The first six to eight weeks postpa

The first six to eight weeks postpartum are meant for rest and recovery with gentle core restoration work added at a gradual pace. A pelvic floor physiotherapy assessment around six weeks postpartum is recommended for every woman regardless of how you gave birth. This is an overlooked aspect of women’s health that should be the standard of care and a man-datory piece of prenatal and postpartum healthcare. The traditional belief is that at six weeks postpartum women can get the green light to go back to regular activities. Currently, women take this as a thumbs up to start running or get back to the CrossFit box. The postpartum body is simply not ready for the demands of activities like running and full scale CrossFit at six weeks postpartum and may not be until around four, six, or even 12 months postpartum. Your pelvic floor physiotherapist is an essential part of your health care team and should be the one to give you the green light for a return to more intense activities. This is an escape from current norms, but as word gets out about the importance of pelvic health, more and more women are choosing to be proactive in their pregnancies and are honoring the need to recover. The hopes are that the increasing rates of incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse will start to retreat and we will see women feeling strong and confident in their postpartum bodies instead of feeling weak and broken.