Where Did My Butt Go? Solving the "Mom Butt" Mystery
Jen Landry 
Stop the "glute gripping" causing your "Mom Butt." Jen Landry, PCES, explains how to fix your posture and pelvic floor for functional strength.
Have you ever caught a glimpse of yourself in the Publix window or the mirror at Starbucks and wondered, Wait, where did it go? I’m talking about the "Mom Butt." Whether you call it "Pancake Ass" or "Frog Butt," that feeling that your backside has completely vanished after pregnancy is a very real, very frustrating phenomenon.
As a PCES (Pregnancy & Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist), I can promise you that you didn't just "lose" your muscles in the delivery room. It isn’t just about a lack of squats or "letting yourself go." It’s actually a brilliant (though annoying) strategy your body used to keep you upright while your center of gravity was shifting every single day.
The Science of the "Squeeze"
During pregnancy, as your belly grows, your weight shifts forward. To keep from toppling over, your brain finds a new way to stabilize. For many of us, that means falling into a habit of glute gripping.
Essentially, you start shoving your hips forward and tucking your tailbone under. Think of it like a permanent, mini-crunch of the glutes. (Me, every time I’m standing in a long line at Chick-fil-A. ) While this helps you balance in the short term, it creates a massive long-term problem for your functional movement.
When you tuck your tailbone and "grip" those muscles 24/7, your glutes and pelvic floor become:
- Short and Tight: They never get to move through their full range of motion.
- Tired: Like holding a bicep curl all day, they eventually just fatigue out.
- Weak: A muscle that is always "on" is actually a weak muscle.
It’s Not Just Aesthetics
I’m not here to talk about "bouncing back" or hitting a specific fitness "look." I care about what your body can do. When your glutes are stuck in that tucked position, it changes how intra-abdominal pressure is managed.
If your glutes are always gripped and your pelvic floor is always "on," you might start experiencing:
- Tailbone Pain: Everything is pulled too tight.
- Constipation: It’s hard to let things go when the exit is "locked."
- Leaks: A tight pelvic floor is not a functional one.
This is why I’m a "no-nonsense" expert when it comes to the "just do your Kegels" advice. If you’re already a "gripper," doing more Kegels is like adding more fuel to a fire. You need to learn how to contract AND relax.
How to Find Your Glutes Again
The goal isn't just to look better in your leggings; it’s to be the grandma who can still lift things and play tag with her grandkids without fear of "accidents."
Step one is 360 Breathing. We have to teach your ribs and your pelvis to stack on top of each other again. When you breathe, your diaphragm and pelvic floor should move together like a piston. If you’re tucked under, that piston is jammed.
Start paying attention to how you stand while you’re making dinner or waiting for your Applebee’s To-Go order. Are you gripping? Can you "untuck" and let your glutes actually exist behind you?
The Postural Coin
Here is the kicker: this "tucked" position is just one half of a postural coin. It’s the "Mom Butt" side. The other side is the "tilted" position, which is often what creates the "Mom Pooch" (or Diastasis Recti symptoms). These two patterns usually work together as your body tries to find its new center of gravity.
Recovery isn't one-size-fits-all, and it definitely shouldn't wait until some arbitrary 6-week clearance. You can start retraining your alignment and breath today.
Ready to stop the "grip" and start healing? If you’re feeling "broken" or afraid to exercise because of leaks or back pain, let’s get back to basics. Grab my Pelvic Floor Essentials Guide to start retraining your core and glutes for real life.
Categories: : Butt, Pelvic Floor & Core Health, Postpartum
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