June 20, 2022

A lot of women think that having a baby means being in pain for a long time after delivery. There are definitely aches and pains associated with the birthing process. There is a gray area.

What kind of pain is expected pain?

What kind of pain should I seek help for?

Top pain reason mothers will seek pelvic floor therapy postpartum:

• Pain in their pubic symphysis. The pubic symphysis is the area where the right pelvis and left pelvis meet and are held together by ligaments. This is the bony area directly under your belly button. A lot of times, pain in this region can start during pregnancy, or pain can start postpartum. Regardless of when this pain starts, you can go to physical therapy to help alleviate this pain.
• Tailbone pain: Giving birth can definitely cause so tailbone issues! The pelvic floor muscles attach to the tailbone and can be a big reason why you may be experiencing pain in that area. Do not let this go untreated for weeks or months before you get it checked out!
• Abdominal pain: We see this a lot with our c-section mamas. Having a belly birth causes major trauma to the abdominal wall because your doctor needs to cut through so many layers. Even though, there is an expected amount of discomfort associated with healing with a c-section, that does not mean you have to live in pain and hope that it subsides. Coming to pelvic floor therapy will teach you the best ways to strengthen that area and the best positionings/postures to improve symptoms.

Contributed by: Dr. Katherine Pace