How long does the postpartum period really last?

Nov 10 / Sol Alonso
We often hear that the postpartum period lasts six weeks — the time it takes for medical check-ups, stitches to heal, and hormones to “settle.”
 But anyone who has gone through it knows: six weeks is only the beginning.
The postpartum phase is not a fixed number on a calendar. It’s a process — a gradual reorganisation of the body, the mind, and daily life. Understanding how long it truly lasts can help us bring more patience, compassion, and awareness to recovery.

The reality: postpartum lasts up to two years

Research in women’s health, endocrinology, and physical rehabilitation shows that postpartum recovery can take from 12 to 24 months — sometimes more.
  • The uterus takes around six to eight weeks to return to its pre-pregnancy size.
  • Ligaments and joints, softened by the hormone relaxin, may need six months or more to stabilise.
  • The abdominal wall and linea alba (the connective tissue affected by diastasis recti) can take a year or longer to regain tone and integrity.
  • The pelvic floor continues to recover for 12 to 18 months, and its function depends not only on muscle strength but also on posture, breath and coordination.
  • The nervous system and hormones take time to find balance — especially when sleep is fragmented and emotional demands are high.
So while the first 40 days or six weeks are crucial for rest and protection, the broader postpartum journey continues well beyond that.

Factors that influence how long postpartum lasts

There isn’t one timeline that fits all. Each body — and each experience of birth — is unique. The duration and depth of postpartum recovery depend on many interwoven factors:
  • Type of birth: vaginal or caesarean, with or without interventions, will influence healing time.
  • Pelvic floor and abdominal recovery: strength, coordination, and tissue repair can vary widely.
  • Rest and support: access to help (or lack of it) dramatically affects recovery speed.
  • Nutrition: rebuilding tissues requires proper nourishment and hydration.
  • Sleep and stress: hormonal balance and nervous system regulation are deeply linked to rest.
  • Movement and body awareness: mindful practices like yoga, breathwork and hypopressives support the body to reorganise gently.
  • Emotional environment: how supported and seen a mother feels plays a key role in overall wellbeing.
Postpartum recovery is not only physical — it’s also hormonal, emotional, relational, and even spiritual. The body remembers, reorganises and learns to move again in a new context of caregiving and constant adaptation.

Rediscovering your centre

In The Mamifera Lab, we approach postpartum as a season of rebuilding from within.
Reconnecting with the core — not only the muscles, but the sense of centre — helps restore both strength and confidence.

This month, in our After Birth Flow membership, we’re diving deeper into this area with three complete classes:
  • Postnatal Core: the Basics
  • Yoga & Pilates: Mix for the Core
  • Release Your Core
These sessions are designed to help you reconnect safely with your abdominal wall, pelvic floor, and breath, while respecting the body’s timing.
Rebuilding the core is not about returning to your “old body.” It’s about inhabiting this new one with awareness and grace.

Why redefining postpartum matters

When we see postpartum as a short recovery period, we unconsciously add pressure to “bounce back.” But when we understand it as a two-year transformation, we create space for rest, learning, and integration.

This perspective changes everything:
  • It validates your fatigue, emotional waves, and slower rhythms.
  • It invites you to keep caring for yourself long after others stop asking how you are.
  • It recognises that healing is not linear — some weeks you’ll feel strong, others more fragile, and both are part of the process.

A new rhythm

Whether your baby is three months or two years old, you’re still living a form of postpartum.

Each movement, each breath, and each act of care — for yourself or your child — continues the work of integration. This is not a stage to “get through,” but a rhythm to live within: slower, deeper, wiser.

Your postpartum doesn’t have an expiry date; it has a heartbeat — the one that synchronises yours with your baby’s, and slowly leads you back to yourself.
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