Active Mom Postpartum

Send us a text What happens when pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and military fitness standards collide? Because “light duty” doesn’t exactly exist when you’re a soldier… or a mom. In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Megan Jones, a civilian physical therapist who has spent nearly her entire career embedded inside the military system, helping pregnant and postpartum service members stay strong, capable, and mission-ready. She works at the intersection of tactical athletes, pelvic health, strength training, and postpartum performance — supporting women who are expected to carry heavy loads, pass fitness tests, deploy, and return to high-level activity… often while navigating pregnancy, birth recovery, and pelvic floor symptoms that rarely get talked about out loud. And honestly?  So much of this mirrors what our everyday runners and lifters face too. We talk about what actually prepares women for the long game — not just “clearing” a 6-week checkup or surviving a fitness test. Because strength isn’t optional.  Recovery isn’t weakness.  And asking better questions changes everything. Inside this episode, we cover: Military fitness test standards and expectations for womenPostpartum return-to-fitness for tactical athletesWhy lifting during and after pregnancy matters more than everPelvic floor + psychosocial components of recoveryAsking smarter clinical questions (not just chasing symptoms)Running and coaching through pregnancy and postpartumHow to help women stay active for decades — not just monthsWhether you’re a clinician, coach, military service member, or an active mom trying to get back to running and lifting without leaks, pain, or fear… this conversation will expand how you think about pregnancy and postpartum performance. Because women don’t need to shrink their lives to fit their bodies. We need better support systems. Time Stamps 1:00 Introduction 3:39 expectations for female service members 9:17 standardizing the Army’s pregnancy/postpartum fitness  14:14 culture and accountability 20:09 combating outdated information 22:53 advice for working with tactical athletes 29:39 process of seeing a PT in the military 34:13 running and finding ultras 41:30 lifting early in postpartum 45:09 finding the right resources 50:18 rapid fire questions CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com CONNECT WITH MEGAN: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/reclaimfxn/ Website: www.reclaimfxn.com The Active Mom Podcast is A Real Moms' Guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond for active moms & the professionals who help them in their journey. This show has been a long time in the making! You can expect conversation with moms and professionals from all aspects of the industry. If you're like me, you don't have a lot of free time (heck, you're probably listening at 1.5x speed), so theses interviews will be quick hits to get your the pertinent information FAST! If you love what you hear, share the podcast with a friend and leave us a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review. It helps us become more visible in the search algorithm! (Helps us get seen by more moms that need to hear these stories!!!!)