Your Pain Isn’t a Sign You’re Falling Apart — It’s a Signal You’ve Been Holding a Lot
There’s a very specific kind of postpartum pain that doesn’t always announce itself loudly.
It’s not always the sharp “something is wrong” pain.
Sometimes it’s a buzz in the background.
A constant tightness.
A creeping ache in your neck, shoulders, ribs, low back, jaw, or pelvis.
And the hardest part?
You can’t fully relax into the moments you want to enjoy—like feeding your baby—because your body feels braced the entire time.
So you do what so many good mothers do:
You push it aside.
You focus on the baby.
You get through the day.
You tell yourself you’ll deal with it later.
And then later becomes… weeks. Or months.
Why postpartum pain feels so personal
A lot of moms silently carry a painful thought underneath the physical pain:
“This shouldn’t feel like this.”
“My body shouldn’t hurt so much.”
“Why can’t I just relax?”
“What’s wrong with me?”
And because we’re humans who want explanations, we often go looking for a single reason:
“Maybe I didn’t work out enough during pregnancy.”
“Maybe I should’ve healed faster.”
“Maybe my posture is bad.”
“Maybe I messed something up.”
But in my work, I see something else far more often:
Postpartum pain is frequently a normal nervous system response to an abnormal amount of load.
Postpartum is a lot — even when it’s beautiful
You can love your baby deeply and still feel like postpartum is swallowing you.
Because postpartum includes:
interrupted sleep (the kind that changes everything)
constant physical demand (feeding, holding, rocking, carrying, bending)
emotional intensity (identity shifts, pressure, worry, responsibility)
and often… limited support
Even when you have a partner, many partners go back to work quickly. And then you’re alone with a tiny human who needs you constantly—while the house keeps needing you too.
Your body learns to compensate.
It braces.
It tightens.
It holds.
Not because you’re broken—
but because your system is trying to keep you functioning.
Pain is not always a problem to “fix.” Sometimes it’s information.
Here’s a reframe that changes everything:
Pain is not always proof that your body is falling apart.
Pain is often a signal that something needs care, support, and capacity.
It’s your body saying:
“I’ve been carrying too much.”
“I’m on high alert.”
“I can’t downshift.”
“I need help releasing the tension I’ve been living in.”
And when we treat pain like a message—not a personal failure—something softens.
Because now we can ask better questions:
What has my body been bracing against?
Where am I stuck in a stress response?
What support would help me feel safe and grounded again?
What would it feel like to receive care instead of pushing through?
What support can look like (without you needing to do “more”)
This is exactly why I created my Nurturing the Mother and Nurturing the Baby care plans.
They’re for the mom who wants to feel:
more steady in her body
less tense and less “buzzing” pain
more able to relax into feeding and holding
more connected to herself in this new identity
This isn’t about you being tougher.
It’s about you being supported.
If you’re feeling this, you’re not alone.
If your pain has you questioning yourself…
If you’re exhausted from holding it all…
If your body feels like it’s constantly “on”…
Let this be your permission slip:
You don’t have to do postpartum alone.
If you’d like, you can schedule a free Clarity Call and we’ll talk through what’s going on and what support could look like for you (and your baby, if needed).
— Dr. Hannah, Nurturing Roots Chiropractic
