#104: Why You Still Feel Like Something's Off — Even If Your GP Says You're Fine
“Just because the tests are normal doesn’t mean you’re fine. Healing starts when we start listening to what the body is really saying.”
You’ve done the right things.
The bloodwork. The check-ups. You’ve even gone to physio, tried the supplements, maybe dipped into postnatal Pilates or followed a few Instagram routines that promised to help you “get your core back.”
And yet, something still feels off.
It’s not easy to put into words. You’re not in acute pain. You’re functioning. But it’s as if your body’s running with the handbrake on — always a bit tight, a bit tired, a bit disconnected. Your belly doesn’t feel quite like yours. Your back aches more than it used to. And no matter how well you eat, sleep, or “tick the boxes,” that sense of deep fatigue never really lifts.
You try to explain this to your GP, or a well-meaning friend, and it gets waved away — labelled as stress, hormones, or “just what happens after kids.” Maybe they’re right. But something in you knows it’s more than that.
If you’ve ever walked out of an appointment feeling dismissed — or looked at your normal blood test results and thought, But I still don’t feel well — you’re not imagining it.
In fact, you might be asking the most important question of all:
“What if this isn’t in my head? What if this is my body asking for something deeper?”
Let’s talk about what might actually be going on — and why the typical markers of “health” don’t always tell the whole story.
When Normal Isn’t the Same as Well
Medical tests are designed to detect dysfunction — things like disease, deficiency, or organ failure. But they’re not always designed to measure vitality, energy, tissue recovery, or nervous system regulation.
Which means you can have “perfect” lab results… and still feel completely off.
This doesn’t mean your doctor is wrong. It means they’re looking through one lens — and your body is speaking through another.
Because underneath the surface, postnatal recovery is about much more than whether the uterus has contracted or the wound has closed.
It’s about:
How well your nervous system has recalibrated after birth and surgery
Whether your core muscles are firing in sequence and supporting your spine
How your fascia, breath, and internal pressure systems are functioning
And whether your system feels safe enough to heal, rebuild, and rest
Most of this isn’t measured in a blood test. But it can be felt — deeply — by the woman living in that body.
The Quiet Signs That Your Body Still Needs Support
The mums I’ve worked with over the years often describe similar patterns.
Not dramatic symptoms. But a persistent sense that things aren’t quite right.
Sometimes it’s a “dead” feeling around the belly or scar area. Sometimes it’s SI joint pain, neck tightness, or a core that doesn’t feel trustworthy — especially during movement or load.
Other times it’s fatigue that lingers long after the baby phase has passed. Not sleepiness, but a bone-deep depletion that doesn’t shift with rest. A nervous system that can’t fully exhale.
You don’t need to have all of these symptoms for your experience to be valid. Even just one is a clue that something deeper might still be integrating — physically, emotionally, or neurologically.
It’s Not in Your Head. It’s in Your System.
We’ve been conditioned to think that health is all about doing more — more workouts, more green smoothies, more “positive thinking.”
But when the body’s foundations are still unsettled, more effort isn’t the answer.
In fact, it can make things worse.
Because if your nervous system is still in a subtle state of survival — whether from the trauma of birth, the demands of motherhood, or years of burnout before pregnancy — it won’t prioritise rebuilding muscle or regulating energy.
It will prioritise keeping you alive.
And that means energy conservation. Protective tension. Hormonal disruption. And sometimes, chronic low-grade symptoms that make you feel like you’re “just not coping” — when in fact, your body is doing exactly what it thinks it needs to survive.
So What Actually Helps?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer — but there are some core principles that support real recovery. And none of them involve pushing harder.
Instead, think of them as a recalibration — helping your system feel safe enough to rebuild.
Here’s where to start:
Restore breath and internal pressure: Shallow breathing patterns (common after surgery or stress) create tension and disconnect. Rebuilding your breath helps reset your nervous system and re-engage your deep core from the inside out.
Support the scar and fascia: Even years later, scar tissue can restrict movement and energy flow. Gentle self-touch or working with a trained practitioner can help restore mobility and connection.
Shift from stress to safety: Nervous system healing isn’t just about rest. It’s about feeling safe. That might mean slower walks in nature, breath-led movement, or finding small moments of joy that remind your system it can down-regulate.
Build strength with awareness: The goal isn’t to “get your body back.” It’s to build a new foundation that’s aligned with how your body works now — not how it looked before.
You Know Your Body. Keep Listening.
If something still feels off, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
It means your body is asking for a different approach.
You’re not broken. You don’t need to be fixed. But you do deserve to be supported — in a way that honours the complexity of what you’ve been through.
When I started hearing other mums talk about this — the deep tiredness, the disconnect, the sense that their body never quite came back — I understood it in theory.
But it wasn’t until I went through it myself that I truly understood what they meant.
That strange fatigue behind the eyes. That feeling of being “off” even when your labs are fine. That deep, quiet knowing that the body is asking for something softer — not harder.
You’re not imagining it. And you’re certainly not alone.
Because healing isn’t just about metrics. It’s about meaning.
And when we stop trying to prove we’re okay — and start creating space to actually feel okay — the body often responds in ways we didn’t think were possible.
Need a place to begin?
Download your free guide: 6 Health Foundations to Rebuild Energy, Trust & Core Strength
Inside, you’ll find six essential practices — from breathwork to blood sugar support — designed to help tired, post-C-section mums rebuild from the inside out.
No fluff. Just grounded, actionable tools to support real recovery — even years after birth.
With Love,
Karo