What Postpartum Care Really Looks Like: A New Standard for the Fourth Trimester

By Jane Chevalier

The fourth trimester is one of the most overlooked phases of a woman’s life. Culturally, we rush mothers to “bounce back,” get active, return to work, and resume life as if nothing monumental just occurred. But a woman’s body doesn’t heal on a schedule built around productivity. It heals on a schedule built around rest, nourishment, and intentional support.

The fourth trimester is a season of deep healing. Your body is recovering, shifting, and finding its way again.

The truth is simple: the first six weeks after birth are a sacred recovery period. Your uterus is shrinking back down, your organs are shifting into place, your hormones are recalibrating, your blood volume is normalizing, and your nervous system is trying to process both the intensity of birth and the demands of caring for a newborn. This is not the time for “get back to normal.” It’s the time for deep repair.

As a postpartum-focused massage therapist, I see what happens when women try to push too hard too fast. And I see what’s possible when women receive the right kind of support at the right time.

This post lays out what true postpartum care looks like—care that honors your biology, your healing timeline, and your long-term well-being.

Why the First Six Weeks Are for Rest, Not Bodywork

Many new moms assume they should get a massage in the first or second week postpartum, especially if they’re sore, swollen, or depleted. The intention is good. The timing is not.

During the first six weeks:

• The uterine lining is still healing

• Pelvic ligaments are lax and unstable

• Blood flow patterns are shifting

• C-section incisions are still in the foundational stages of repair

• The nervous system is in a highly sensitive state

This is not the time for deep tissue work, abdominal work, or traditional therapeutic massage. Even seemingly gentle techniques can disrupt the body’s natural healing rhythm if done too early.

Instead, those first six weeks are best spent:

• Resting as much as possible

• Being supported by a postpartum doula

• Allowing the uterus and pelvic floor time to recalibrate

• Staying nourished and hydrated

• Bonding with your baby

• Letting your hormones settle

• Keeping movement simple and minimal

You don’t need hands-on bodywork during those early weeks—you need nurturing, slowing down, and space to heal.

Weeks 6–12: When Postpartum Massage Truly Begins

At six weeks (after medical clearance), your body has shifted into a new stage of recovery. This phase is where postpartum massage can make a significant difference—and where specialized bodywork is far more effective than a general “relaxation” treatment.

Real postpartum massage addresses what’s actually happening inside the body, which includes:

1. Nervous System Regulation

Postpartum hormones and sleep disruption can leave the nervous system overloaded. Craniosacral therapy helps settle the system so you feel more grounded, calm, and emotionally balanced - one of the key elements in postpartum recovery.

2. Lymphatic Drainage

Many women are shocked by how long postpartum swelling lasts—especially in the legs, lower belly, and around the sacrum. Gentle lymphatic work moves stagnant fluid, supports circulation, and reduces discomfort around tender, healing tissues.

3. Abdominal Therapy & Womb Work

This is one of the most overlooked parts of postpartum care. Specialized abdominal therapy helps:

• Guide the uterus back into optimal alignment

• Support digestion

• Release tension in the diaphragm

• Improve breathing patterns

• Ease low back, pelvic, and belly discomfort

  
  

Abdominal therapy is not “stomach rubbing”—it’s intentional, layered work supporting the organs, fascia, ligaments, and diaphragm so your body can function with more ease.

4. Sacral & Low Back Support

Birth places tremendous strain on the sacrum, SI joints, and low back. Skilled work in these areas can relieve deep, stubborn tension and restore mobility.

Together, these techniques address the root of postpartum discomfort, not just the symptoms.

4. Creates Self-Care Habits

One of the best things that a new mom (or seasoned) one is create some sort of self-care routine that works for them - the simpler, the better. This means picking one things that you love and makes you feel cared for (such as massage) and sticking to it. Postpartum massage is a wonderful way to start this habit. When moms are taken care of, this sets the tone for their family.

Why This Work Matters for Long-Term Healing

Postpartum care is not a luxury. It’s early intervention.

When the body doesn’t receive proper support in the first few months, women often experience:

• Ongoing pelvic instability

• Persistent low back pain

• Lingering abdominal weakness or diastasis

• Poor breathing patterns

• Difficult menstruation later on

• Emotional burnout

• C-section scar adhesions and numbness

• Painful intercourse

• Chronic tension in the shoulders and neck

Many of these issues trace back to how the body healed—or didn’t heal—during the fourth trimester. Thoughtful postpartum bodywork helps interrupt those patterns before they take hold.

What a Postpartum Massage With Me Looks Like

Sessions from weeks 6–12 are gentle, intentional, and deeply therapeutic. Instead of focusing on surface-level muscle tension, we work with the deeper systems involved in postpartum recovery.

This may include:

• Craniosacral therapy

• Diaphragm and rib release

• Abdominal therapy

• Lymphatic drainage

• Pelvic and sacral balancing

• Breath work

• Nervous system down-regulation (SomatoEmotional Release)

• Gentle myofascial techniques

Every session is customized to your current stage of healing, your birth experience, and your symptoms.

This is not a spa massage and not a basic deep tissue session. It’s clinical, restorative care for the postpartum body.

What If You’re Beyond 12 Weeks?

Healing doesn’t stop at 12 weeks. Many moms don’t seek help until months or even years later. Scar tissue work, abdominal therapy, and pelvic-sacral balancing are effective long after the “postpartum window” has officially closed.

If you’re beyond 12 weeks, this work can still support you—whether you’re dealing with lingering symptoms or simply ready to feel at home in your body again.

If You’re Pregnant Now, Plan Ahead

Many women know they’ll want postpartum support but don’t think about it until after the baby arrives. Planning ahead ensures:

• You get on the schedule for weeks 6–12

• You receive education about what to expect

• You have continuity of care from pregnancy through postpartum

You’re welcome to reach out during pregnancy to discuss your postpartum plan or reserve your session times ahead of birth.

You Deserve Care That Honors the Whole You

Postpartum isn’t just a phase—it’s a profound transition that shapes your long-term physical and emotional health. You deserve care that respects that.

And that’s the standard I hold in my practice: evidence-informed, specialized support for the mother you are now and the woman you’re becoming.

If you’re approaching the six-week mark—or anywhere between six and twelve weeks—this is the ideal time to begin.I offer postpartum sessions in a grounded, private, therapeutic space designed specifically for women in this season of life.

If you’d like to schedule, reach out anytime.