Motherhood is athletic.

I would argue that unless you are a professional or olympic athlete, motherhood is the most athletic phase of your life. 

How is that true? 

Well, I don’t know many other seasons in your life that you will be lifting a 20-pound kettlebell off the floor about 25 times per day… 

Or carrying a 15-pound weight around all day. 

Or squatting while holding a 30-pound kettlebell in order to pick a toy up off the floor, multiple times per day. 

Or standing up from the floor while holding a 10-pound dumbbell. 

Or hinging forward anywhere from 10-20 times per day to pick up a 17-pound kettle bed from the crib, the changing table, or the bouncer. 

Or lifting a 10-pound car seat with a 10-pound weight in it every time you get into and out of a car. 

If you replace the word “kettlebell” with “baby,” I think you will see what I mean. 

Are you sold yet? 

Essentially, your baby is a kettlebell that weighs __ pounds. 

As a mom, you are constantly lifting, carrying, standing, bending and squatting with your baby.

All of the movements on that list are happening daily, some of them multiple times a day. And these movements add up. When you do them incorrectly, you’re putting increased pressure on your diastasis and pelvic floor. When you do them correctly, you are activating your core and strengthening your entire body. 

And the lifting and carrying doesn’t end when they turn 1… 

You will still pick up your toddler. And that kettlebell number will keep growing :) 

Subsequent Pregnancies

Throw in another pregnancy, and you are doing all of these movements plus managing your body’s hormonal and physical changes of pregnancy. During the time you are pregnant, you will have changes in how stable your joints are, in your endurance, and in the strength of certain muscle groups. All with a kettlebell that is continuing to grow in size. 

In fact, my second pregnancy is what broke me. I realized how truly weak I was when I was taking care of my toddler while in my pregnant body. And I had a LOT more pain in that second pregnancy, most likely due to weakness that I never fully took care of from the first pregnancy + the poor lifting and carrying of my toddler. And then postpartum, as I have been trying to heal my core and pelvic floor this second go-around, it has been SO MUCH HARDER. What a difference it would have made if I had focused more on using correct movement techniques and more on core and glute strengthening during pregnancy.

In summary, with subsequent pregnancies, not only are you CONSTANTLY lifting, carrying, etc, but you are doing it with CONSTANT hormonal and physical changes. 

Longevity

And depending on the number of kids you have, this could be your daily life anywhere from 1-10 years… 

You could be doing all of these tasks while simultaneously going through a cycle of hormonal and physical changes as you are going through the cycle of pregnancy, postpartum, and then back again. 

The longer I do pelvic health PT, the more I realize how much of a player these daily movements are in the success of a woman’s postpartum recovery. If we don’t fix how we squat, lift, and carry, then our core will not heal. Our pelvic floor will continue to be tight and weak. Our glutes will not regain their strength. Overall, my practice has become a lot less about giving postpartum women 10 exercises to do daily, but rather a lot more about teaching you how you move your body in your daily life. 

So, what is the solution?

First, have a lot of grace for yourself. Changing the way you move, stand, lift, etc. takes a lot of mental and physical work! And perfection is not the goal here. You are a mom. So sometimes, you just gotta pick that baby up fast! 

Second, there are two things to know: you can change how you move, and your body can heal. Here are some ways you can make that happen: 

1. Exhale with exertion. 

Meaning, exhale every time you do the harder part of a movement. For example, exhale when you pick up a baby off the floor. Exhale when you lift the car seat. Exhaling activates your deepest core muscle, stabilizes your pelvis, and prevents increased pressure from being forced onto your diastasis. 

2. Go see a pelvic floor PT in-person

Strength of the right muscles matter. And how you move matters. 

PT’s are the experts in movement and anatomy. This is what we went to school for, what we have doctorate degrees in. Pelvic floor PT’s in particular can help you learn how to move plus help your bodies heal. Having someone in-person teach you how to activate your core, treat your pelvic floor, and help you move makes a MASSIVE difference in the quality, and speed, of your healing. 

The best news is, if you do these movements with correct technique, breathing pattern, and core engagement, then you are doing a daily strength workout without having to set aside an extra 30 minutes every day and while HELPING your core and pelvic floor heal.

Motherhood is athletic. Let’s train for it.

If I can help you find a local pelvic floor physical therapist in your area, please use me as a resource. I do personally offer virtual consults which can be very helpful as well if you are not local and do have the ability to see a PT where you live. And if you are local to MS, come see me in-person, and let’s get you moving and healing! 

You were meant to flourish in motherhood.