Postpartum Myths - Busted! Part 1
Myth #1: ‘Bouncing back’ after pregnancy is a high-priority, health-based goal
Thoughts and feelings you or others may experience related to this idea
“The pace at which I am able to ‘bounce back’ or fit into my pre-baby clothes is important to the way I am perceived by others and the way I feel about myself.”
“I don’t feel at home in my body right now; I don’t recognize the way it looks or feels. I feel stuck somewhere between wonder at all that my body has accomplished through pregnancy, birth and motherhood, and feelings of frustration, shame or betrayal by my body.”
“The sooner I can adjust the appearance of my body, the sooner I can feel more like myself again.”
“Why am I not bouncing back as quickly or as completely as her?”
Exploring the pressure to ‘bounce back’
Because of the physical changes we experience throughout pregnancy and during the first six to twelve months after giving birth, these phases of acute and long term physical transformation tend to unearth the unfiltered and unmasked truth of our body image. We have the choice to either lean in and lovingly, bravely explore our feelings around our changing bodies, or to plow past them, and adopt the cultural and societal push to ‘bounce back’ ASAP. A new mother’s body looks and feels different because it has gone through a deeply transformative process, and this transformation is ongoing. ‘Bouncing back’ is a manufactured marketing ploy that has been baked into societal norms, and we have the option to receive something better and holistically healthier. It is unfair and unreasonable, after all, to expect that what took nine months to accomplish should be undone in several weeks or even months.
To clarify, this does not mean that you cannot or should not have goals for your body’s health, composition, and even appearance. Self-acceptance does not require complacency, but it does require that we become more mindful of the motivation at the root of our desires and goals for our bodies.
Strategies for breaking free from this myth
Notice and compile a working list of concrete, positive things your body has and is accomplishing during and after pregnancy, and in motherhood. Post your list on your bathroom mirror. Intentionally practice small moments of gratitude or appreciation here and there throughout the day for these accomplishments, trying to allow yourself to be impressed, even wowed, by your body’s capacity to nurture life.
Educate yourself on the deeply transformative process your body has experienced through pregnancy and postpartum recovery in order to be encouraged by how truly amazing your body is!
Remind yourself that every woman’s body is impacted by pregnancy and birth, regardless of what you see on social media, and that these changes impact each of us differently. If certain social media accounts or other inputs trigger or fuel unhealthy or undesirable thoughts or feelings, modify your consumption of those sources.
Which parts of your body are especially frustrating for you? Ask yourself what it sounds like to go from negative, judgemental verbiage about those areas, to neutral, judgement-free verbiage. For example...
Negative Thought: “I hate these stretch marks.”
Neutral Thought: “I was pregnant and have stretch marks now”
Neutral Thought with Positive Directionality: “I was pregnant and have stretch marks now because my body was my baby’s home.”
Touch can be deeply healing. With gentle hands, try touching the areas of your body towards which you feel frustration?
Have you been feeling motivated to diet or exercise? Cool! As you are making plans, check in with your motivation, and try to be mindful of what is driving your goals -- is the source healthy or unhealthy? Is it from a place of self-love or self-hate? Does it put wind in your sails, or make you feel inadequate, guilty, or ugly? Goals with unhealthy roots need to be re-evaluated.
Myth #2: Diastasis rectus abdominis is a huge deal, or (On the opposite end of the spectrum), diastasis rectus abdominis is no big deal at all
Thoughts and feelings you or others may experience related to these ideas
“I am feeling anxious or fearful about diastasis rectus abdominis, and I am really worried about the implications for my body, core function, and pelvic floor health.”
“I am going to hope for the best and trust that my body will figure it out.”
“I feel defeated, frustrated or saddened by my symptoms, and I need to learn to cope with them since they are normal postpartum experiences.”
“I feel anxious about or hyper-focused on the status of my gap.”
Exploring the misinformation around diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA)
So far, there is not a consistent, evidence-based protocol for the ways in which doctors and midwives discuss, screen for, and refer out for DRA for their patients and clients, in part because treatment of this condition falls outside of the scope of practice of these healthcare professionals. Meanwhile, these are the individuals women rely on most to communicate important information and make recommendations related to maternal health. This gap is challenging and problematic.
Research is helping us understand that DRA is a normal physiological adaptation during pregnancy as the body’s natural mechanism for accommodating the expanding uterus. In fact, it has recently been reported that one hundred percent of women develop DRA by the thirty-fifth week of pregnancy (source). This would suggest that DRA cannot be (and perhaps should not be) prevented during pregnancy, but it is believed, based on clinical observation, that expecting mothers can play an important role in mitigating the extensiveness of DRA through prenatal core training, proactively impacting their experience of symptoms during and after pregnancy.
DRA can be an aesthetic frustration, and can cause an array of symptoms during and after pregnancy (which absolutely can be addressed). Research and clinical observation indicate that, for some women, postpartum recovery from DRA is not automatic, and sometimes cannot occur without intervention in the form of deliberate, strategic action in the form of functional core training:
For many women, the linea alba remains abnormally widened at eight weeks postpartum and, in these cases, that same width is observed at one year postpartum (source).
