So many painful and uncomfortable postpartum body issues are considered normal.
They are chronic issues. And society tells women they are a normal part of “becoming a mom.”
Well I call BS.
There is a difference between issues that are common, meaning many women experience them, and issues that are normal, meaning they are a necessary byproduct of the birth and delivery process.
Many of the COMMON issues women are experiencing CAN and SHOULD be corrected by proper rebalancing of the postpartum body.
Check out our list of postpartum issues that are COMMON..but not normal.
Pelvic floor dysfunction… in other words, you are leaking pee:
We hear this all. the. time. This has become a joke in our culture. Many moms will say it’s just a ‘normal’ part of postpartum life. “Oh, you had a baby? Well…have fun on the trampoline!” Leaking urine during the course of daily life isn’t a joke. In fact, it is a sign that your body isn’t working properly. It’s a sign that your body is not handling the load you are putting on it and is in fact a warning that your pelvic floor is not working properly. So while this is a common issue, it should not be a normal way of living once you are out of the immediate postpartum, healing, phase. Learn more about this issue (and ways to minimize leaking) right here.
Weak Vaginal Wall Muscles…aka your tampons are falling out:
If you have the sensation that your vagina can’t hold tampons or your menstrual cup in, or if they feel unstable or just ‘not right’, this is a sign that the musculature in this part of your body is weak and needs to be strengthened. Pelvic floor physiotherapy is commonplace in some counties (bonjour, France!) as a way of retraining these muscles to work properly so these annoying issues go away.
Unstable core making you feel like Raggedy Ann or a limp noodle:
When I first went back to work after having a baby, my boss, and friend, noticed that I was always collapsed in my chair, leaning over the office table. I looked and FELT like Raggedy Ann because I was incredibly weak in my core. If you just had a baby, this is normal. Those muscles will take some time to recover. But if you are a few months or even years out from baby being born and still feel like a limp noodle when sitting upright or have a hard time staying upright for any length of time, this is a sign that that you haven’t recovered your deep core strength. The Heal Your Core With Yoga program can help you with this!
Tight back muscles…feeling old before your time:
Nothing like a chronically achy back to make you feel old and creaky. The paraspinals, back muscles that line the spine, become overworked and tight when the core is weak. The back muscles start doing the work for the core when it slacks off. Retraining and strengthening the core lets those back muscles relax a bit and release their iron grip. Back tightness and the sense that you always need to stretch those tense muscles will ease as we bring the core back into balance. P.S. If you wake up every morning with back pain, check out this quick video tip.
Neck and shoulder discomfort:
The tightness and discomfort you feel in your neck and shoulders may not seem related to the changes of pregnancy, but there are chain reactions occuring your body that creep all the way up to the top. Think about nursing, rocking and holding a baby in the post-partum period. Now, add to this the fact that most women are not breathing properly after having a baby, and have muscles compensating for the weakness in their noodly core. Together, these lead to tension and tightness. For three simple ways to reduce neck and shoulder tension, head here.
If you are struggling with any of these issues, know that you are NOT alone.
We work with women every day to help them strengthen and rebalance their postpartum bodies.
We’d love to help you heal too. Check out our free trainings below.
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