Some pregnant women run marathons, and some barely have the energy to get off the couch.

Some women can hardly wait to return to their normal physical activities after having a baby, and others like to take their time getting back into the swing of things.

Who's got it right? How much should we be exercising while pregnant? Are there any kinds of exercise pregnant women absolutely shouldn't be doing? And just how important is postpartum exercise, and how much should women be aiming to get in the year after having a baby?

In this episode, Natural Womanhood's Editor in Chief, Grace Emily Stark, interviews pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Kayla Borchers on all these questions and more. In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Trimester-specific exercises and focus
• What kinds of exercises to do when you just don't want to do / don't have the energy to do anything while pregnant
• What to do /where to go when dealing with pregnancy aches and pains
• Any exercises you should absolutely avoid while pregnant
• The importance of exercise postpartum: How to do it safely!
• When and how to begin exercising again postpartum (and how to fit it in!), and how much is too much?
• What problems can postpartum exercise help mitigate (back pain? PPD? Diastasis recti?)
• When to know you need more help healing postpartum, and where to go
• How to play "catch up" if you didn't have / weren't able to have a very physically active pregnancy
• Preparing better for your next pregnancy

Want to watch this episode on YouTube? Click here!

Want to work with Dr. Kayla? Click here.

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The "hot girls have stomach problems" social media trope is grimly funny, probably because so many of us can relate to the phenomenon of "oh, I can't eat that, or I'll be in the bathroom the rest of the night," (and even if you're lucky enough to not be personally familiar with that feeling, you've undoubtedly heard similar sentiments from your sisters or girlfriends).

But Ginny Noce, AKA The Women's Health RN, is here to tell us that your "tummy troubles" are actually your gut trying to tell you something about your health, your hormones—even (and perhaps especially) your menstrual cycle. And the most interesting part of it? It's a two-way street. That is, your cycle may actually be able to tell you a thing or two about your gut.

In today's episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace and Ginny take a deep dive into all things gut health, and the way it impacts our overall health—including our cycles and fertility.

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If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts!

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How on earth does a clinic surrounded by universities—and with a large student patient population—win the "best women's health clinic" award from the Seattle Times ... without ever prescribing birth control?

Helen Nguyen, CEO of 3W Medical for Women, thought it sounded too good to be true when she was told 3W had won the "Best Women's Clinic in the Pacific Northwest" award in 2023, and she almost couldn't believe it when they won again in 2024. But it's a testament to the fact that 3W is shifting the paradigm when it comes to women's health—and that birth control doesn't have to be part of the definition of women's health (as we've been made to believe for decades).

In today's episode, Grace interviews Helen about 3W's origins, what they do differently from your "standard" university campus- or women's health clinic, and—the best part—the incredible patient testimonials indicating that this is what truly empowering women's healthcare is supposed to look like.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts!

Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.

Follow us on X @naturwomanhood
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Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.