Separation persists in forty percent of women measured at six months postpartum (source).
It is valuable to note that, beyond gap width, gap depth as well as tension along the linea alba (the connective tissue that joins the two sides of the abdominal wall vertically down the midline of the body) are worthy considerations, because they are indicative of how well the abdominal wall will be able to regulate intra-abdominal pressure and successfully handle loaded movement (whether during activities of daily living or exercise). Interestingly, research indicates that gap width can actually increase with quality core engagement (source): in other words, contrary to popular belief, gap width is far from the complete story when it comes to DRA.
Strategies for breaking free from this myth
Benefit from the collaborative, multidisciplinary input of a pelvic floor physical therapist and a certified functional movement + postpartum fitness professional, and get started in a customized functional core training protocol.
Schedule an evaluation with a local pelvic floor physical therapist. Hear from Katy Rush on the She’s Not Selfish podcast about how to choose the pelvic floor physical therapist who is the right fit for you (go to timestamp 18:52).
Learn how to identify and modify movements that are not currently well-managed by your abdominal wall (reference the helpful cheat sheet in the Getting Started module of our free course).
Myth #3: Once I am cleared for exercise at my six-week postpartum checkup, I can safely resume my prenatal or pre-baby exercise routine, or begin any exercise program
Thoughts and feelings you or others may experience related to this idea
“I feel fine and am anxious to get back to doing what I love, lose the baby weight, or feel normal again.”
“I was strong and fit before and/or during pregnancy, so my body doesn’t need a slow recovery.”
“No offense, but postpartum corrective exercises aren’t really my speed; while great for some, they’re not for me.”
Exploring the misinformation around returning to exercise after giving birth
Women do not often receive clarification as to what factors their clearance to exercise does and does not include: your doctor or midwife specifically is looking for contraindications and red flags (i.e., Is there any reason why engaging in exercise would be dangerous to your health? Are you still bleeding? Has there been sufficient healing of any incisions or tears?). These variables are of course gravely important, and yet, they are in no way indicative of the preparedness of your core or pelvic floor to manage various movements or loads. Understanding this distinction is crucial. Over the course of pregnancy, your body has progressively adapted both functionally and structurally, and these adaptations are not spontaneously undone. The body - particularly the deep core system - must be retrained, and this is needed even if you had a ‘fit pregnancy’ all the way to the day you gave birth, and if you were fit before pregnancy.
To help conceptualize this, think about a balloon filled with air. It’s taught and firm. Now, say you suddenly let all of the air out of that balloon. It immediately changes form and becomes droopy and flimsy, doesn’t it? After giving birth, the deep core system is like a balloon that, in an instant, has been alleviated of its air and no longer has the same structural integrity due to its changed contents. The point: every woman needs and deserves functional core rehabilitation after pregnancy.
Strategies for breaking free from this myth
Learn how to ‘listen’ to your postpartum body and interpret its feedback. Be mindful of your body’s response during exercise. For help with this, reference the helpful cheat sheet in the Getting Started module of our free course.
Assemble your team of postpartum experts! This may include a chiropractor, pelvic floor physical therapist, postpartum fitness specialist, registered dietitian, therapist, etc. Visit the Oh Baby! KC Directory for some wonderful, local options.
Myth #4: I need to strengthen my abs, and do more Kegels
Exploring the misinformation around abdominal wall and pelvic floor strengthening
Think about your car: in order to function, every single part needs to be intact and in good working order, and ultimately, it is the partnership and seamless synergy between the individual parts that make your vehicle operational. The same is true of your body: core function is a symphony, not a solo performance. In order for ‘optimal’ function to be achieved, mobility, stability and strength must be available both within and between the various layers within the core at the appropriate times.
So much more than ‘the six-pack muscles,’ your core is a multi-layered, dynamic system of muscles, connective tissues and bony and cartilaginous structures. This system is, by design, responsive to movement and load, and dysfunction and symptoms arise when the system is unable to do what it’s supposed to do, when it’s supposed to do it. Yes, weakness is a piece of this puzzle, but there are other important factors at play including muscle overactivity, compromised mobility, and instability. A high-quality program will systematically address each of these. This is part of the reason that simply doing a bunch of ab exercises or lots of Kegels misses the mark of what is actually needed in order to rehabilitate postpartum core function.
Strategies for breaking free from this myth
Practice the ‘Deep Core Connected Breathing’ exercise taught in Module 2 of our free course.
Benefit from the collaborative, multidisciplinary input of a pelvic floor physical therapist and a certified functional movement + postpartum fitness professional, and get started in a customized functional core training protocol.
Meet Samantha Dorsey
You know how pregnant and postpartum women don't consistently receive quality support and clear guidance regarding fitness, their transforming bodies, and their well-being? Yeah, we’re on a mission to solve that! My name is Samantha Dorsey, and I am the owner of proACTIVE MOMS. We coach moms and moms-to-be in strategies and evidence-based practices to proactively nurture their bodies and health with functional core + strength training during prenatal and postpartum months and years. I am a certified personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise, certified prenatal & postnatal coach, certified postnatal fitness specialist, certified functional movement specialist, and fellow mama who struggled with lingering diastasis rectus abdominis.