Pregnancy & Postpartum Pain: How to Know When It’s Too Much (Episode #14)

Not all pain is created equal – especially in pregnancy and postpartum.

We’ve worked with thousands of moms over the years, and this is something we know to be true. In today’s episode, we want to help you have more discernment and criteria to evaluate your pain.

There are so many different kinds of pain you might feel during this time: muscle pain, spasms, joint pain, ligament pain, digestive pain, headaches, abdominal pain.

One thing they all have in common? They can naturally lead to a lot of fear – fear that might cause expecting and postpartum moms to avoid exercise altogether, which ultimately might not serve them well.

But we have found that once moms are able to describe their pain with more accuracy, the more confident they feel about proceeding forward.

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• How to know if pain is beneficial (i.e., in terms of muscle growth, a little inflammation is actually good) or harmful

• Warning signs associated with pain (headache, nausea, vomiting, intense abdominal pain, bleeding, pops, sharp poker pain)

• Our two-part approach to decide whether to push forward, back off, or stop

• The nuances of the pain (does it get better or worse when you move?)

• Why, generally, the typical Rest/Ice/Compression/Elevation is okay advice, but really, the recommendation is to keep that joint in motion

• All about our starter session – a big picture view to start understanding what’s happening in your body, with a full assessment plus immediate action steps

Notable Quotes from Kendra & Nicole

“I often ask moms, is it pain or muscle soreness? Oftentimes, they're not sure how to differentiate the two. Another really important question is, does the pain feel sharp? Or is it like a dull pain in the muscle? Is it radiating? Does it feel like a hot poker when you move? Or when you sit for a while, does it feel kind of cranky? All of these things have one thing in common – it’s that pain can naturally lead to a lot of fear.”

“The truth is, some pains get better if you move. Some pains get worse if you move. So that's something to consider. Does it get better when you move? Does it get worse? What makes it worse? What makes it better? If you experience pain, observe it first. If it goes away and doesn't come back, you can keep doing what you're doing – essentially pushing through. But if it comes back again, that's a sign that there is something deeper going on.”

“It is rarely advisable – other than severe injury – to not move at all. Research is coming out now that says the typical RICE – Rest, Ice Compression and Elevation – is okay advice. But really, the recommendation is to keep that joint in motion. So generally keeping moving is a good thing. But let's look at how you're moving.”

Resources & Links

Looking for support to stay active during your pregnancy or start your postpartum recovery? Here are some options to get you started on a great path forward:

1) Take the Pelvic Floor & Core Strength Quiz. After taking the quiz, you'll get a score and based on your results, guidance on what steps to take to move you forward in your recovery.

2) Check out our podcast listening guides: Download the Pregnancy Listening Guide or Postpartum Listening Guide.

3) If you're pregnant, want to be way more active than you have been, AND want connection with other mothers, but don't know where to start…join the Expecting to Flourish™ Membership - a mom-driven and expert-guided virtual space empowering moms with a new approach to prenatal fitness and birth prep that actually prepares you for the physical and emotional hurdles of motherhood.

If you’re postpartum and ready to get moving, need to heal your body but you don’t know where to start…join us for Postpartum Repair & Restore LIVE, a science-backed and fun-stacked, Diastasis and Pelvic Floor Strength program. Start healing your diastasis and eliminating leaking in 8 weeks or less with our guidance.

4) Do you prefer working one-on-one, or have a high risk pregnancy, a severe diastasis or leaking that won’t quit? You might be a candidate to work with us privately. To find out, take this quick self assessment! If you qualify, you'll be invited to schedule a complementary Postpartum Strategy Session with us where we'll take a good look at what's not working in your repair process, and come up with a great plan just for you.