Embodied Postpartum

Ready for some juicy support?

Ready for some juicy support?

Hey New Mommy

If you’re anything like me, you’ve dreamed of becoming a mother for a long time, and you had a LOT of time to think about what it would be like to hold your baby in your arms and embody this deeper purpose you’ve always known you were called to.

You may have even had a vision of yourself as a new mama, breastfeeding your baby in the nursery glider with the perfectly tousled messy bun, early morning sun rays hitting your perfect no-makeup skin (despite your three hours of sleep), walking to the park for an outdoor workout with your mom friends and their babies, cozy afternoon cuddles with your husband, baby and golden retriever on the bed as you drift into a nap feeling like life is just complete with this new addition…

And even though you physically prepared for birth and mentally prepared for your body to need some time to heal and go back to “normal…”

…you didn’t expect that you’d also experience:

✘ the sensation that a tampon is hanging out of your body twenty minutes into your morning stroll(a sensation you don’t even know how to appropriately google because no one EVER told you about this happening after birth)

✘ the deep ache in your butt and tailbone that STILL flares up when you sit or stand for more than a few minutes, even though your doctor said your hemorrhoids would heal after 3-6 weeks.

✘ Feeling confused by advice on the internet (and maybe from your doctor’s office) not to lift, squat, or carry anything after your unplanned C Section because… like…you have a baby AND all her stuff to transport to the pediatrician on Monday.

✘ self-diagnosing yourself with terrifying words you found googling like “diastasis rectus abdominus” and “pelvic organ prolapse” - which make you even more fearful that you are messing up your body every time you lift your baby up from the floor.

✘ hopping on the Peloton for the first time since your doctor SAID you were “cleared for activity,” but feeling a deep aching pain that makes you wonder if you’ll ever be able to exercise normally again

✘ Sneezing in Whole Foods to find urine leaking down your leg onto the floor, which has you afraid to go out with friends much less go to an exercise class.

On top of all that, you’re: 

✘ Overwhelmed by how much this baby needs YOU right now, around the clock, and even though your husband helps out as much as he can, you’re realizing that the joy of being this baby’s mother comes at the cost of no one else truly being able to give your baby what he needs

✘ silently resentful that your partner can *just* go for a run without having to think about if his body can handle it, when to be back to feed the baby, or if the baby will be okay without him there for 30 minutes

✘ guilty that you have zero interest in sex and no idea when you’ll feel physically and emotionally ready, even though your doctor “checked” you off at your 6 week follow up

✘ whiplashed when your meal train stops and now you have to figure out how to feed your family AND clean up the kitchen afterward, all while still feeding the baby with your body every 2-3 hours.

✘ bombarded by so many voices in your circles and on the internet about the best way to get baby to sleep, whether or not to put your baby on a schedule, if and when to go back to work…

And ALL of this feels disillusioning

because even though you did such an AMAZING job intentionally preparing your mind, body, heart AND home for birth and postpartum, you didn’t expect it to be this hard.

Even though YOU KNEW this transformation to motherhood would be hard, you feel like you must have missed something, and you think you must not be cut out for this, because in between the sweet cuddles and the adorable coos, you realize you feel completely depleted - emotionally, physically, and relationally - and detached from who you were before.

Maybe you are:

✘ Saddened as you see your postpartum body in the mirror (even though you DON’T buy into “bounce-back” culture,) feeling physically and emotionally Broken open from birth, if you will ever feel home in this body, when you spent SO much time learning to love your pre-pregnancy body.

✘ Frustration that all your preparation to have a smooth physical recovery postpartum seems like it didn’t “work” because your body is clearly not going back to “normal;” anytime soon

✘ Confusion why things like breastfeeding and knowing how to get your baby to sleep are so difficult when they seem so easy for other moms

✘ Fear that you will never feel like yourself again

✘ Isolated from your community who all wanted to hold the baby in the fresh early days, but you feel like you don’t have anyone to hold YOU and meet YOUR needs

And you’ve never told anyone this…

but *maybe* in the very deepest parts of you, you’re feeling shame this mom thing isn’t coming more naturally, when you THOUGHT this was your God-given purpose in life.

Oooooof friend - that’s a lot of feels. Can I tell you something?

It is so normal to feel this way!

and I can assure you, you were made to be this baby’s mama.

I can help you heal the WHOLE you - and honor the journey that got you here. 

My name is Jackie Roelofs and I am a fertility coach and New Orleans-based pelvic floor physical therapist changing the game for your motherhood journey from preconception all the way to postpartum.


My passion is helping women in their twenties and thirties who are feeling disillusioned and detached as they navigate fertility struggles and new motherhood to embrace intuition and joy as they unlock their feminine power to conceive, grow, birth, and nurture a baby while honoring and nurturing themselves in the process.

I have been where you are and I want you to know that there is a better way and I can help!

What you really need to heal postpartum…

The things you are feeling and processing in this postpartum stage are SO real.

The truth is - you just underwent your life’s biggest transformation - and the physical, emotional, and spiritual layers all came with you, woven together just like that blanket your great-aunt crocheted for your baby.

The reason this feels so …disorienting, is that when you birthed that baby, you also birthed something else - a mother.

A mother who has been gestating inside of you your whole life, who is fully YOU, and also an entirely new person, a new body, to get to know and love through deep nurture - even as you learn to nurture this new baby.

