The motherbuilt Journal
Deep dives on pregnancy and postpartum movement — why your body does what it does, and exactly what to do about it. Written by Em.
It's not damage — it's data. What midline coning means about your pressure system, and how to modify (not quit) the moves that cause it.
Clearance isn't a starting gun. What actually happens in the first six weeks, and how to return to exercise in the right order.
It should feel like almost nothing — that's the design. The exact 15-minute first session, step by step, and the readiness signs that beat the calendar.
Mind the gap — but train the tension. What the research actually says about ab separation, and why crunches aren't the enemy forever.
The avoid list is a phase, not a life sentence. Five swaps with graduation tests, and the midline signals that beat any list.
That ridge isn't damage — it's data. What coning means, why it happens, and how to retrain the pressure system behind it.
Squeezing harder isn't the answer. Your pelvic floor needs to lengthen, lift, and coordinate with your breath — here's the elevator drill I teach every student.
The most common core cue in fitness may be why your belly bulges and your hip flexors scream. Find neutral pelvis instead — heavy back ribs, soft front ribs, zip up from the pubic bone.
Your pelvis is a tunnel with levels, and different hip positions open different doors. The supported third-trimester sequence, move by move.
Your uterus is the engine — your pelvic floor is the door. Why release beats bracing for birth, plus 5 supported positions to train the opening.
Your glutes didn't disappear — they got switched off. The four signs they stopped firing, and the position→activation→rotation→load sequence that reverses it.
Every stride is 2–3x your bodyweight on one leg. Pass these 9 tests symptom-free and you're ready — struggle with any, and you just found your training plan.
Don't watch the pot. Four things that set you up for the birth you want — downregulate, rest in useful positions, eat a real meal, and activate your team.
Chest breathing, belly breathing, and the third option nobody taught you. Master this one skill and everything else gets easier.
Breath is the one comfort tool you keep from first contraction to last push. The pattern for each stage of labor — and how to practice so it's automatic on the day.
Your pelvic floor needs to open for birth, not brace. The breath training that helps you push effectively — and recover faster.
A birth and major abdominal surgery. How recovery differs, what's the same, and a gentle week-by-week movement roadmap.
Exhausted, nauseous, and not showing yet. How to keep moving through the hardest-feeling trimester without overdoing it.