a graded and therapeutic approach to returning to impact activity.

As you can see, it is not as simple as just doing your kegels (you’ve heard this by now I am hoping??). The postpartum body is complex with lots of cogs interacting within the machine. A pelvic PT is the expert in helping you discover exactly which cogs need some love and support in order to optimize function and quality of life.

All women’s bodies are unique. If you would like to know more about how the above relates to your specific condition, email me here. Please also follow us on Instagram or join our private Facebook Group for a ton of free support on common women’s health concerns.

NEXT BLOG: Why I don’t (usually) Recommend Squatting During Birth

Seeing a physical therapist after spraining an ankle or sustaining an ACL injury is a fairly common practice for athletes and weekend warriors. There is a fault somewhere in the athlete’s system. It needs some TLC. If the athlete wants to obtain pre-injury level of activity (ie return to football or marathon running), physical therapy is important. Most people would concur, no questions asked.

And then there is diastasis recti, perineal tearing or c-section scarring. And hip pain, low back or SI joint pain. Women have just gone through 9 months of carrying and growing a baby. And the marathon or ultra marathon of labor and delivery. And yet, at our 6 week follow-up (6 weeks!?) we are told all looks good. You can resume life. And for some women, this is true. But for MOST women, it is not.

Many women continue for months (even years!) to experience pain with intercourse, pressure/heaviness in the pelvis (anterior or posterior wall prolapse), sneeze pee, pain with bowel movements and difficulty restoring pre-baby physical function. There is a fault somewhere in the woman’s system. It also needs TLC. Every woman deserves therapeutic guidance when it comes to reclaiming her body. After all, we wouldn’t blindly let an injured football player figure out his own rehab or even worse let him return to the game without any rehab.

WHY SHOULD POSTPARTUM PELVIC REHAB BE ANY DIFFERENT?

I have good news. There is a specialized physical therapist just for you, to help you navigate the aftermath of being postpartum. I believe every woman should see a specialized physical therapist after the arrival of baby (or even before). I believe every woman should know this is even an option.

Next Blog: Women Benefit from Seeing a PT Early in Postpartum Recovery

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