07/15/2026
The best time to start your postpartum recovery is a date that hasn't happened yet. And no, it's not the day your baby arrives. It's before.
I know that sounds backwards. How do you recover from something that hasn't happened? But this is one of the most overlooked truths in this whole space, so let me explain.
Most moms spend months preparing for the baby. The nursery, the car seat, the tiny outfits. And almost no time preparing for their own recovery. Recovery becomes this thing you'll deal with later, once you're in it, exhausted, foggy, and figuring it all out from scratch at the hardest possible moment.
But the body you bring into labor is the body you start recovering with. The strength you build now, the mobility, the awareness of how your own body works — that's your foundation on the other side. A body that went in prepared tends to come out with a real head start.
And recovery isn't only physical. It's having thought ahead about who's going to help at home. How you'll actually protect your rest instead of just hoping for it. Who's supporting your mental health those first weeks. Which symptoms are worth paying attention to, and who you'll reach out to if you need support down the road.
Doing that thinking now, while your mind is calm and clear, is a gift to the version of you who's holding a newborn and running on no sleep. She will be so grateful you planned ahead. Because remember — motherhood isn't a bounce back. It's a rebrand. And a rebrand is something you build, starting now.
I'm a doctor of physical therapy who specializes in the pelvic floor. Comment PREP for my free Birth Prep Blueprint — it walks you through how to start.