“I had an 11 pound, 24-inch long baby girl in September 2018. I labored for five days before I gave birth at home to my giant child. Postpartum felt like I had been ran over by a big rig truck and dragged 100 miles down the freeway. During pregnancy, I tried to do as much research possible to prepare myself for the postpartum period, often called the fourth trimester. But as most moms tell first-time moms, there’s not much you can actually prepare for. It’s hard to describe. However, as I stand 15 months postpartum, here is my experience I’d like to pass on to any new mom or expecting mom reading this.

I constantly felt like I had just had a baby even at 10 months postpartum. My baby started sleeping through the night at four months. Why in the world did I still feel foggy, depleted, and exhausted all day? I am an Army veteran and have been an athlete my entire life. It is my lifestyle to MOVE. I could not move my body to exercise. I was too tired.

I was always tripping and felt wobbly on my feet. My body didn’t feel like my body. I literally couldn’t remember things for more than 10 minutes. When speaking I’d forget basic vocabulary words. My husband was always making comments about my mom brain. In fact, people would always ask me if I was pregnant already…6 months after giving birth to my daughter . Truth be told, I still felt pregnant.

I could not flex my abs and have muscle tension. I would flex and I could put my finger through my abdominal wall. Nothing was keeping it from touching my intestines and stomach. If I had to urinate, I knew for a fact that I needed to find a bathroom instantly or I was going to pee my pants. I could not hold my urine in. If I sneezed, jumped or jogged, it was time to change my underwear. Being intimate with my husband was uncomfortable and sometimes was too painful to continue.

I eat healthy. And with the efforts to workout (despite the exhaustion), I could not lose weight to save my life.

“I am so thankful for Justine’s role in my postpartum healing journey. While she has helped me with a number of injuries, the most painful and urgent need I turned to her for was pudendal and sciatic nerve pain. I have an internal facial tear in my pelvis which is mostly asymptomatic, however, the nerve pain was recently provoked. The nerve pain was debilitating and I was not able to care for my two daughters, stand, sit, or sleep without intense shooting pain in my pelvis and leg.

The first appointment was a turning point, I experienced a significant reduction in pain, and several appointments later the nerve pain is almost back to being asymptomatic.

Justine’s work helping to correctly realign my pelvis and release tension has made all the difference. I can sleep at night again and be focused on my family and not on managing constant pain.

Justine’s passion for her work is so evident in everything she does. She is skilled and gentle, I trust her with something as sensitive as nerve pain. I am now sending all my friends recommendations to see Justine for their pregnancy, postpartum and chronic pain needs!”

~Heather P, Mother of 2

“My name is Cassie, and I’ve been active all of my life. From the age of 18 I’ve had issues with incontinence, low back pain, and incorrect core engagement. For as long as I can remember I haven’t been able to jump on a trampoline, laugh or sneeze without urinating a little. I figured this is just part of my life, and I continued living. My issues just got worse over the years, 4 babies later, running hundreds of miles, and sustained a tailbone injury. I had given up hope that I could do better. I figured I would just have to deal with these struggles for the rest of my life. A little less than 2 years ago, a friend told me about this “Pelvic Floor Specialist”. I didn’t even know what that was. That’s when I met Justine. I worked with Justine for a few months and couldn’t believe the difference I’d seen in my own body. I no longer experience back pain. My core is now engaging correctly, which has enabled me to further my yoga practice and allowed me to complete moves in the silks that I once thought were impossible for me. I am also happy to report that I no longer have any issues with incontinence. I jumped on the trampoline with my 6 year old daughter the other day, no problems!! I loved that I could join in on the fun and no longer had to sit on the side and watch. Working with Justine was life changing for me for the better. Her approach and looking at me as a whole person was incredible. I would and I have recommended all my friends to her. Working with her has drastically improved my life. I love that I can do all the things that I love, without worry.”

~Cassie C, Mother of 4

I first sought out Justine when we moved to Woodland Park from Florida. I was just over a year postpartum, loved being a mama, but I had headaches and body pains that were becoming more and more frequent. I was also seeking to continue recovery from a prolapse and tight, but weak pelvic floor after birthing my son. Emotionally, I felt like my body was falling apart and failing me more and more often. I was not able to be as present in life or for my family as I would have liked to be due to the pain I often experienced. Justine was a breath of fresh air and healing for me after moving across the country as a new mama.

