Why Your Body Still Hurts After Having a Baby (And Why That’s Completely Normal)

sunshinehealingfab
Jan 20
2 min read

For many women, there’s an unspoken expectation that once a baby arrives, the body should somehow settle down and return to normal.

But that’s rarely how it feels.

Why your body still hurts after having a baby, and why it’s normal.

Many women ask why their body still hurts after having a baby, and the truth is, it’s completely normal.

Whether birth was vaginal or via C-section, pregnancy and labour are physically demanding. The body adapts, compensates, stretches, tightens, and works incredibly hard, and then, almost overnight, it’s asked to keep going through feeding, lifting, carrying, broken sleep and emotional load.

It’s no surprise that aches and pain linger.

Common things mums tell me include:

shoulders and neck aching from feeding
upper back pain from holding and rocking
hips and lower back feeling tight or unstable
legs feeling heavy or sore
scars that still pull, feel numb, or feel “not quite right”

And yet, so many women think, “Is this just how it is now?” “Am I just meant to get on with it?”

The truth is, postnatal recovery doesn’t end at six weeks. And it doesn’t look the same for everyone.

Why your body still hurts after having a baby — and why that’s completely normal

The body often needs time, support, and proper hands-on care to unwind some of what it’s been holding, especially when rest is in short supply and life doesn’t slow down.

That doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong. It means your body has been doing its job.

For some women, that support comes from gentle movement. For others, it’s learning how to breathe again without tension. And for many, it’s having time on the treatment couch where the body can finally stop bracing and be looked after.

If you’re a mum and your body still hurts, and you feel like it needs a bit more support, I’ve opened up a Mummy Me-Time Massage for January and February, a longer, unhurried session designed specifically for tired postnatal bodies.

You can read more about it here, or you’re always welcome to message me if you have questions.