Your life will never be the same (in a good way) after you have children. However, in the days and weeks after giving birth, your body and mind undergo a gamut of changes. As a new mom, you never have to endure these changes and heal alone.
While the recovery time is different for every mother, there is one constant: you want to be as healthy and happy as possible to best care for your new bundle of joy. Seeing an Osteopath as part of your postpartum recovery plan is one important step on your journey to recovery.
A postpartum osteopath can support your physical and mental healing journey after having a child. Here’s how an osteopath can help you heal:
Speed physical healing
It doesn’t matter how you gave birth; your body underwent a traumatic physical experience and needs time and support to heal. It doesn’t matter if you had a natural, drug-free birth or needed the aid of a C-Section to deliver your child because both require physical healing. Your osteopath can support the healing of scar tissue from a C-section or perinatal tears.
Often your body becomes misaligned after a pregnancy. This can be due to your body learning to readjust after carrying a baby for nine months or a result of pregnancy interventions (forceps, episiotomy, tears, C-Sections). Your pregnancy osteopath can help you realign your body again.
Speed psychological healing
The range of emotions you’ll experience as the mom of a newborn is quite dramatic for many women. An osteopath can support your mental well-being. Through manual Osteopathy, they can ensure your body and mind are in alignment with each other, minimizing stress and decreasing the chances or severity of postpartum depression.
An osteopath can also ensure your baby’s mental wellness is supported too. After all, they went through a pretty traumatic experience as the birth put their shoulders, skull, and pelvis under tremendous stress. Manual Osteopathy can support your baby’s healing and ease symptoms of breathing difficulties, colic, and plagiocephaly. Many parents notice their baby’s temperament and physical development are improved after seeing an Osteopath.
Supporting your back
Your back was under tremendous pressure carrying a baby. After the birth, your baby-carrying days are not over (they shift) and can add continual stress to your back, even if you practice good posture. You shouldn’t have to suffer back pain from carrying your baby around or breastfeeding. An osteopath can support you with stretches and exercises to strengthen your back muscles and treat any sources of pain or discomfort before they affect your physical ability to care for your baby or yourself.
Breastfeeding support
If you plan to breastfeed, your Osteopath can help. Breastfeeding doesn’t always come naturally to a mother, but your Osteopath can help by sharing good breastfeeding positions for both the baby and mother. They can also provide nutritional advice to support a healthy breastmilk supply.
Strengthening your pelvic floor
Your pelvic floor is severely weakened after giving birth. Strengthening it after childbirth requires more than doing a few kegel exercises. Your postpartum Osteopath can support greater mobility of your visceral systems (organs), a maintained musculoskeletal system, and lengthening of key muscles.
Focus on your breathing and relaxation
You may not have noticed (or maybe you have) that your breathing has changed since pre-pregnancy. This can happen for many reasons. An Osteopathic practitioner can re-teach your body to breathe correctly again so your body gets the oxygen it needs for optimal performance and health. Purposeful breathing through meditation can help calm your mind, which supports your mental wellness.
Preparing to exercise again
Many women want to jump back into exercise right away after giving birth, but it’s usually not recommended for 4-6 weeks. However, there are still ways you can be active during this time and an Osteopath can help you find exercises that align with your speed of healing.
They can also help you get your body ready for increased movement by ensuring it’s limber and strong enough to avoid injury when you start exercising again.
Prepare body for pregnancy again
If you plan to have another baby, your postpartum osteopath can help your body prepare. They can help ensure your pelvic muscles are realigned and any repetitive strain injuries are resolved. Based on your recovery after your most recent childbirth, they can recommend when you can start trying for your next child.
If you had any trouble conceiving your previous child or had any pregnancy or birth complications, they can also take proactive steps to avoid these in your subsequent pregnancies.
Other ways an osteopath can support your postpartum recovery
An Osteopath’s support is helpful for more than the areas we mentioned above. They can also help you find relief from more specific conditions and pain, including:
- Sciatica
- Muscle spasms
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Headaches and stress
When should you see a postpartum Osteopath?
See your Osteopath as soon as you feel able to be up and about in public. Most new moms come in around 4-6 weeks postpartum for a check-up or sooner if they had a complicated or traumatic birth. If you have fresh scars from tears or a cesarean, you can still see your Osteopath, who will promote healing around your abdomen, not on the new injury.
A happy mother means a happy baby and family. Your Osteopath can support mom’s optimal health, so she is physically and mentally able to care for her newborn. Osteopaths also support your baby’s health, as mom and baby are intricately linked.
When you’re ready for support on your postpartum healing journey, call Thuja wellness. Our integrated wellness team can support your healthy recovery so you can be your best self to better care for your baby.
Book an appointment or assessment online today.
