Post-Partum

IMG_3798Early pregnancy is often exciting, nerve-wracking, and filled with many different emotions.  Towards the end of pregnancy, most parents can’t wait for the baby to finally come out.  But soon after the hormone highs of labor wear off, reality sets in.

It’s not uncommon to think, “This baby is here to stay and just wants to be held and fed 24/7.  How am I ever going to get my life/body back?”

If everything has been going well post-partum, on average we recommend that the new mom come in 3-4 weeks after having baby.  No matter what kind of birth you had, your body went through some pretty major changes and getting a re-alignment can help improve any back pain, may help enhance your sleep, and may even help increase milk supply.

We check our post-partum moms to make sure their hips, pelvis, and pubic bones are returning to normal alignment, check to make sure there is not a diastasis recti, and address any lingering lower back pain or new neck and upper back pain related to nursing and sleep deprivation! Dr. Patel even has additional training in pelvic floor rehabilitation.

  • I started going to Dr. Long after I had my daughter - I could barely look up with my shoulders being so tight and stiff from new motherhood. I literally walked in and told her I felt like an old woman...hunched and having sleep issues from chronic back pain. After my first adjustment, I felt a million times better and could finally look up without pain. I still go to her at least 1x a month and wouldn't go anywhere else!

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    • P.L.
    • Post-partum back pain

  • I've seen Dr. Ploy, Dr. Long, and Dr. Yeager. They each have their own way but I love them all! I walk away with relief every time and feeling better to do my daily functions. Ms. Kelly is the fitness instructor and she's helped me so much with muscle training and balance after having my baby. With the whole team I was able to lose 17 lbs in the last three months! I couldn't have done it without them!!!

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    • J.S.
    • Exercise

  • Coming to West U Wellness has been life changing. Having doctors and staff that listen, that take what you say seriously, and care has been great. You don’t feel like another number. I’ve been here through two pregnancies and afterwards when I had difficulty recovering after the last delivery. They were monumental in helping me recover and getting me back to where I could do things again. I always recommend them to friends and to these with babies who may have torticollis issues or feeding issues as they were a huge help as well with my son. You couldn’t find a more well-rounded place.

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    • G.K.
    • 2 children

Frequent Questions about Post-Partum

The truth is there is no set answer.  We have had women desperately call us within 48 hours of having their newborns, complain of severe tailbone pain, SI joint dysfunction, sciatic, headaches, jaw, and upper back pain.  These symptoms are not unlike those that may occur during pregnancy, but most women are ill-prepared for how to take care of their bodies after delivery much less while caring for an infant.  Fortunately, the same hormone that helped to create some of these problems – relaxin – can actually be an ally in post-partum recovery.

It took 9+ months for your body to stretch out, grow, and give rise to a beautiful new creation.  Why, then, do women think their bodies will bounce back in just 4 short weeks?  For every celebrity flaunting her figure after having a child, there are at least 10 others hiding in their bedrooms turning green with envy.  The reality is that your hips and pelvis can inevitably return to their pre-pregnancy position, even without the use of special bands and wraps commercially advertised.  The thing that is most needed is time and patience.

The post-partum period is almost like this magical window back to days of yore when your body was young and flexible.  Consequently, we can do adjustments to help improve your posture as well as prepare your pelvis for subsequent births.  Because of relaxin, it is so much easier to adjust a woman at this stage and make real corrections before production of this hormone ceases (which typically happens anywhere from 5-6 months post-partum but could take longer if breast-feeding).

It should be noted that because of relaxin, it is also easier to injure yourself pre- and post-partum.  Therefore, heavy exercise is not recommended and when easing back into exercise, we advise to see someone with training and experience in post-partum recovery to minimize injury to the mother’s body.  This is one of the reasons why we offer this service (post-partum exercise) at West U Wellness.