Through her myofascial release work, Justine and I slowly started addressing and unwinding the underlying tension my body carried day to day. As I sought out this bodywork, I coupled it with some counseling. Turns out a lot of my undealt with emotions were being stored in my body and physically presented as tightness and pain to get my attention. After a few sessions with Justine and beginning to work through my emotional baggage, the headaches became less and less frequent to nonexistent. Tension I unknowingly was carrying from my pelvic floor up through my head was dissipating, and as my pelvic floor was relaxing, it was also getting stronger. I began to feel more empowered each day and trust that my body and mind could handle whatever was to come.

A few months after seeing Justine, I was surprised to find out I was expecting my second child, a baby girl. I say surprised because of all the time, tears, and testing it took before conceiving my first. I was so blown away that all the work, trudging through all the physical and emotional healing, created so much space in myself that there was room for another life to come. I continue to see Justine for check-ins to prepare my body for the birth of my baby girl, and plan to see her afterward to ensure my body is well enough for the blessed job of mothering and being present for my children and family. I am very grateful to have Justine on board my journey through motherhood and have learned that when I show up for myself, I can better be there for those I love most.

~Caitlin, Mother of 2

“Like a lot of women I have physically pushed the limits of my body which led to aches and pains, and it got worse during my pregnancy, and after birth I just thought this is what life was going to be like, being in pain.

My lower back hurt, I would get pinched nerves simply from just reaching over to get my baby out of her crib. I couldn’t work out, or even go on a walk without triggering pain. I feared never being able to chase my daughter
around.

I am a first time mom so I didn’t know if what I was going through was normal or not but there wasn’t much hope for my conditions; until I met Justine. She truly has changed my life.

My pain was gone after that first visit, and my postpartum depression. I was able to move around immediately and not feel pain which led me to just be happier all around! I’m able to go on walks, and do low impact workouts which is a huge improvement for me.

I honestly forgot what that felt like to be pain free. I am so blessed to have Justine walk with me through this postpartum journey and be prepared for future pregnancies. Justine is very personal and passionate about helping others. She is very responsive and ensures that I feel taken care of!

I’m hoping that my testimony will help others realize that you don’t have to deal with the pain, there is a way to fix it! Don’t feel guilty of wanting to take care of yourself! As moms we deserve to feel better! “

~Anna H, Mother and Small Business Owner

“I started going to Justine about 4 months ago after the birth of my daughter back in the spring. My initial goal with my treatments was simply to heal a prolapse and the “open” feeling I had so that I could get back to the high intensity workouts I loved doing pre pregnancy. What I didn’t realize is that, yes, I had physical discomforts to heal but also a fair share of emotional trauma held in body from the loss of a previous miscarriage.

Through the work I’ve done with Justine I have been able to fully grieve my loss and move forward, ultimately helping me become the wife and mother I want to be.

She’s taught me how to be more aware of my body and how to move it properly through exercise and daily life. My prolapse is healed, my pelvic floor is the strongest it has been in years and I am nearly back to my pre pregnancy workouts. Postpartum is rough and can be a long recovery process, both physically and emotionally, but working with Justine I feel I have healed much quicker than I would have on my own. She is as amazing as the work she does and I can’t recommend her enough! “

~Mary C, Stay At Home Mom

“My girl was nearly 11 pounds when she was born, which did quite the number on my body! Two months after birth, I was unable to walk or do much of anything without being in pain. I wanted to be able to carry my girl around, wear her, pick her up without feeling weak, and do normal life things without pain and feeling like my insides were going to fall out.

I was able to get there with Justine’s help. Her treatment was gentle, caring, natural, effective and helped me to be so much more in tune with my body than I have ever been. I was also able to address a lot of emotions and inner turmoil that I was dealing with postpartum, as my body was able to release the physical trauma it was holding onto. Considering what my body went through, I feel so normal, healthy and able to do most of what I could do before birth without pain and discomfort!

I am a full-time wedding and birth photographer. This means being on my feet for 8+ hours at a time. Through the wedding season this year I was stronger and felt a hundred times better than the last. This is my heart. I love telling love stories, as well as working in the birth space of mamas who invite me in to tell the stories of their babies’ births. This business allows me to stay home with my girl and experience all her firsts, and I am so thankful that I am able to do it to my fullest capacity, largely due to the physical recovery and healing I was able to find through working with Justine and The Healing Spot. I am so thankful for her love and care and it was so worth the investment in my own health!”

~Kasey K, Mother and Small Business Owner