The Worst Part of Postpartum Recovery and How To Avoid It

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Postpartum recovery isn’t a pretty picture, and there are some not-so-fun aspects to healing and getting better. I personally have been through three births now, and three recovery times. In all my postpartum healing seasons. I have determined what I think is the worst part. This part is the most uncomfortable and scary. It is the aspect where your body feels totally weak and unlike your body. To me, this is even more frightening than postpartum intercourse (which freaked me out after all my babies!), the postpartum period (not so fun), or the 6-week check-up.

The weakness and unfamiliar body last for quite some time unless you properly strengthen your body. I wasn’t aware of this until I finally tapped into my Pilates knowledge and went through some physical therapy. Talk about shocking if you try to hit the gym at 6-weeks postpartum, and your body just feels like jelly with weak bones. It’s like you were given this new body that needs to learn to be strong again.

Well, turns out you can totally strengthen and prevent this from happening right away after birth. You don’t have to be weak and totally out of shape (I had lost all the baby weight and my muscle!). If you head into the correct and intentional pelvic floor, core, and overall body toning exercises, you can completely eliminate this feeling and go right into your fitness plan when your doctor gives you the clear!

First, you want to strengthen your pelvic floor and core the right way. I give you a full video and routine in my postpartum cure program because this is what really made a difference for me. Kegels are not just clenching down there!! I teach you the right way to breast and pull your pelvic floor muscles in, then cinch up your core. Here’s a great post on the best moves to strengthen the pelvic floor that I wrote to get you started.

Second, do a lot of walking. Try to keep your body active and moving as much as possible. It will help you overcome the immense fatigue from lack of sleep, as well as get your body strong again. I start walking as soon as I feel up to it. Usually a few days to a week after birth, but you can ask your doctor what they think. I can’t advise you medically, but this is just what worked for me.

Third, make sure you nourish your body and give it enough protein. I talk about protein for healing, along with other vitamins and supplements, and organic protein sources really give your body the building blocks to repair itself and maintain muscle. Healing protein shakes are my secret weapon to losing the baby weight and maintaining muscle, and I really noticed a difference in my last postpartum recovery period when I found this powder and fell in love. 

The postpartum recovery period is full of messy surprises that aren’t that fun. It is also a very serious time of recovery and adjustment for your body deserves time, attention, and nourishment. Feel free to check out the specialized program I made just for mamas to help steer them away from what I went through, and into their best recovery period possible.

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