Postpartum pelvic pain
In the weeks after birth, your pelvis is often doing three jobs at once: settling hormones, healing muscles, and coping with movements your body has never had to repeat this many times a day.
What people usually describe
- An ache or heaviness deep in the pelvis
- It flares bending over a car seat, or getting out of a chair
- More noticeable on long walks or a lot of standing
- Trouble finding a comfortable way to sit or lie down
Not just the pelvis
By the time your baby is a few weeks old, three things are usually still catching up at once: the hormones that loosened your ligaments during pregnancy are still settling, the muscles that stretched are still finding their length, and your days are full of new, repetitive movement, lifting a car seat, bending over a crib, feeding in the same position for long stretches. We look at your pelvis, your core and how you’re moving through those new tasks, not just the spot that aches.
What's usually behind it
Three things are usually happening at once in the weeks after birth, which is why the ache rarely has one simple cause.
Hormones still settling
The hormones that loosened your ligaments during pregnancy don’t switch off the moment your baby arrives. Your joints are often still more mobile than usual for weeks afterward.
Muscles finding their length again
The muscles that stretched to make room for your baby take time to find their strength and length again, and until they do, other muscles pick up the slack.
New, repetitive movement
Lifting a car seat, bending over a crib, feeding in the same position for long stretches. Your days are suddenly full of new movement patterns your body hasn’t built up for yet.
How we'd approach it
At your first visitWe assess your core and pelvic muscles with a few simple movements, like breathing and a gentle crunch, to see what’s going on beneath the ache.
What treatment usually includesGentle, hands-on work through the pelvis and lower back, plus soft tissue work where the tension has built up.
Between visitsPractical guidance on lifting the car seat, feeding positions and a few exercises for your core and pelvic floor at home.
We always start with a proper assessment of your core and pelvic floor, then build a plan around the moments in your day that are actually hard right now.
One step at a time
A first visit starts with a proper look at your pelvis, your core and the new movements filling your days, not just the ache itself. If we think this needs a different kind of care, we’ll say so.
