When I had my first kid, I did not know what was up or down. It was a doozy lol. I feel like I truly did not have the capacity to think about anything but how to get my new little baby to please please please sleep a little. Which I recognize (now) is totally normal and makes so much sense. Now that I’ve had my second kid, I have a tiny bit more experience which has led me down this path of really contemplating how I want to use my parental leave.
Caveat: I do recognize that everyone’s situation is unique. If you are perhaps reading this out of curiosity or research or for any other purpose – welcome! Please feel free to take what you like and leave what you don’t.
During my first postpartum period and maternity leave, I ended up doing pelvic floor physical therapy as a means to an end (I wanted to be able to go snowboarding lol). Early postpartum, I
- Threw my back out
- Had a super week core (obviously)
- Had insanely tight glutes (still do)
But I wanted to go do this sport that I really love. I made an appointment to make sure I was doing the right things so I could safely snowboard. I quickly learned pelvic PT is crucial just in general. It helped with SO much (back pain, core strength, posture, how to pick up my baby, etc).
Did I immediately sign up for it once I had my second kid? No. Lol.
But, through conversations with my husband and therapist and others, a really crucial ideology started to seep in. Besides making sure my baby is fed, clean, diapered, and loved – I have to make sure I’m caring for myself, too. So I am back in PT. I’m trying acupuncture. I’m going to therapy once a week. I’m trying to not stress about cleaning the house or laundry or whatever else. And I’m trying to rest and do nothing a little bit more often.
Would I be fine if I didn’t? Sure. But it feels really, really good for me to at least have this stuff on my radar and implement more.