Why Do You Get Postpartum Sciatica?
As an executive mum navigating the demands of a high-stress job while caring for a newborn, you already have enough on your plate without adding physical pain into the mix. Yet, many new mums experience postpartum sciatica - a pain that radiates down the lower back, through the hips, and sometimes even down the legs. In this blog, lets discuss why postpartum sciatica happens.

Sciatica refers to pain along the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down to your feet. While sciatica is often associated with pregnancy, where the growing uterus can compress the sciatic nerve, postpartum sciatica is also common. After childbirth, various factors can trigger or worsen sciatica, making it challenging to sit, stand, or carry your baby without discomfort.

Causes of Postpartum Sciatica:
Hormonal Changes and Ligament Laxity During pregnancy: Your body releases the hormone relaxin to loosen ligaments and prepare for childbirth. However, relaxin doesn’t disappear immediately after delivery. Postpartum, your ligaments can remain loose, which destabilizes the pelvis and lower back. This instability can place pressure on the sciatic nerve, triggering pain that may linger well after giving birth.

Muscle Weakness and Imbalance: Your core and pelvic floor muscles go through significant strain during pregnancy. After delivery, these muscles are often weak, making it difficult for them to provide adequate support for your spine and pelvis. This weakness can lead to imbalanced posture, putting extra strain on your lower back and potentially pinching the sciatic nerve.

Postural Strain from Motherhood: Duties Lifting, bending, and carrying your newborn often require awkward positions that strain your back and pelvis. Common actions like breastfeeding in a hunched position, bending over the crib, or carrying the baby on one hip can contribute to misalignment and compression of the sciatic nerve, worsening sciatica symptoms.

C-Section Recovery: If you had a cesarean delivery, you might be compensating for abdominal pain by changing the way you sit, stand, or walk. This compensation can create muscle imbalances and put strain on your lower back, exacerbating sciatica pain.

Watch this video to learn more about sciatica:


HERE is a checklist on Quick Office Stretches for Nerve Pain Relief. It helps you to identify which nerve is causing your pain and then gives you specific exercises for that nerve and the muscles that need to be addressed. These are easy exercises that can be done while you are sitting at your desk. 

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach and a Certified Posture Expert. I use my proven system to help mums of younger kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage their back, neck, and nerve pains, despite low energy levels and brain fog. I do all this without taking away a big chunk of their time out of their already busy day. This enables them to be more productive and capable professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can focus on their kids instead of always being distracted by pain. 



My passion for helping executive mums stems from my own experiences. I have been in the same boat and understand the frustration and helplessness of being in constant pain or being afraid to engage in activities due to the fear of pain. After two pregnancies in the span of three years and juggling my two kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was constantly in pain. The weight gain from motherhood added extra stress to my already overburdened spine and joints. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of weight loss and spinal/nerve pain that I just couldn’t break free from.

On top of the physical pain, I also suffered from adrenal fatigue. I often felt exhausted, waking up groggy even after a full night’s (10 to 12 plus hours!) sleep, and struggled with low energy levels and brain fog. Simple tasks became challenging, and I found myself forgetting things and unable to think clearly. It was incredibly frustrating and made it even harder to balance my professional responsibilities and family life.

My work involved long hours of standing during the day, prolonged hours on the laptop in the evening, and lots of running around and rocking my kids to sleep in between. Despite my knowledge and expertise in pain relief, I still found myself unable to escape the constant daily pain and fatigue.

Sitting at a desk job from 9 to 5, or longer, plus endless meetings that seem to go on forever. The frequent traveling, the uncomfortable hotel pillows that make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep—I’ve experienced it all. I remember not being able to share my discomfort at work because I felt like an imposter, talking about pain relief strategies and focusing on work while I was not able to achieve it myself. I didn’t disclose the extent of my pain and forgetfulness to my colleagues for years. Even though I loved my kids and my job, I couldn’t give 100% to either. The discomfort held me back from reaching my full potential, making me feel guilty as a mum and less productive at work. I felt like I was constantly running on empty, unable to catch a break from the pain and exhaustion.

finally got fed up after years of trying and decided to make a New Year’s resolution to get ‘healthy’ instead of focusing solely on my pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and weight loss. When I shifted my focus to getting healthier by reducing the inflammation in my body and addressing my adrenal fatigue, the pain started to decrease, my energy levels and focus improved, and the pounds started shedding off too! That, of course, meant a happier spine, nerves, joints, and a happier me! Today, my neck, back, and nerve pain are down to zero, my knee pain has reduced by 75%, my brain fog has reduced drastically and my energy levels are higher than ever. I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong solutions for over a decade!

Now, my mission is to share my knowledge of pain relief and managing adrenal fatigue along with my personal experience with other mums, especially those with younger kids who work in high-stress executive jobs. My goal is to help you find lasting relief, boost your energy, and reclaim your life, just as I did. 

If you can relate to all this, you are not alone. As a mum, I have been there and done that—momma, I got you! I’ve helped hundreds of mums in this situation over the years find their solution to manage spinal and joint pains, low energy levels, and brain fog that hold them back. This enables them to feel confidently in control and empowers them to cultivate that confidence and productivity at work and enjoy being with their kids, to be able to run around with them without the fear of injury or pain.

Are you ready for this journey? Ask me how if you are curious.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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