My Postpartum Journey

Being a pelvic health PT did not exempt me from postpartum pains and challenges. 

I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs, aches, pains and discouragement. 

But, what it has done for me is help me know that:

• My body is not broken. It’s going through a process. 

• A bad day or a bad workout does not mean I’m going backwards.

• Progress will be up and down for a while and that’s okay- the general trend will be up.

• Some pain can and should be pushed through. 

• Other pains should be heeded and addressed.

• Pelvic floor recovery is not just physical, these muscles hold onto emotion and need to process the birth.

• Fitness doesn’t look the way it used to because life doesn’t look the way it used to- there’s beauty in that but it’s still a big adjustment. 

• Recovery takes a lot longer than 6 weeks. 

I am now 8 months postpartum and feeling about 80% recovered. I’m back to surfing and it feels pretty natural again. I can run about half the distance of what I could before I got pregnant. My pelvis still feels a little creaky but it’s not holding me back and gets better each week. 

I knew this was going to be a long process. So I got to spend the past 8 months enjoying the small wins rather than worrying over them or being disappointed that I didn’t bounce back in 6 weeks. 

My knowledge as a pelvic PT allowed me to know that this process is NOT smooth sailing no matter who you are. BUT, it can be enjoyable even in rough seas when you remove fear and have realistic expectations that are optimistic yet humble.