Your back often hurts after birth because you feed, lift and carry in tired positions while the deep belly muscles are still weak from pregnancy.
Maybe your belly feels weak or tender, and your whole body tired.
Most of the attention goes to the baby, and that's how it should be. But your body has done something enormous, and it deserves care too.
Postpartum back and belly pain usually comes from carrying and feeding positions, weak deep abdominal muscles, discomfort after a C-section, and very little sleep.
After birth, a lot happens at once.
What I often see:
I recommend waiting through the first 40 days or so, and to be on the safe side coming around 2 months after birth. After a C-section, your doctor or midwife should confirm the scar has healed first.
Massage can help ease back pain, support the belly gently and give you an hour to rest. It works best together with deep core exercises.
In Spanish we call these first 40 days la cuarentena.
If you have fever, pain or redness around a scar, heavy bleeding, pain in one leg or feel very low in mood, please contact your doctor or midwife first.
A postpartum massage with me builds step by step: first the lower back, then the psoas, then gentle stomach massage and the neck and shoulders, depending on how you feel and how you gave birth.
And please know this: babies are very welcome. You don't need to find a babysitter to take care of yourself. Bring your little one along, and we'll make it work.
The client I worked with during her pregnancy came back after a pause of 2 to 3 months. Her birth had been a C-section.
When she returned, she had very strong lower back pain. She also had abdominal pain, constipation and fatigue. First we worked on the lower back, now with more pressure than during pregnancy. Then I started working on the psoas. Finally, I finished with stomach massage to help with the constipation.
After 6 sessions of one hour, her lower back pain had decreased. I also recommended a series of exercises to strengthen her deep abdominal muscles. Massage and movement together are what I believe in. She is happy for me to share her story, without her name.
At home, bring the baby up to you with pillows, lift close to your body, start gentle core breathing when your midwife says it is okay, and rest when you can.
In my experience a short series makes the biggest difference: the client in the story felt her lower back pain decrease after 6 sessions of one hour.
After that, many mums like to come every few weeks to keep the back happy.
My loyalty tickets let you save on every visit and book whenever it suits you, which helps when life with a baby is hard to plan.
I recommend waiting through the first 40 days or so. To be on the safe side, around 2 months after birth.
Yes, once the scar has healed and your doctor or midwife says it is okay. We start gently.
Yes, babies are very welcome. You don't need a babysitter.
Simple exercises that strengthen the deep abdominal muscles, which are naturally weaker after pregnancy. I show you a few you can do at home.
