You’ve seen her at the park, at the gym, in your group chat.
She had a baby around the same time you did. Now she’s running again. She’s back at her classes. She picks up her toddler, her car seat, and her groceries in one trip without thinking about it. She’s not talking about leaking when she sneezes or a back that gives out every time she lifts the stroller into the trunk.
And you’re quietly wondering: how?
Here’s what nobody tells you. She’s not “lucky,” and she probably didn’t just “bounce back.” Most of the time, she did one thing differently: she treated her postpartum recovery like an athlete treats an injury, instead of waiting to see if it would sort itself out.
The Six-Week Myth
At your six-week checkup you were probably “cleared” to return to exercise. That clearance means your incision or tissue has healed enough that activity isn’t dangerous. It does not mean your core and pelvic floor are ready for running, jumping, or lifting.
Think about it this way. Pregnancy and delivery are a nine-month event that stretches your abdominal wall, loads your pelvic floor, and shifts how you move. No athlete goes from a major event straight back to full training with a thumbs-up and no plan. But that’s exactly what most moms are told to do.
So they either push through and get hurt (leaking, pelvic pressure, back pain, hip pain), or they hold back indefinitely and never really feel like themselves again. Neither one is the mom everyone admires.
What She Actually Did
The moms who feel strong and confident after baby usually did some version of these four things.
1. She got assessed, not just cleared.
A pelvic floor physical therapist looks at how your core, pelvic floor, hips, and breathing are actually working together. Is there diastasis recti? Is the pelvic floor too weak, too tight, or not coordinating with your breath? Are your hips doing their job or is your back covering for them? You can’t fix what you can’t see, and a Google search can’t see you.
2. She rebuilt in the right order.
Crunches and planks on day one are how moms end up with more doming and more pressure, not less. Real postpartum recovery starts with breathing and deep core coordination, then progresses to strength, then to impact. We wrote about why in This Postpartum Ab Workout Fixes What Crunches Can’t.
3. She got strong on purpose.
Strength is the medicine. Carrying a car seat, lifting a toddler overhead, and getting up off the floor a hundred times a day are strength tasks. The mom who trains those patterns doesn’t get surprised by them.
4. She didn’t stop moving while she healed.
Our philosophy is “modify, don’t stop.” She didn’t sit out for a year. She found what she could do safely and progressed from there with someone watching her form and adjusting the plan.
Signs You’re Still Waiting for It to “Go Away”
- You leak when you sneeze, laugh, jump, or run (even a little)
- You feel pressure or heaviness in your pelvis after being on your feet
- Your lower back or hips hurt when you lift your baby or the stroller
- Your stomach “domes” or “cones” when you do core work
- You’re afraid to run or lift because you’re not sure what’s safe
- You’ve been told this is “normal after kids”
Common? Yes. Normal, as in something you have to live with? No. Every one of those is something pelvic floor physical therapy addresses directly. See our Postpartum Recovery page for the full picture.
Why Moms in Goodyear Choose Continuous Motion
At Continuous Motion Physical Therapy, our pelvic floor physical therapists work with active women who want to get back to what they love, not just get “functional.”
- One-on-one, full-hour sessions with a Doctor of Physical Therapy every visit. Never a tech, never a shared room.
- Pelvic floor + orthopedic expertise in the same clinician, so your leaking, your back pain, and your goal of running again are treated as one plan, not three referrals.
- Strength-based approach. We’re not going to hand you a sheet of Kegels and send you home. We’re going to get you strong.
- Built for active people. Whether your goal is a 5K, a CrossFit class, or simply carrying your kid up the stairs without thinking about it, that’s the target we train toward.
Learn more about our pregnancy and postpartum pelvic floor therapy in Goodyear.
Be the Mom They Ask About
Six months from now, you could be the one in the group chat that other moms are quietly wondering about. Not because you got lucky. Because you stopped waiting and got a real plan.
If you’re in Goodyear or the West Valley and you’re ready to feel strong again, speak with a pelvic floor PT at Continuous Motion Physical Therapy or call (623) 343-8706.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon after birth can I see a pelvic floor physical therapist?
Many moms start as early as a few weeks postpartum for breathing, gentle core work, and guidance. If you’re further out (months or even years), it’s not too late. We treat moms at every stage.
Is leaking after having a baby normal?
It’s common, but it’s not something you have to accept. Leaking is a sign that the pelvic floor and core aren’t coordinating well, and it responds very well to physical therapy.
Do I need a referral?
No referral is needed to see us.
Is postpartum physical therapy covered by insurance?
Every plan is different. We’ll walk through your options on the call, including how to get your insurance involved. HSA/FSA accepted.
What if I had a C-section?
Pelvic floor PT is just as important after a C-section. Your core was still stretched for nine months, and scar tissue at the incision can affect how your abdominals fire. We address both.
