When can I start postpartum pelvic floor PT?

You can be evaluated as early as you are comfortable — many patients come in around four weeks postpartum for an initial assessment, even before their six-week clearance. Hands-on internal work usually begins after six weeks, but external assessment, education, breath work, and movement guidance can start sooner.

I had a C-section. Do I still need pelvic floor PT?

Yes. Pregnancy itself changes the pelvic floor, regardless of how the baby is delivered. C-section bodies also need scar mobilization and core retraining. Many C-section patients are told they "don't need" pelvic PT — that advice is outdated.

How long is the recovery process?

Most postpartum patients see meaningful improvement in three to four visits. More complex cases — fourth-degree tears, multiple births, prolapse, or chronic pain — typically take six to eight visits over a few months. Plans are built around your specific body and goals.

My baby is older. Is it too late?

No. Patients come in years and even decades postpartum and see real change. Symptoms that have been around for a long time may take a little longer to resolve, but the pelvic floor responds to good care at any age.

Postpartum Recovery Physical Therapy

What postpartum recovery actually involves

Postpartum recovery is more than the six-week OB clearance. Pregnancy and delivery change the pelvic floor, the abdominal wall, the ribcage, the hips, and the breath. For most women, those changes resolve on their own. For many others — far more than the medical system acknowledges — they don't, and the body needs targeted rehabilitation to fully heal.

The most common postpartum issues seen at Bremen Pelvic Health include:

Stress incontinence with running, lifting, jumping, sneezing, or coughing
Pelvic heaviness, pressure, or a sense that "something is falling out"
Painful intercourse
Diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal wall)
C-section scar restriction and abdominal numbness
Persistent low back, hip, or SI joint pain
Trouble returning to running, lifting, or any high-impact activity
Constipation and difficulty emptying
Pelvic pain that wasn't there before pregnancy

Why this is the heart of this practice

Dr. Nicole's path to pelvic floor PT was personal. After her first daughter she sustained a fourth-degree tear, developed an infection in her stitches, and lived with urinary, fecal, and gas incontinence for over a year. She went to pelvic floor PT herself for more than twelve months and is still in therapy on and off, three pregnancies later.

Her second pregnancy ended in a planned C-section that didn't go smoothly. Her third — currently in progress — is being approached with everything she has learned about birth prep, trauma-informed recovery, and not waiting for someone to tell her what she's feeling is "normal."

That lived experience shapes how every postpartum patient is treated here. You are not going to surprise her with what you describe, and you are not going to be told that what you're feeling is just the cost of having a baby.

How a postpartum visit at Bremen Pelvic Health works

First visit is one full hour. Most of that hour is spent listening, getting a complete history, doing a full-body external assessment (hips, back, ribcage, abdominal wall, breath), and discussing what you actually want from treatment.

Internal pelvic exams are powerful diagnostic tools but never required. Many postpartum patients prefer external work for the first visit (or several visits), and that is completely fine. You stay in control of every decision.

From the first visit onward, about half of every session is education — teaching you what is happening in your body, what to do between sessions, and how to start trusting yourself again. That education is the difference between a patient who comes back ten times and a patient who heals in three.

What treatment plans typically look like

Most postpartum patients are seen weekly or every other week for three to six visits, then taper to a check-in or wellness cadence once they're back to their regular life. More complex cases — fourth-degree tears, prolapse, twin or triplet recoveries, or long-standing untreated symptoms — may need eight to twelve visits over a few months.

If you are also dealing with diastasis recti, C-section recovery, or are trying to return to running, lifting, or CrossFit, those threads get woven into the same plan of care rather than treated as separate visits.

Common questions

When can I start postpartum pelvic floor PT?: You can be evaluated as early as you are comfortable — many patients come in around four weeks postpartum for an initial assessment, even before their six-week clearance. Hands-on internal work usually begins after six weeks, but external assessment, education, breath work, and movement guidance can start sooner.
I had a C-section. Do I still need pelvic floor PT?: Yes. Pregnancy itself changes the pelvic floor, regardless of how the baby is delivered. C-section bodies also need scar mobilization and core retraining. Many C-section patients are told they "don't need" pelvic PT — that advice is outdated.
How long is the recovery process?: Most postpartum patients see meaningful improvement in three to four visits. More complex cases — fourth-degree tears, multiple births, prolapse, or chronic pain — typically take six to eight visits over a few months. Plans are built around your specific body and goals.
My baby is older. Is it too late?: No. Patients come in years and even decades postpartum and see real change. Symptoms that have been around for a long time may take a little longer to resolve, but the pelvic floor responds to good care at any age.

Postpartum recovery physical therapy in Bremen, GA.