Postpartum…permission to rest and restore

First, let's define what postpartum is. 

Postpartum is forever. Once you have a baby you are a mother, and you are changed…mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. 

Your baby’s cells literally live in your body for the rest of your life!! What a miracle! 

However, dysfunction and feeling weak, disconnected, or pain  doesn’t have to be forever! So many women believe that things like diastais recti, prolapse, low back pain, or leaks are just a part of motherhood. But here at Vessel, we are here to tell you that is a farce! There is hope for healing and restoration, and let’s face it- to be the best mom you can be, these common but not normal dysfunctions just can’t be taking up space in your life. 

In regards to specific postpartum recommendations, we tell all of our moms that the first  3 days are going to be your most vulnerable where really all you should do is lay in bed. In fact, most cultures respect a sacred window of up to 6 weeks where mothers receive extra support from the community to continue to heal and bond with their baby. The first 2 weeks, you should pretend like you have the flu and do very little around the bed. In the remaining 2-6 weeks you should still lay low but maybe you begin to experiment with short 10 min walks, still doing very little around the house and receiving as much support as possible. 

Returning to activity is a gradual process that’s different for everybody, but I’ve seen women take up to 2 years to return to a high level of activity. 

That doesn’t mean you’re not doing anything for 2 years but that you are diligently progressing your movement appropriately. This is why we created our flagship guide, The Gap, to help mothers take advantage of those first 40 days in a way that’s gentle, and uniquely supportive of  women's physiology during postpartum. We poured into this guide all of our expertise serving over 5K+ women in the last 3 years. We address everything you need to restore your body holistically and completely in the first 40 days and beyond. 

Remember, postpartum may be forever, but dysfunction doesn’t have to be, and we are here to help!

Remaining faithful to Him, 

Dr. Amanda & Dr. Chelsea