Why “Normal” Postpartum Symptoms Might Not Actually Be Okay

Working with many pregnant and postpartum clients has affirmed one thought over and over, nothing should be simply viewed as normal or common.

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Forgive me while I state the obvious but there is nothing simple or easy to understand about growing a baby or recovering from delivering a baby. But, despite the complexity that pregnancy is, we hear things like, “oh that is normal after pregnancy” or “yeah that is pretty common during postpartum.”

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And while this might be true that common things frequently happen following pregnancy, I would still encourage you to pay attention to those things because common isn’t necessarily normal physiologically speaking and normal isn’t necessarily good.

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Let’s use weight gain as our example.

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Gaining some weight after pregnancy isn’t necessarily a red flag and is probably common among many postpartum mothers, but it is also not something that we should just casually ignore. So why is that?

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Well, after pregnancy, resting metabolic rate (the largest contributor to total daily energy expenditure) is negatively associated with insulin resistance postpartum. This means that the higher the insulin resistant you are postpartum, the less energy you may be expending on a daily basis.

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(PMID: 34168507)

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Moreover, weight retention around 4-6 months postpartum is also related to (A) insulin resistance, (B) inflammation, (C) triglyceride levels, (D) carbohydrate oxidation. This further supports that, although a few extra pounds postpartum does not seem like an urgent concern, even 5-10lbs retention might be a sign of internal markers of stress such as inflammation and greater amounts of fat just staying in the blood.

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(PMID: 34168507)

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So what does this mean?

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So, while retaining weight after pregnancy or even gaining weight might be “normal” or not that big of a deal, it also could be the visible sign of some internal metabolic issues that need to be addressed.

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So, using this example, if you are 4-6 months postpartum, your weight has been increasing or just hard to lose, you are frustrated, and everyone tells you don’t worry about it because it is normal, I am here to tell you trust yourself and something else might be going on.

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Whether it is weight gain/retention postpartum, increased feelings of stress and depression postpartum, or increased fatigue postpartum, find a professional and take your health into your own hands.

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The postpartum time is a vulnerable time and shouldn’t be ignored or looked past. The time after pregnancy is just as important as the time before and has many important and lifelong health implications.

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Want to learn how working with an LVLTN coach can help you reach your goals—and stay there? Start with a free LVLTN Blueprint Session.
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