And just as you learn to read your baby’s hunger cues, sleep signals, and desire to be held -

You are learning how to nourish, nurture, and care for this fierce new mommy you are becoming

ALL while healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually from birth, pregnancy, and the (possibly long and painful) journey that got you there.

Yes, your pelvic floor needs some special attention.

Yes, you may need some guidance to mindfully return to running and CrossFit

And Yes, there are big scary words like prolapse and diastasis rectus abdominus and hemorrhoids and perineal tears that may be impacting your recovery and bringing up some strong emotions as you fight to love your body again

Mama, you are already doing AMAZING - and I know you are dying for more support

But what you really need to isn’t more “core” workouts you found on youtube that promise to bounce back your body to pre-baby condition

And 50 kegels a day (even if your doctor told you to) won’t heal your pelvic floor and get you back to pain-free sex with your hubs

Even a 12-week postpartum video series that progresses you to running a 5k might move the needle,

But what you really need to heal postpartum

Is a GENTLE approach that encompasses the WHOLE you - and honors the journey that got you here.

My GENTLE approach encompasses the WHOLE you - a physical, emotional, and spiritual human - and honors the journey that got you here.

This methodology addresses way beyond the pelvic floor muscles - it addresses all of you so you can nurture your baby AND yourself with ease, joy, and trust in God’s design for your motherhood journey. (And yes, get back to your badass workouts in the gym too :)

The amazing thing? You are so resilient and your body KNOWS how to heal, but to access it’s juicy goodness, you’re going to need some support.

Get Clear

First, we start with GETTING CLEAR on the problems you want to tackle - everything from general birth recovery, diastasis recti, painful sex, to back pain with breastfeeding (or all of the above) - and identifying a healing plan that is both effective AND GENTLE So you can spend less time googling why you’re peeing your pants when you sneeze and more time soaking up the newborn snuggles.

Exercise

Then, we’ll curate an individualized whole body, pelvic-floor focused EXERCISE program that deeply honor’s your body’s healing timeline AND your fitness goals So you can carry ALL your baby’s gear with ease AND return to to Crossfit, pickleball league, or hot yoga with confidence and joy in your strong-as-a-mother body

Nourish & Nurture

yourself with a no-added-stress approach to food, gentle movement, and nervous system-calming strategies to support your physical healing, emotional health, and fluctuating hormones as you navigate the newness of motherhood.

Trauma-Informed

We’ll use a TRAUMA-INFORMED approach to birth recovery, pelvic floor healing, and return to sexual activity so that you can restore TRUST in your body, reconnect with yourself (and your partner), and rediscover the power of your intuition as you make choices around everything from your workout plan for the day to how you support your baby in sleep

Lifestyle

now’s the fun part! We will collaborate to design flexible daily and weekly rhythms that allow you to show up for your baby AND for yourself as a new mommy

so you can have spaciousness in your “schedule” to nurture your creativity, your body, your work, AND feel like yourself…even when you have no idea how long the baby will be napping.

Emotions

Your EMOTIONS play a huge roll in your postpartum experience - particularly in your pelvic floor healing - so we’ll utilize mind-body tools and practical support and guidance to navigate the emotional and practical aspects of motherhood like breastfeeding, relating to your partner, and getting your baby to nap so you can actually enjoy these newborn days as you discover the badass mama you are at your core (and I’m not just talking about your stretched-out abs, we’ll work on those too).

The GENTLE Approach has helped clients like you:

go FROM:

✘ Fearful that you may NEVER be able to run again without feeling like your organs are falling out

✘ Frustrated that every time you start to get back into a routine in the gym, something happens that sets you back a few weeks and every time your baby naps long enough for you to work out, you feel like you are starting from scratch

✘ Confused why it still hurts to wear jeans over your C Section Scar and saddened as it reminds you that you didn’t get to have the unmedicated birth you envisioned

✘ Feeling guilty that you’re STILL not ready to have sex, and anxious as you count the days since you connected intimately with your hubby

✘ Wondering if your tummy will EVER go back to normal even though you thought you left your body image issues in all those therapy sessions in your early twenties

TO instead:

  • Breaking out the jogging stroller so you can run with your baby on the two mile route to the mommy-and-me boot camp, and start working up mileage to train for the 10K you do every year with your girlfriends

  • FINALLY seeing TRUE strength gains that have you

  • Picking out a new pair of jeans at Madewell as you realize you haven’t noticed your scar in months (and you’re proud of your story when you do)

  • Actually INITIATING sex during baby’s afternoon nap, feeling confident in your body, connected deeply to your partner , and completely free from worry about when the dishwasher will get unloaded.

  • Finally feeling at home in your body again as you run, jump, play, and dance with joyful intimacy with your husband during naptime that you BOTH deeply enjoy.

Looking for support?

I’d love to connect!

Sound like the postpartum experience you want?

Let’s Connect

Step 1:

Connect

Book an introductory call to identify your top problems, where you want to go, and what’s stopping you from getting there.

Step 2:

Build Your Strategy

Get clear on the next steps and the program that is right for you.

Step 3:

Enroll in Your Program

We will discuss what programs are the right fit for you and you will collaborate on an execution plan together!

Before you go, check out my other programs:

Fertility, Hormone & Pre-Conception

For the wannabe mamas, the ladies who are feeling cursed by their periods and for those who want to optimize their health as they prepare to start a family.

Empowered Pregnancy & Birth Prep

For the soon-to-be mamas who want to go into their birth feeling completely empowered in their body as they bring their new babe earthside.