Your Postpartum Body

The Complete Guide to Healing After Pregnancy

By: Ruth E. Macy PT DPT, Courtney Naliboff

Narrated by: Allyson Ryan

A comprehensive, one-of-a-kind, evidence-based handbook to support postpartum healing and recovery

Pregnancy may have left you feeling that there’s no way to fix common postpartum symptoms, such as pelvic floor issues, exhaustion, and burnout, and lactation woes. But that's simply not true. With this revolutionary resource in hand, you’ll learn what happens to the body during pregnancy and childbirth, common changes in function and feeling, and solutions for healing. Your Postpartum Body was written with expertise by a pelvic floor physical therapist who'll empower you so that you can feel like yourself again—physically and mentally.

You’ve probably heard plenty of anecdotes about what might help or hurt (to Kegel or not to Kegel?), and felt unsure about what's right for you. This book is backed up with medical expertise and practical advice. Your Postpartum Body is the complete reference guide for every eventuality—hydration, nutrition, lactation, how to end lactation successfully, pelvic floor recovery, finding your abs again, reducing pain, reclaiming your sexuality, and getting back to fitness confidently—with helpful illustrations and photos throughout.

While your body is undoubtedly different (after all, you just grew a human!), you do not have to live with pain, incontinence, weakness, or feeding stress. You now hold the tools and techniques you need to heal and nourish your body and mind.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of diagrams, charts, exercise outlines and photos from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Ruth E. Macy and Courtney Naliboff (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Macy and Naliboff take what most pregnancy books consider an epilogue and birth a smart, compassionate companion for parents. A must read for anyone who finds themselves staring at a new baby and feeling like a stranger in their own body and mind."—Abby Norman, author of Ask Me About My Uterus

“Whether you are in the newborn stage or years out, Your Postpartum Body is a thorough guide for any person who has given birth. Pelvic floor issues during pregnancy and postpartum are common but not normal, and many people are left wondering what happened to their body and how they go about healing. This comprehensive guide covers changes that occur from the feet, through the pelvic floor, and into the trunk, and provides actionable guidance to resolve common issues. Uniquely, it also covers return to sport with progressive phases of movement for pilates, crossfit, and running. It is a solid resource and entry point for pelvic rehabilitation.”—Amanda Olson, PT, DPT, PRPC

"Postpartum persons need this guide for their fourth trimester. This is an excellent resource for many of the common conditions after birth not commonly discussed either by providers or amongst friends and family. Ruth and Courtney bring these issues to light, making the reader not feel alone or humiliated by these private and new concerns and give easy to follow strategies to allow healing to occur."—Melissa Collard, MD FACOG

A must read/listen

This book and everything in it, is a gift. I will be gifting it at baby showers to expecting parents. From physical to mental health this book is open and honest about it all. It normalizes the unknowns after birth and teaches you tools to use for healing. The inclusive language and “not alone” reminders are added details the authors took to welcome all and it’s truly special.

I found listening to the audiobook refreshing on the way to work and the physical copy of the book best for diagrams when implementing techniques discussed.

There’s something in the book for everyone. A must read/listen.