Core Support After Birth: What Really Helps Your Body Heal
During pregnancy, your body stretches, shifts, and adapts in the most incredible ways. Your abdominal muscles expand to make space for your growing baby, your rib cage widens, your posture changes, and your core works overtime to support everything happening inside of you.
After birth, many women are surprised by how unfamiliar their bodies feel. The abdomen can feel loose and unsteady, the pelvic floor may feel weak, and simple movements like standing up, rolling over, or lifting the baby can suddenly feel much harder than expected.
This experience is common, normal, and completely understandable. Your core has just done one of the biggest jobs of your life. And with gentle, thoughtful support, it can heal beautifully.
This guide explains what happens to your core during pregnancy, how to support it in the early postpartum period, and why gentle techniques like core support taping can make a meaningful difference.
What Happens to Your Core During Pregnancy
Your abdominal muscles naturally separate during pregnancy to make space for your baby. This is called diastasis recti, and nearly every pregnant person experiences some degree of it. The connective tissue between the muscles stretches, and the abdominal wall becomes softer and less able to generate tension.
At the same time:
Your posture shifts forward
Your pelvis tilts to compensate for the added weight
The lower back works harder
The pelvic floor experiences pressure from above
After birth, your body does not instantly return to its pre-pregnancy state. The tissues need time, nourishment, and gentle engagement to recover.
The Cleveland Clinic offers a helpful overview of diastasis recti here.
Understanding this natural change helps you approach postpartum healing with more compassion and patience.
Why Early, Gentle Core Support Matters
Your core affects almost everything you do: breathing, lifting, carrying, feeding your baby, and even how your back and pelvis feel throughout the day.
After birth, the goals are simple:
Support the tissues while they heal
Encourage good posture during feeding and holding baby
Reduce strain on the lower back
Improve comfort during everyday movements
Help the abdominal muscles reconnect and generate tension again
Early support does not mean intense exercise or rushing into workouts. It means giving your abdomen and pelvic floor the stability they need while they recover.
What Core Support Taping Is
Core support taping uses medical-grade, gentle elastic tape to provide light, external support to the abdomen and lower back. It does not restrict movement, and it is not the same as belly binding, which applies firm pressure.
Taping can help:
Create awareness of the core
Support posture during feeding
Reduce that “falling forward” feeling many moms experience
Improve comfort when standing, sitting, or carrying baby
Give the tissues a sense of support without compressing them
Because the tape moves with your body, you can feed your baby, wear your wrap or carrier, sleep comfortably, and go about your day without discomfort.
When applied by someone trained in postpartum physiology, taping is gentle and incredibly supportive.
Taping vs Belly Binding: What’s the Difference?
Many people confuse taping with belly binding, but they work very differently.
Belly binding creates firm, circumferential pressure. This can feel supportive for some people, but it can also push pressure downward into the pelvic floor if not used carefully, which could potentially lead to a prolapse, and weaker core muscles if overused.
Core support taping is light, breathable, and flexible. It supports posture and tissue healing without forcing the abdomen into a position it isn’t ready for. This makes it especially helpful in the early postpartum weeks, when comfort and mobility matter most.
When to Start Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Pelvic floor physiotherapy is one of the most valuable forms of postpartum care. Many physios recommend an initial visit around six weeks postpartum, or earlier with provider clearance, especially if you’re experiencing:
Pelvic heaviness
Urinary leaking
Lower back pain
Painful intercourse
Difficulty engaging the core
Pelvic floor physio and core support taping work beautifully together. One offers hands-on external support and the other guides internal support and muscle activation.
Gentle Movements to Support Your Core Early On
In the first few weeks postpartum, simple, mindful movements are more helpful than traditional “core exercises.” Some gentle practices include:
Diaphragmatic breathing to re-engage the deep core
Rolling to your side before sitting up
Bringing awareness to posture during feeding
Light walking as tolerated
Your body will tell you what feels supportive and what feels like too much. Honour that.
How Core Support Helps You Feel More Like Yourself Again
Most new moms notice changes in how they move and how their bodies feel. Core support taping can help you feel:
More stable
More comfortable during daily tasks
Better supported while feeding
Less achy in the lower back and hips
More confident in your posture
It’s a simple but effective tool that blends beautifully with the other aspects of postpartum recovery.
Ready to Support Your Healing Core?
Your body has done something extraordinary. It deserves care that honours the intensity of that work.
If you are in the GTA and would like gentle, hands-on support with core taping, postpartum assessment, or in-home recovery care, you can book a session with me or purchase a gift card below:
Gift cards:
https://www.nurseyaz.ca/giftcards
Supporting your core is one of the first steps toward feeling more grounded, comfortable, and confident in your postpartum body.
