If you had a C-section and left the hospital with a list of things you can't do and almost nothing about how to actually heal — this episode is for you. Kaili sits down with Janelle Fontaine, a registered massage therapist, postpartum doula, and cesarean recovery specialist based in Vancouver. Janelle created the Caesarean Recovery Guide specifically because she kept meeting mamas who had no idea that a C-section is major abdominal surgery — or that real recovery can take one to two years. The visible incision, she says, is just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more happening beneath it. In this conversation, Janelle and Kaili cover: Why the typical hospital discharge guidance falls so short — and why mamas are often sent home with a list of restrictions but nothing that actually empowers them to heal. What's actually happening in the body during a cesarean — including the layers of tissue, the different incision directions involved, and why pulling sensations, numbness above the scar, hip pain, and even shoulder pain can all trace back to that scar. The recovery timeline nobody talks about — why the six-week mark is not the finish line, and why hearing "it takes one to two years" can actually feel like relief. Janelle's four pillars of cesarean recovery: Rest — slowing down in the early weeks without guilt, and understanding what your body is actually doingCompression — snug, breathable support that helps manage inflammation and support your core as you healCore connection — rebuilding that brain-body conversation, starting with conscious breath as early as a couple of hours post-op, and why pelvic floor physio is relevant even for C-section mamasScar tissue mobilization — when to start (typically once the incision is fully closed, usually around 6–8 weeks), what to do before that, why infection resets the clock, and how this goes so far beyond just massaging the scarIs it ever too late? Janelle shares why the answer is almost always no — and why mamas 10, 16, even 40 years post-cesarean are still finding meaningful change when they finally get support. They also touch on matrescence — the identity transformation of becoming a mother — and why we need to give ourselves the same grace we'd give a brand-new employee still finding their footing. Janelle's one thing she wishes every C-section mama was told at discharge: seek support. Know who to turn to — an RMT, a pelvic floor physio, a chiropractor, an osteopath — so that when something comes up, it doesn't feel so big and scary. Find Janelle: 🌿 Website: nurturingthemother.ca 🌿 Instagram: @nurturingthemother 🌿 Caesarean Recovery Guide: available at nurturingthemother.ca 🌿 Caesarean Scars: Variations of Normal project — collecting real-life C-section scar photos to create a resource showing the full range of what normal healing actually looks like. Submit your photos via the link in Janelle's Instagram bio, or follow @ismyscarnormal 🌿 Practitioner training: Janelle teaches healthcare professionals (RMTs, chiropractors, osteopaths, doulas, and more) how to support C-section mamas — in-person and virtual two-day courses available Resources from Kaili: 🌿 Calm Baby Blueprint (free guide) — https://freebie.kailiets.com/calm-baby 🌿 Baby Bodywork At Home ($47 course) — https://courses.kailiets.com/baby-bodywork Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome 01:12 — Meet Janelle Fontaine 02:43 — How she found her way to C-section recovery work 05:51 — The massive gap in C-section care at discharge 09:31 — A rabbit hole: big babies, birth weight guessing, and trust 11:51 — What's actually happening in your body during a cesarean 15:33 — Healing timeline and symptoms to pay attention to 19:06 — The four pillars of recovery: rest, compression, core connection, scar mobility 22:07 — Matrescence: the identity transformation of becoming a mother 24:19 — What postpartum support could look like if society caught up 25:11 — Pillar two: compression — snug, breathable, and purposeful 27:07 — Pillar three: core connection from breath to pelvic floor physio 29:21 — Pillar four: scar tissue mobilization — when, how, and the right mindset 32:21 — What happens when there's an infection, and why it resets the timeline 34:25 — Is it ever too late? (Spoiler: no) 37:49 — Janelle's one thing every C-section mama deserves to know 39:17 — Rapid fire + the case for postpartum doulas 41:32 — Janelle's resources, the Caesarean Recovery Guide, and the Variations of Normal project Know a mama who had a C-section and was sent home with almost no guidance? Send this to her. She deserves to know this exists. Subscribe, leave a review, and tag Kaili on socials @theholisticbabyguru 💜
