“There was no book that I could read that was about my body and what had happened to my body,” Courtney Naliboff said of navigating the unknowns after giving birth 10 years ago.

In an effort to take matters into her own hands, the writer and educator teamed up with her friend, Ruth E. Macy, who works as a pelvic floor therapist in Brunswick. Armed with Naliboff’s journalistic training, Macy’s medical expertise and personal experience with going through the postpartum stage, the Midcoast authors conducted hundreds of interviews with body experts to compile their book, “Your Postpartum Body: The Complete Guide to Healing After Pregnancy,” which launches early June.

The book breaks down changes that happen after pregnancy, how to navigate the health care system, exercises for healing and guidance on how to return to high-fitness–level activities. It was inspired by Naliboff’s uphill recovery after pregnancy. After dealing with chronic muscle pain, a mental health crisis, anemia and severe inflammation, Naliboff said she also has yet to fully get back into running, a beloved hobby that also helped mitigate her anxiety.

“There was no conversation about function or feeling — which isn’t to put anybody at fault, it just was not part of the normal conversation at the six-week checkup,” she said of the care she received after giving birth. She added that she often relied on Macy to answer questions about the changes happening to her body.

Macy, whose postpartum stage came with nonstop bleeding after an induced birth 16 years ago, said that the experience informs her medical practice.

“I think it really let’s me be more empathetic and compassionate to what people are dealing with,” Macy said. “And if I had never gone through that, I think I would have remained somewhat naively idealistic.”

Pregnant and postpartum women are historically excluded from research, Macy said, making information on postpartum care difficult to find for those struggling. Though both authors note that the discussion around postpartum health has evolved since either of them gave birth, Naliboff and Macy hope to make information more accessible to everyone, including to those who may not be able to find postpartum care or may experience medical racism.

And the book is not just for those who identify as women or plan to become parents, Macy said. Using the term “marginalized gestational identity,” Macy noted that intersectionality — the overlapping of various social identities — impacts how needs are medically and socially met in the postpartum stage, especially for marginalized people.

“Often, people who exist in those identities and circumstances are erased and forgotten completely,” Macy said. “They’re not even part of the discourse — everything is about ‘mamas’ and women — everything.”

Naliboff said that the book would be useful to anyone who has had birth, no matter how long ago, and to anyone considering pregnancy.

“The target audience is everyone who has been pregnant into the third trimester — full stop,” Naliboff said. “We just wanted to put the most current, best practices in one place for people so that they can feel like its being offered by people who have not only experienced but who have expertise in the area.”

“Your Postpartum Body: The Complete Guide to Healing After Pregnancy” will be released on June 4 and is available for preorder.

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