Why the Six-Week Postpartum Mark is BS!
After giving birth, most people are told that they need about six weeks you will often hear that the 6-weeks postpartum mark is the most important. Six weeks is typically seen as the benchmark for postpartum women to be cleared to go back to regular exercise, sexual intercourse, etc., The question is, is six weeks really enough time to allow your body to heal after nine months of physical change culminating in a massive physical trauma or surgery? Here at Arancia Physical Therapy, we think that is total BS.
The truth is, everybody is different, every pregnancy is different, and every birth experience is different. Whether you gave birth vaginally or via C-section, your muscles, your fascia, and your mind experienced a lot of drastic change, and the recovery process should be taken seriously. Some women heal faster than others based on the birth and pregnancy experience, how many children they have had, or just how their body is designed. This all contributes to how you may be feeling at that six-month mark, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should immediately return to hardcore workouts or intercourse when you hit that mark. Take a professional athlete for example, someone who is in tip top shape. After an injury or surgery, do they get them right back to their sport without any therapies after a short period of time? Hell no. Do they get brushed aside with the saying “That’s just how your body looks and functions after an injury.” Hell NO. Why would this be the case for mothers? Although you may have appeared to have healed on the outside, your body is still healing on the inside- especially in the pelvic floor region. And if you are not healing properly, whether that is internally, externally, or mentally, you should not hesitate to contact your doctor to ask about pelvic floor physical therapy. The postpartum period comes with a lot of changes, and you should never hesitate to take advantage of all the help that you can get. Your recovery is the most important, because you cannot be expected to care for your child if you do not care for yourself first.
In Dr. Jess’s latest book Postpartum is Forever, she tackles the subject of postpartum recovery and why there shouldn’t be such a short benchmark or line drawn as to when a postpartum mother is considered “fully” recovered, as she states the following:
“The Myth: 6 weeks postpartum is a great time to return to running and high-impact
Exercise.
The Truth: It is widely accepted that many medical professionals, such as myself,
recommend waiting closer to 12 weeks to resume regular activities.” (Page 118)
It is important to note that this period of time can be shortened or lengthened depending on your own personal health and recovery journey, and it is shown to shorten your recovery time tremendously if you seek assistance from a pelvic floor physical therapist. It is understandable to want to regain some sense of normalcy and routine after welcoming a new baby, but it is just as important not to overwhelm yourself. It is a good idea to ease yourself back into things, so you don’t push your body before it is ready. As Dr. Jess explains in her book, “Think of pregnancy like an athletic event. At the end of the event, you may have an injury like whiplash or a really bad back injury that can take months or a full year to heal.” (Page 119). If athletes need to take certain drastic measures to ensure that they fully recover from an injury before returning to their sport, new mothers who have just given birth should be treated the same way. Pregnancy and birth are major physical and mental events, so it is important that you take the time to rest and recover fully, and to always listen to your body. After all, no one knows your body better than you do!
It’s hard to not succumb to the societal pressures of wanting to “snap-back” from a pregnancy. It’s even harder if your OBGYN clears you at the six-week mark. Our best advice? Listen to your body. It knows when something is not right. Many women get cleared by their doctors and wind up in our office months or even years later because they felt they had complications but the “all-clear” from doc made them think this was normal and that it would go away on its own. If you are feeling any pelvic pain, pressure, leakage, urinary frequency, constipation, pain with insertion, a feeling of heaviness, back pain, neck pain, or any other physical discrepancy, don’t hesitate to be your own postpartum advocate and reach out to a specialist who can help.
If you would like to learn more or are curious about seeking pelvic floor physical therapy treatment, please feel free to reach out to us here at Arancia Physical Therapy online, or by calling us at 401-602-7006. We look forward to hearing from you soon!