Author: Dr. Whitney Phillips
The Miracle and the Gap
I have not yet experienced pregnancy and postpartum personally. However, I’ve had the privilege of working with this community time and again, and the awe of it all never ceases to amaze me. How the body transforms throughout pregnancy and recovers postpartum is nothing short of miraculous. As someone in medicine and an expert in anatomy and physiology, witnessing it from the sidelines is breathtaking.
The unfortunate reality is the lack of resources and guidance given to mothers throughout this life-changing experience. While I’m seeing increased awareness around supportive options during pregnancy, such as chiropractic care and acupuncture, little guidance around postpartum recovery is offered. There’s a common theme: Mom has the baby, and all focus shifts to caring for the baby. But what about the mother?
Why Postpartum Care Matters
In the medical world, after an injury or surgery where there are physical traumas or changes to the body, the next step is typically physical therapy or rehabilitation. The goal is to allow tissues to heal, regain proprioception and motor control patterns, and the ability to return to life activities. Pregnancy and birth are among the most profound transformative processes the body will ever undergo, so why isn’t postpartum care following this same approach?
For all my perinatal patients who see me throughout pregnancy, they’re not done once they give birth. In my eyes, they’re really just beginning the most important part of their care story: postpartum recovery.
The Stories That Stay With Me
The stories that sit with me most are mothers who now have grown kids and have dealt with pain and limitations since pregnancy. I strongly believe this could have been avoided with proper guidance and education around postpartum recovery. I can think of numerous examples from my practice alone: moms who started treatment for back pain without connecting that it began or worsened post pregnancy, some who underwent multiple spinal surgeries or still feel numbness around cesarean scars years later. Others have ongoing incontinence or bladder leakage and were told this is just a normal part of motherhood, often advised to do exercises like kegels which actually make symptoms worse.
Once we start a care plan focusing on intentional movement patterns and strengthening, significant positive changes are often noted quickly. The common sentiment is always “I wish I knew this sooner.” Pain, incontinence, and instability patterns should not be normalized as the life ahead for the postpartum community.
How We Help You Reconnect
Like all patients who start care at Move Better, we begin with our movement paradigms, helping you reconnect to your abdominal and pelvic area. We train how to reconnect with and engage muscles in the abdominal region to stabilize the trunk and pelvis, maintaining this stability through movement and loading patterns. Often there’s a lack of awareness and motor control in this area due to changes during pregnancy, and the body’s stabilizing strategy becomes inefficient.
The body finds other ways to stabilize the spine, involving compensating muscle groups that tighten and weaken over time, leading to pain. This instability can lead to disc injury and irritation, often from repetitive patterns like bending and lifting at the lumbar spine rather than loading the hips. If you’re a mom, how many times throughout the day are you bending and lifting while caring for your little one who’s continually growing? What damage is being created while you’re just trying to care for your child?
Changing the Narrative
I’m a huge advocate for changing the narrative around postpartum recovery, in hopes of making it part of every mother’s standard of care. I’ve seen firsthand how impactful education around movement pattern awareness and strengthening can be, regardless of where you are on your postpartum journey. The beautiful thing is we can make it a digestible and sustainable practice in your life.
We understand time is a valuable resource and no one is busier than a mother, but moms need to be taken care of too. You should not have to sacrifice for a life of ongoing pain and inability to do the things you want to do. We want to get you feeling like you again, maybe even better than you’ve ever felt. Shouldn’t that be the goal?
Choose Your Hard
A quote I think about often is “choose your hard.” The excuse might be you have too much on your plate or no time for exercises or self care because you’re taking care of everyone else. I understand this phase of life is hard. You have extra responsibilities, you’re sleep deprived and overwhelmed. But being in pain for years and not being able to keep up with your kids or do the activities you love is also hard. Which hard do you choose?