Five common changes to a women’s body from pregnancy that can last well into the postpartum time

• Breathing patterns alter. As your baby is growing, women begin to take more shallow breaths and may be stuck in a sympathetic or “fight and flight” stress response all day long. Some women continue to do this into their postpartum time and can make breastfeeding and connecting with their baby more difficult.
• Posture- During pregnancy your low back curve is accentuated and your center of gravity now in front of you instead of being centered on your body, as you’re used to. This is commonly called “swayback posture”.
• Abdominal muscle weakness- These stretch out during pregnancy to accommodate for your growing baby and after delivery are thinner and weaker.
• Increased abdominal pressure- Your baby is helping you through some of these postural changes with providing pressure that stabilizes the spine. After giving birth the abs are stretched out and weak and the body has to learn how to re-distribute pressure in the body to function.
• Postnatal Depletion- Ligament laxity and loss of key nutrients such as omega 3 FA that help the ligaments heal after birth.