Life with the baby is finally getting into a rhythm. Then a sneeze hits in line at the commissary and you leak a little, again. Or you try your first jog in months and quit after a block because something feels heavy and wrong. Plenty of moms in Sierra Vista go through this, and plenty of them never mention it to anyone, not even their doctor. They figure this is just how things are now.
A Few Myths We Hear All the Time
A lot of moms wait longer than they need to because of things they’ve heard. These are the ones that come up most:
- “Leaking is normal after kids.” It’s common, sure, but common isn’t the same as something you have to live with.
- “Kegels will fix everything.” For some women they help, and for others whose muscles are already too tight, they can make pain worse.
- “It’s too late, my youngest is six.” We see moms years out who still make big progress.
- “My baby came by C-section, so I skipped all that.” Your pelvic floor still held up a growing baby for months, and that alone can leave it weak or sore.
What Recovery Can Look Like
Healing doesn’t happen on a neat schedule, but there’s a general shape to it. The first few weeks are mostly about resting, walking a little, and gentle breathing. Around six weeks, your OB will usually check you and clear you for more activity, and that’s often a good time to start pelvic floor therapy. From there, the work builds over a few months, as we add strength, then lifting, then whatever you want to get back to, like running, hiking up Ramsey Canyon, or carrying a sleepy kid in from the car.
What Happens at Pelvic Floor Therapy
It’s just you and your therapist, behind a closed door. Expect a lot of questions at first, like how the birth went, how often you’re running to the bathroom, whether anything hurts, and what you’ve had to give up. An internal exam can tell her a lot about how the muscles are working, but only if you want one, and saying no is totally fine.
Most of the first few visits are about breathing, believe it or not. When you breathe in, your pelvic floor should drop a little, and when you breathe out, it lifts, and after a baby that timing often gets thrown off. She’ll also feel your belly for a gap down the middle. If there is one, you’ll get specific core moves for it, and you’ll likely be told to quit doing crunches for now. Later on, we work on the stuff that’s been giving you trouble, like hauling the car seat out of the back seat, bending down for the laundry basket, and eventually a few jumping jacks to see if you stay dry.
Plan on a visit every week or two. In between, you’ll have a short routine at home, usually about ten minutes, because nobody with a new baby has an hour to spare.
If you’ve been putting up with leaking, pressure, or pain since having your baby, reach out to Modern Medicine of South East Tucson, AZ. We’ll help you feel like yourself again.
