You finally got the baby to sleep. You have maybe twenty minutes before the next feeding. And instead of resting, you're standing at the kitchen counter wondering why your lower back aches so badly you can barely straighten up.
This is postpartum life for a lot of new moms in Cache Valley. The sleepless nights get talked about plenty. The back pain? Not so much.
Why Your Back Hurts After Having a Baby
Pregnancy changes your body in ways that don't just snap back once the baby arrives. Your core muscles stretched for nine months. Your posture shifted forward to accommodate a growing belly. Ligaments loosened thanks to hormones like relaxin. All of that adds up.
Then the baby comes, and suddenly you're lifting, bending, and holding a small human for hours each day. Nursing positions can be awkward. Car seat carriers are brutal on your spine. And let's be honest, you're probably not getting much sleep, which makes everything hurt more.
Research consistently shows that postpartum back pain is extremely common. Some studies suggest more than half of new mothers deal with it. But common doesn't mean you should just live with it.
The Core Connection Most People Miss
When people hear "core," they think six-pack abs. But your core is really a whole system of muscles that wraps around your midsection and connects to your pelvis and spine. During pregnancy, the deep stabilizing muscles (especially the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor) get stretched and weakened.
After delivery, those muscles don't automatically turn back on. They need to be retrained. Without that stability, your back muscles end up doing extra work to keep you upright. That's a recipe for fatigue, stiffness, and pain.
If you've noticed your lower back feeling stiff in the mornings, weak core activation could be part of the picture.
What About Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti is a separation of the abdominal muscles that happens during pregnancy. It's normal for the tissue connecting the two sides of your rectus abdominis (the "six-pack" muscle) to stretch. For some women, that gap stays wider than it should after delivery.
This isn't just a cosmetic thing. A significant diastasis can make your core less effective at supporting your spine. It can also contribute to that pooch that doesn't seem to go away no matter what you do.
Physical therapy can help you figure out whether you have diastasis recti and, more importantly, teach you how to rebuild core function safely. Some exercises that seem like a good idea (crunches, planks) can actually make things worse if you jump in too soon.
Practical Things That Actually Help
Here are a few strategies that tend to make a real difference:
Pay attention to how you hold the baby. Try to keep the baby close to your body instead of reaching out. Switch sides when you can. Use a supportive pillow during nursing so you're not hunched over.
Move a little every day. Walking is great. Even ten minutes helps. Gentle movement keeps your muscles from getting stiff and gives your brain a break.
Work on your breath. Deep belly breathing that expands your ribcage and engages your pelvic floor is one of the first steps to reactivating your core. It sounds simple, but it matters.
Get help with mechanics. Exercise therapy tailored to postpartum recovery focuses on retraining movement patterns, not just strengthening random muscles.
When to See a Physical Therapist in Cache Valley
If your back pain isn't getting better after a few weeks, or if it's interfering with your ability to care for your baby or yourself, it's worth getting some help. You don't need to wait until things get really bad.
A physical therapist can assess what's actually going on (tight hips? weak glutes? core timing issues?) and give you a plan that fits your life. That means exercises you can do at home, even with a baby in the room.
With mobile physical therapy, you don't have to figure out childcare or load the baby into the car seat for an appointment. I come to you. We work in your living room, on your schedule. You can check out how it works to see what a typical session looks like.
If you're also dealing with hip pain from sitting too long during those endless nursing sessions, or if the discomfort is radiating down your leg like sciatica, those are things we can address together.
You Don't Have to Just Push Through
New moms are often told to tough it out. Your body just did an incredible thing, give it time. And yes, some healing does take time. But that doesn't mean you should be in pain for months on end.
Physical therapy after pregnancy isn't about bouncing back to some unrealistic standard. It's about helping you feel functional and comfortable in your own body again. So you can pick up your kid without wincing. So you can take a walk around the Logan River Trail and actually enjoy it.
Take a look at the services I offer and see if in-home PT might be a good fit for where you're at right now.