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\"As someone who was active and who loves being active, it’s really tempting to just go do what you want to do regardless of how it feels,\" Mauney said. \"Having someone so high-profile and so fit as Serena listen to her body sets a great example for women everywhere.\"

Frustrated by her ob-gyn's lack of guidance, Mauney turned to a physical therapist for help, even though insurance is not covering her visits.

Bales' physical therapy practice in New York City, Reform Physical Therapy, is focused solely on pregnant and postpartum women.

\"When women have a C-section they don’t walk out with a physical therapy prescription, and every layer of their abdominal musculature has been cut through,\" said Bales, a mother of two. \"And every layer of their pelvic floor has been assaulted if they gave birth vaginally.\"

She added, \"The big take home for women is to be kind to their bodies and also to listen to their bodies. If they feel pain, if they feel that something is off, they really have to be their own advocate.\"

\"PHOTO:
Reform Physical Therapy
PHOTO: Dr. Abigail Bales is a pelvic floor physical therapist whose practices focuses on pregnant and postpartum women.
>

Bales encourages postpartum women to seek out a pelvic floor exam after birth to evaluate how they are recovering internally.

\"How babies come out is unpredictable and often very traumatic for the body,\" she said. \"That’s more of an indication of how long it will take the women to get back into her physical activity, even if she was the picture of health before.\"

Bales takes new moms under her care through specific core and breathing exercises and then guides them back slowly to their pre-childbirth exercise routines.

Even if a woman is not an avid exerciser, healing slowly and fully from childbirth is important when it comes to future pregnancies and lifelong health, she said.

\"PHOTO:
Reform Physical Therapy
PHOTO: Dr. Abigail Bales' New York City practice, Reform Physical Therapy, focuses on pregnant and postpartum women.
>

She clears them for more intense exercises only after the new mom is fully continent, can perform kegel exercises, and is able to use proper form and exercise without pain. Part of the equation is also mental, Bales added.

\"I also want to make sure that they're feeling independent and feeling that they’re not broken glass anymore,\" she said. \"I make sure they’re not afraid to try things.\"

Ashton, who has delivered more than 1,500 babies, said she does not routinely refer her patients to physical therapy unless there is a complication.

Her advice to women is to train for pregnancy and childbirth like they are training for the athletic event that she says both pregnancy and childbirth are. Ashton also advises women to follow Williams' lead in looking out for themselves.

\"We have to remember that the mom is who takes care of the baby both during pregnancy and after,\" she said. \"The first thing that every mom should do is take a moment to recognize what your body has just been through and be patient with yourself and try not to let societal or family or work pressures infiltrate your own timeline.\"

See below for progressions of three core exercises for postpartum women as demonstrated by Bales. Visit her Instagram for specific instructions and more exercises in the core series.

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