Common Areas of Discomfort in the Postpartum Body
It may seem like a super obvious answer, “duh, everywhere” but some areas of the body are hit even harder after birth and during the initial three months that follow. There are a few reasons why your body takes an almost eternity to get back to normal, but let’s focus on where and what parts of your body experience the most discomfort and what to do about it!
Starting from top-down, these areas are so sore and uncomfortable postpartum…
The neck and shoulders!
You might only be a couple of days post-birth and have already noticed that your neck and shoulders are extremely tight and very sore. Feeding babies is wonderful but definitely comes with pain! This lack of mobility and growing discomfort can cause headaches and exacerbate postural issues, so it is important to strengthen and stretch. You can do almost all of these exercises with baby in your lap or next to you. A la…baby and me yoga in the living room!
The best exercises you can do to ease pain in your neck after having a baby:
Neck rolls
Shoulder shrugs
Supported fish pose with bolsters
Hips & Lower Back
The hips and lower back took a beating during pregnancy! The rapid weight gain (9 months is rapid) and extra pressure are hard on your joints. Not to mention, both cesarean and vaginal birth can affect hip functioning initially. On top of that, you are sitting more than ever before (which by the way, is a good thing!) but it can lead to shortened psoas muscles and lengthened hamstrings. In other words, they become imbalanced and ugh, your poor hips.
The best exercises you can do postpartum to ease pain in the hips…
Walking!
Tabletop/hands and knees cat/cow
Hip circles on a ball
Your feet!
For some reason, nobody ever talks about sore feet after having baby in the postnatal period, but it is a real thing! It takes a while for your blood and fluid volumes to even out again, especially if you are breastfeeding. In addition, like our hips, additional weight from pregnancy can take a toll on our poor feet.
Here are the best exercises for your feet after having a baby!
Foot massages (not an exercise but hey)
Ankle rotations
Elevation of your feet
Of course, everyone is so individual and everyone experiences the postpartum time period differently. But it is common and somewhat normal to have pain and discomfort after having a baby. Many exercises and activities are safe, but it is important to work with skilled and trained individuals. Our postpartum recovery classes and our baby/postnatal yoga are especially formatted to heal your postpartum body and relieve aches and pains associated with the 4th trimester.
If you have questions or want individualized help, please contact us!