The muscles of the pelvic floor, Dr. Sutton said in an email, can be a key to success in helping your body function well, and eventually for getting back to exercise. “Without full engagement of the pelvic floor muscles, back pain may ensue, the hamstrings will not be fully engaged, your abs will have trouble making a comeback and even breathing can be an issue.” Weak pelvic floor muscles, she said, can lead to poor posture and to back pain.

Dr. Ribaudo said that some women think that once they have been “cleared” at their six-week checkups, they can go back to their pre-pregnancy levels of activity. “Your body has gone through trauma,” she said, and it needs more time.

And yet, of course, those postpartum months involve constant lifting and bending, for fathers as well as mothers. “I see a lot of postpartum upper back and shoulder and neck pain,” she said, because new parents tend to be bent over so often. She advises her patients to think about the setting in which they will be changing or dressing or bathing the baby, and try to raise the height so it involves less bending.

“Every single time you change a diaper or dress the baby,” she said, “stop and do 10 scapular retractions” — pulling the shoulder blades toward the spine — “just to undo what you did being bent over.”

And then there’s feeding: “You’re going to be spending so much time feeding your child, whether breast or bottle,” she said, and you shouldn’t actually be holding up the baby all that time. “Your arm should be supported so you can relax those muscles and not be constantly straining them.” Even for something as simple as how you hold a bottle, she said, make sure to keep your wrist as neutral as possible, rather than fully flexed.

“As physical therapists, we educate patients that the combination of bending, lifting and twisting is a good recipe to throw out your back,” Dr. Ribaudo said. So what do you do about getting the child in and out of a car seat? “I teach them, take your time, face the car seat, bend at the hips and knees, don’t twist,” she said. “I teach them how to engage their core muscles, give themselves a little more stability.”

Taking even five to 10 extra seconds to think about what you are doing and how you are doing it can make a big difference, she said, especially for parents who feel rushed. Be aware of what you are asking your body to do, walking up a flight of stairs carrying a baby, and perhaps a stroller. Choose lighter strollers when possible if you’re going to be carrying them, and be careful about using baby carriers for long distances once the child gets heavier.