Postpartum Is Not a Deadline: The Cost of Going Back Too Soon

Somewhere along the way, society started confusing capable with healthy.

A person can go back to work quickly after giving birth.

A person can be in the gym weeks after labour.

A person can push through pain, exhaustion, stress and hormonal chaos.

But just because someone can do something… does not mean they should.

And it definitely doesn’t make it healthy.

Survival mode is not the same as recovery.

Postpartum Is Not a Quick Fix

Birth is not a small event. It is a full-body, full-mind, full-nervous-system experience.

After childbirth, the body is in a state of deep recovery:

• Organs are shifting back into place
• The uterus is shrinking and healing
• Abdominal muscles have stretched or separated
• The pelvic floor is weakened and repairing
• Hormones are fluctuating dramatically
• The nervous system is under intense stress
• Sleep is disrupted
• The brain is literally rewiring around motherhood

This is not something that fixes itself in a couple of weeks.

It takes months to years for the body and mind to fully stabilise after birth.

Yet there is pressure to “bounce back”.

To “snap back”.

To look normal.

To perform as if nothing happened.

That pressure is not strength — it’s conditioning.

“She Can Do What Works For Her” Isn’t Always Support

On the surface, it sounds caring.

“She can just do what works for her.”

“If she feels good, then it’s fine.”

“Everyone is different.”

But here’s the problem with that logic:

Just because something feels okay in the moment does not mean it is safe or sustainable for the long term.

A person can run on very little sleep.

A person can survive on junk food.

A person can overwork their body.

A person can ignore warning signs.

That doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

It means they are pushing through.

There is a difference between feeling fine and being healed.

And when it comes to postpartum recovery, that difference matters.

Productivity Has Replaced Healing

We live in a world that rewards output, not wellbeing.

So instead of telling new parents:

Rest. Heal. Slow down.

The message is:

Get back to normal.

Get your body back.

Get your job back.

Get your life together.

Be grateful you can still function.

But needing time to heal is not weakness.

Wanting rest is not laziness.

Honouring your body is not “doing too much”.

It is self-respect.

And society makes that incredibly difficult — especially when finances, jobs, and survival are involved.

That’s why this is not just a personal issue…

it is a systemic one.

Maternity and paternity leave policies are often inadequate.

Support systems are limited.

Expectations are unrealistic.

And recovery is treated like a luxury instead of a necessity.

Strength Isn’t “Doing It All”

There is a strange obsession with praising people who suffer in silence.

“She’s amazing, she went straight back to work.”

“She’s so strong, she was back at the gym already.”

“She handled it all like a champion.”

But strength is not proven by how much you can ignore your own needs.

Real strength is knowing when to rest.

Real strength is listening to your body.

Real strength is protecting your long-term health instead of performing short-term resilience.

Just because your body can withstand pressure doesn’t mean it should have to.

The Truth

The postpartum period is sacred.

It is delicate.

It is powerful.

It is vulnerable.

And it deserves more respect than it is given.

No one should feel pressured to prove their strength by rushing their recovery. No one should feel guilty for needing time to heal.

Just because you can…

doesn’t mean you should.

And protecting your body is not weakness —

it is wisdom.