I think it’s high time to scrap this idea of bouncing back, returning to your usual exercise regimen at 6 weeks or any notion that what you did before being pregnant is the goal after becoming a mom. It’s not helping anyone!
I get asked all the time by mom’s “ when can I ____ (insert favorite form of exercise)___ again” and that’s when I dive into my little dialogue about physical postpartum recovery going in phases and all women will go through them but everyone will progress at a different pace and some phases will feel like forever while some will progress quickly. There is no “right way” to return to physical activity in postpartum. Instead focus on finding what feels good, giving yourself grace, expecting a rollercoaster of highs and lows on the journey, and know that eventually you will find yourself in a place where your body becomes, for the most part, predictable once again.
Here are the phases of postpartum recovery that I speak about. Of note- I made these up and they are not based on any objective evidence or research. They arose out of a combination of my experience working with dozens of women and my own postpartum journey.
Phase 1- Rest
Yes, you read that right! The first phase of postpartum physical recovery is rest and it is the MOST overlooked and often challenging phase. Your body is healing from months of non-stop change, growth and an internal wound in addition to any other personal factor like a c-section or perineal tear. Rest is the best medicine in the first 2-4 weeks postpartum. At minimum you need 5 days in the bed, 5 days near the bed, and 5 days in the home. So unless you ABSOLUTELY need to leave bed or home, don’t in the first 2 weeks. If you do, return ASAP and lay down!
Phase 2- Reconnecting
When phase 1 simply becomes unbearable and you’re crawling out of your skin, you can begin to dip your toes into phase 2. Oftentimes women move in and out of phase 1 and 2 over the first 6 weeks, and that’s usually ok. The reconnection phase is all about getting oriented to your new body. The hallmark of this phase is gentle movement on or near your bed. I always suggest starting with breath then moving into simple movements that ease tight and stiff areas of your body. Restorative yoga postures are SOLID GOLD in this phase.
Phase 3- Testing
Phase 3 is the phase A LOT of women all out skip, but other than rest, it is super critical. In this phase, I suggest women begin returning to activities they love or want to do, but the focus isn’t on how well you do it. Instead, you focus on what your body is telling you when you do it then responding accordingly. The tricky part of this phase and the reason many women skip it, is because they don’t have the skillset to interpret what their body is saying. This is the BEST phase for working with a perinatal exercise specialist, like myself! I am trained by the best of the best in the postpartum recovery world and support women in safely returning to exercise while also learning about the postpartum healing process. This ultimately helps women hit their goals faster and with less risk of injury along the way!
Phase 4- Advancing
This is a favorite phase, but it’s also common for women to go from rest straight to advancing which can result in less than optimal results. By mastering each phase in order, you will stack the cards in your favor for a more linear physical recovery. Advancing is all about building upon what you learned in “Testing”. It’s about consistency and slow progression. For some women, phase 4 lasts months or even years and that is ABSOLUTELY normal. You can’t rush this phase and sometimes you might even need to pop back into testing mode for a period of time.
Phase 5- Strength and/or Maintenance
I blend this stage because it depends on each individual woman’s goal. Some women really want to build up strength, while others are content hitting a maintenance mode. For the mom’s striving for strength this looks like it may have before kids. It’s a phase where you know what’s working, you know how your body responds and now you’re really pushing it to bring about a specific strength or aesthetic goal. I say “go get ‘em mama”!!
A lot of moms on the other hand are happy to achieve a phase where they know what their body needs, they know how to make little tweaks based on how they feel AND they have a great routine they can stick to.
Either way, getting to phase 5 is achieving the ULTIMATE postpartum physical recovery goal!
What phase are you in? Feeling stuck and have no idea where to go next or what to do to get progress again?
Let’s chat… I might just have a few tricks up my sleeve. CLICK HERE to schedule a free consult call!
In Health,
Hilary
PS… PELVIC HEALTH ESSENTIALS 2.0 is coming! PHE was the course that started my online pelvic health business back in 2021 and it is getting a GIANT makeover! Hop over HERE for all the details and to PRE-ENROLL to SAVE BIG!
