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We Can't Wait 6 Weeks: Rehab Early Postpartum

Instructor: Kelsey Mathias, OTR/L, PRPC

Founder, Perinatal Performance Method

January 20, 2026 | 7:00–9:00 PM ET

Audience: OTs, OTAs, PTs, PTAs

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We share your vision to improve birth recovery earlier

The early postpartum period is a critical window for rehabilitation intervention. Yet many occupational and physical therapists lack a clear clinical framework for evaluation and treatment during the first six weeks postpartum. As a result, care is often delayed, not due to lack of need, but due to uncertainty around assessment, safety, and appropriate intervention.

This course provides a structured, week-by-week clinical roadmap for occupational and physical therapists working with postpartum clients during the first six weeks after birth. The training is developed using principles from the Perinatal Performance Method, a methodology that emphasizes early, function-focused, and participation-driven care during the perinatal period. Content applies across acute care, home health, outpatient, and telehealth settings.

Rehab Interventions Starting Week 1

Participants will learn how to complete comprehensive early postpartum evaluations, including vital sign monitoring, head-to-toe physical assessment, activity tolerance, and functional performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).

The training emphasizes collaborative, client-centered goal setting based on priorities for caregiving, return to activity, and daily function. Participants will also learn how to safely reintroduce foundational movement, integrate partners and caregivers into care planning, and provide anticipatory guidance related to childcare demands, intimacy, and graded return to activity.

All content is grounded in current rehabilitation scope of practice and emphasizes clinical reasoning, patient safety, and functional outcomes during the early postpartum period.

Newborn being held over surgical curtain. New mom is seen smiling at her new baby boy.
Live + Recorded Training

Distinguish your practice in every birth setting, including the hospital, and collaborate with other members of the maternal care team.

Become the Go-To Expert Who Intervenes Earlier

 Leader Objectives 

  • Analyze early postpartum clinical findings, including vital signs, head-to-toe physical assessment, activity tolerance, and ADL/IADL performance, to inform safe intervention planning

  • Apply a structured, week-by-week clinical framework to differentiate assessment priorities and intervention strategies across Weeks 0–6 postpartum

  • Design client-centered treatment plans that support participation in ADLs, caregiving tasks, and daily life demands during early postpartum recovery

Occupational Therapist is seen performing interventions by using manipulation techniques around neck and shoulders.
Live + Recorded Training

We Can't Wait 6 Weeks: Rehab Early Postpartum

This course is part of the Perinatal Health Specialist Certification Program, the first credential in the world dedicated to expanding early access to occupational and physical therapy during pregnancy and immediately after birth.

Single Course Registration: $75

PHS-C Certification Program: $2997 | PHN Members: $2097.90

Learn More About the PHS-C Program

Why This Training Matters for Clinical Leaders

This training is designed for clinicians who are responsible not only for patient care, but also for shaping how postpartum rehabilitation is delivered within their organizations. Participants gain a practical framework they can use to standardize early postpartum OT and PT services, reduce variation in care, and support safer, more consistent clinical decision-making during the first six weeks after birth.

Clinical leaders will leave with tools to justify early intervention, align rehabilitation services with medical teams, and guide staff in delivering occupation- and function-based care across hospital, home, outpatient, and virtual settings. The week-by-week roadmap supports program development, onboarding, and mentorship of newer clinicians while reinforcing best practices in patient safety, documentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

This training supports leaders who are working to expand access to early postpartum rehabilitation, improve continuity of care, and position OT and PT as essential contributors to recovery during a critical transition period.

Live + Recorded Training

About the Instructor

Kelsey Mathias, OTR/L, PRPC is an occupational therapist and clinical educator with over a decade of experience in maternal, perinatal, and pelvic health. She has spent her career building and scaling education and care programs that support pregnant and postpartum individuals across military, civilian, and private practice settings. Kelsey co-led the interdisciplinary redesign of the Army’s Pregnancy and Postpartum Performance Training (P3T) Program, training over 1,000 Army leaders and impacting more than 10,000 Soldiers annually. Her work has included consultation with professionals across all branches of the military as well as NASA, helping advance evidence-based maternal health initiatives in high-performance environments.

In addition to her national education and program development work, Kelsey owns and operates a private occupational therapy practice providing in-home care for pregnant and postpartum individuals as well as sex counseling. She is the co-founder of the annual OTs in Pelvic Health Summit and played a key role in developing the Certified Functional Pelvic Health Therapist certification. Kelsey is committed to advancing interdisciplinary education, supporting clinicians, and improving maternal health outcomes through practical, functional, and equitable care. Her guiding motto is: Together we are capable. Together we are strong. Together there is hope.

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