Why So Many Moms Have Pelvic Floor Dysfunction After Birth and What Actually Helps
How many times have you heard another mom joke about peeing a little when she laughs, sneezes, jumps on the trampoline with her kids, or goes for a run?
It's become so common that we laugh about it.
We buy panty liners.
We cross our legs before we sneeze.
We accept it as just another part of motherhood.
But what if we've mistaken common for normal?
Up to 50% of women experience at least one pelvic floor disorder within 10 years of giving birth. Urinary incontinence is the most common, affecting nearly 44% of women.
Somewhere along the way, we've normalized symptoms that deserve our attention.
So instead of asking, "Is this just part of motherhood?" maybe we should be asking a different question:
How did we get here?
Why Modern Motherhood Makes Healing Harder
One of the questions I was recently asked on the Motherhood Equipped podcast was, "Why do so many women struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction today?"
It's such an important question because while pregnancy and birth certainly play a role, I don't think they're the whole story.
I actually think a lot of it has to do with the way we're living.
Many of us are working through pregnancy, raising children, caring for our families, managing households, and trying to keep up with the pace of modern life. We're carrying more than ever before.
At the same time, we've lost a lot of the support women used to have. There was a time when new moms were surrounded by family and community. There was space to rest. Space to heal. Space to simply adjust to this new season of life.
Today, many women leave the hospital feeling like they have to do it all.
And somewhere along the way, we've added another expectation: that we should "bounce back" from pregnancy and birth as quickly as possible.
We scroll social media and see women who look like they never had a baby just weeks after giving birth. It's easy to wonder if we're somehow falling behind.
The truth is, that expectation isn't just unrealistic—it's unhealthy.
Recovery Was Never Meant to Be Rushed
Our lives move fast.
We're constantly checking the next thing off the list, caring for everyone around us, and pushing through when we're tired. Somewhere along the way, we've started believing that slowing down is a luxury instead of a necessity.
But healing doesn't happen on the same timeline as the rest of our lives.
Our bodies were designed to recover, but they also need space to do it. When we're constantly rushing, our bodies adapt to survival mode instead of healing mode.
And that shows up in more ways than we often realize.
We're Living in "Go Mode"
When life feels busy, one of the first things to change is our breathing.
We hold our breath when we're stressed.
We rush from one thing to the next.
We stay in "go mode" for so long that we don't even realize we're carrying tension.
Your diaphragm and pelvic floor are designed to move together with every breath. When breathing becomes shallow or we're constantly bracing, that natural rhythm changes.
Over time, that affects how your core and pelvic floor function—not just during exercise, but throughout everyday life.
We've Learned to Push Through
We've also become really good at ignoring what our bodies are trying to tell us.
We push through the leaking.
We push through the back pain.
We push through the heaviness.
We tell ourselves it's normal because we've had kids.
The research reflects what I see in my practice every day. Even though pelvic floor dysfunction affects so many women after childbirth, it's still underdiagnosed. Too many women assume these symptoms are simply part of becoming a mom, so they either never seek help or they're told to just give it time.
But your symptoms matter.
They're your body's way of asking for support, not a sign that your body has failed you.
That's why this understanding is woven into The Core Recovery Method®.
Healing isn't just about exercises. It's about learning to work with your body instead of against it.
When you stop seeing your symptoms as something to fight and start seeing them as something to understand, everything begins to shift.
Your body has been communicating with you all along.
When you stop dismissing those messages and start responding with curiosity instead of frustration, healing becomes less about fixing what's "wrong" and more about supporting what your body has been asking for.
“Common” Doesn't Mean You Have to Live With It
One of my favorite parts of this work is watching women realize that the symptoms they've accepted for years aren't something they have to live with forever.
My client Vero's story is a beautiful reminder that when we begin working with the body instead of against it, change can happen sooner than we expect.
“First I want to share how surprised I am by my results, especially since I started the program at 30 weeks pregnant. I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first—but Dr. Angie convinced me during our free consultation, and I’m so grateful she did.
I’ve only been doing the program for about 5 weeks (and at my own pace—I haven’t even started all four components yet), but the results have already exceeded my expectations.
This is my fourth pregnancy, and with every previous pregnancy I leaked urine constantly after 30 weeks. Sneezing or coughing always meant leaking—it was just a question of how much.
Now, after just a few weeks, it’s about a 50/50 chance, and even when I do leak, it’s significantly less. I honestly could not believe this was possible with such a big pregnant belly. It has given me so much confidence.
The breathing work has been especially powerful for me because breathwork has always been a passion of mine. I had previously practiced diaphragmatic breathing into my sides and back, but Dr. Angie helped me understand that creating length between the rib cage and hips is just as important.
I now notice how much I used to collapse slightly forward throughout the day, even when I thought my posture was good. Simply bringing awareness to this during daily activities has made a huge difference in both my posture and my lower back—I no longer feel that constant strain there.
And unexpectedly… my digestion and bowel movements have improved too. No more constipation!
I’m honestly amazed by how much has changed in such a short amount of time.”
- Vero, Mother of 4
Healing Postpartum Pelvic Floor Dysfunction is Possible
If you're tired of wondering whether leaking, pelvic pressure, or core weakness are "just part of motherhood," I want you to know there's another path.
Yes, pelvic floor dysfunction after having a baby is incredibly common, but that doesn't mean it's something you simply have to accept.
Your body is adaptable. She knows how to heal when given the right support.
That's why my approach doesn't start with endless Kegels or pushing harder.
It starts by restoring the natural connection between your breath, your core, and your pelvic floor, because those systems were beautifully designed to work together.
When we restore those patterns, we're not forcing the body to heal. We're giving her the support she needs to recover the way she was always designed to do.
