Maximizing Your Postpartum Recovery
An overview of why this page exists and why I know you’re in the right place.
If you’ve had a baby, you’ve probably spent at least some time being frustrated about either 1. lack of information regarding exercise or 2. conflicting information regarding exercise. I get it. I get it because that was me - when I got pregnant with my first, I was lifting weights 5-6x/week. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I started adamantly searching the internet and polling friends, providers, and family about what I could or couldn’t continue doing throughout my pregnancy.
Getting ready to do the Orangetheory Dri-Tri with Brice at 7 months pregnant! This was my second pregnancy - and I felt much more confident exercising because I had the resources I wished were available to me with my first.
The results were….confusing to say the least. Everyone had something completely different to say - no lifting over 25 lbs, don’t get your heart rate above 140 bpm, don’t put your hands over your head because the cord will wrap around the baby’s neck (yes, that’s apparently a real piece of “advice” - I’ve had patients ask the same question after hearing that from family members). All of that was not just confusing, it was scary - and I ended up (mostly) following the most conservative advice I was given in an attempt to be as safe as possible.
What happened was I lost an incredible amount of fitness. I was back-squatting 150-200lb pre-pregnancy and now “couldn’t lift” more than 25lb, so I shyed away from the barbell. I spent my first 14 weeks barely able to keep my eyes open, but when I felt like getting back to exercise I had no clue what to do. My heart rate seemed like it went above 140 when I was doing laundry, much less exercising. By the time I gave birth, I had lost a lot of muscle and a lot of cardiovascular fitness - both things that would’ve been really helpful as a new mom.
I spent a lot of time being resentful - then as I found my way to healing both through what I knew personally and the guidance of my co-founder Merci, I realized that if I - a physical therapist and movement expert - didn’t know how to guide myself through recovery, how were any moms navigating this phase? I knew how important exercise was physically, but the weirdness of postpartum made it even more of a mental-wellness task - so not having any idea what to do (especially in those first few weeks where guidance is…not existent) just spiraled me into a very strange season of life. Looking back, I’m thankful because it brought me here. But I’ve also made it my life-mission to make sure that no one else has to deal with that (followed by my co-existing life mission of raising good humans).
So. Here we are. Making an app so that you have all the things we would have wanted! If you’re wondering where these movements came from, you can check out my article in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy - a project I worked on with several other providers including experts in OBGYN, urology, exercise physiology, and strength and conditioning coaching. I created these basic guidelines that I felt would be applicable through pregnancy and beyond as a way to start the conversation around pelvic health and encourage improved access and awareness. I had each of them read, edit, provide input, etc. until we felt like it was at its best coming from all angles. The article itself is a lot - it has to be to make it through the peer-review process, so Merci and I decided to pull the guidance from the guidelines and turn it into an easy-to-digest, easy-to-follow app for clients.
Strength training looks a little different sometimes with my little shadows, but adaptability is key!
To every. single. one of you who has hyped us up, encouraged us, has bought the app/plans to buy the app, has sent it to a friend, shared it on social media etc. - thank you. From the bottom of our hearts we are so appreciative and truly are just grateful that this even exists. If you ever need a consultation beyond the bounds of the S2S app, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us - we are thrilled to be a part of your journey.