The day I came home from the hospital after having my first son a little over 4 years ago I remember being really excited that I could actually comfortably clip my toe nails without a huge baby belly in the way. But, that wasn’t the only thing that felt different.
As I started to ease into activities of daily living and eventually into my workouts I couldn’t believe how different everything felt. It was like I was living in a stranger’s body. My insides felt weak. My hips moved differently. Exercises that once came naturally to me felt completely foreign.
I remember attempting barbell deadlifts for the first time postpartum and actually taking a time out break to cry because of how crowded my hips felt in the bottom position when they didn’t feel that way before, not even during pregnancy.
What a lot of people have never been told is that this is completely normal. When you have a baby you essentially have three bodies in under a year - your pre-pregnant body, your pregnant body and your postpartum body. That is A LOT of change in just 9-10 months or less!
Especially toward the end of your 3rd trimester of pregnancy you have a lot of pressure in the middle of your abdomen that helps you feel strong and stable while doing certain exercises. But after that baby comes out, it’s just gone! Wrap your mind around that for a moment. Postpartum is a very crucial healing time that requires rebuilding and restoration in order to get our bodies to move the way that we want them to. To expect to jump right into the workouts you did before without any problems or issues is kind of unrealistic.
Not only is your core in need of some restoration but your pelvic floor is, too. There is a lot of downward pressure during pregnancy and birth. And sometimes this can create some issues postpartum that need to be addressed like incontinence, having a tight pelvic floor or needing to strength your pelvic floor.
With some expert guidance from fitness professionals who specialize in pre- & postnatal training and a pelvic floor physical therapist you CAN go from feeling like you are in a stranger’s body to starting to feel strong and confident again. As it so happens, that’s what we do. Let us help! Contact us at info@thepushfitness.com to get started.
Jill