Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for New Moms: Essential Support During and After Pregnancy
Nurturing Your Pelvic Health:
Pregnancy and motherhood are transformative experiences that bring immense joy and fulfillment. However, they also introduce unique challenges, including changes to the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor plays a crucial role in supporting the growing baby during pregnancy, facilitating childbirth, and recovering after delivery. For new moms, pelvic floor health is a top priority to ensure overall well-being during this special time.
At Chicago Pelvic Health and Wellness, we understand the importance of pelvic health for new moms. In this blog post, we'll explore how pelvic physical therapy can be a valuable resource for women before, during, and after pregnancy. From preparing for childbirth to postpartum recovery, our expert services can help new (and even second time) moms navigate the journey of motherhood with confidence and comfort.
1. Preparing for the Journey: Pelvic Physical Therapy Before Pregnancy
Preparing for pregnancy is an exciting time, but it's also essential to ensure your body is ready for the journey ahead. Pelvic physical therapy can play a significant role in preconception care, especially for those with conditions like vaginismus, dyspareunia, endometriosis, or PCOS. Pelvic PT plays a crucial role helping to relax pelvic floor muscles to allow for pain free intercourse, or to help reduce restrictions around the abdomen and uterus to allow for an optimal position for conception. Additionally addressing any pre-existing pelvic floor issues, such as pelvic pain, incontinence, or low back or SI joint pain can also greatly help place your body in a good position for pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
2. The Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy: Understanding the Changes
Pregnancy brings significant changes to the body, including hormonal shifts and physical adjustments to accommodate the growing baby. The pelvic floor experiences increased pressure and stress during this time, which can lead to various discomforts and concerns like pubic symphysis pain, SI joint dysfunction, low back pain, or urinary leakage. Pelvic floor PT can help reduce pain and discomfort through manual soft tissue techniques, learning activity modifications, or providing you with tools and tips that can help support your body throughout these changes. Additionally, specified exercises can continue to keep you moving and comfortable throughout pregnancy, improve pelvic mobility for birth, and get you stronger to give you a head start on postpartum recovery,
3. Empowering Birth: Preparing for Labor with Pelvic Physical Therapy
As childbirth approaches, many expectant mothers have concerns about labor and birth. Pelvic physical therapy can provide valuable tools for birth such as learning relaxation techniques, how to push with relaxing the pelvic floor, and various birthing positions. You can also discuss available options for your birth plan.
4. Postpartum Recovery: Restoring Pelvic Health After Delivery
Postpartum recovery can feel like a challenging time, juggling changes with your body while caring and connecting with your new little one. After childbirth, pelvic physical therapy can help in so many different aspects. For example you’ll learn proper core strengthening exercises to address concerns like diastasis recti, decompression techniques to reduce symptoms of prolapse, or reducing muscle tension in the pelvic floor to reduce pain with sex. Lastly, pelvic PTs can provide guidance on when and how to return to exercise safely, especially if urinary leaking or pelvic pain is a concern.
5. The Chicago Pelvic Health and Wellness Approach for New Moms
At Chicago Pelvic Health and Wellness, we take a holistic approach to pelvic health for both new and even second or third time moms. Our board-certified Doctors of Physical Therapy are experts in women's health, and they provide compassionate care in a private and nurturing environment. We not only assess and treat the pelvic floor muscles, but more importantly connect it to the rest of your body and consider the psychosocial aspect of your life to truly provide the an empowering and healing experience.
6. Real Stories of Resilience: Success Stories from New Moms
Hearing from other new moms who have experienced the benefits of pelvic physical therapy can be inspiring and encouraging. Many first time moms have said they felt so empowered during their birth because of pelvic PT, and second time mothers wished they knew about pelvic PT for their firsts.
In this section, we'll share success stories from our patients, highlighting how pelvic physical therapy has positively impacted their prenatal and postpartum experiences.
7. Nurturing Your Pelvic Health Beyond Pregnancy
Postpartum is forever, but feeling like your body isn’t where you’d like it be doesn’t. No matter where you are in your pregnancy or postpartum journey its never too late to have a pelvic floor therapist help you in healing. C-section scars, diastasis recti concerns, urinary incontinence, or prolpase concerns can still be greatly helped and even resolved years down the road.
Conclusion: Embrace the Journey of Motherhood with Pelvic Physical Therapy
As a new mom, prioritizing your pelvic health is a gift to both yourself and your growing family. From preconception care to postpartum recovery, pelvic physical therapy can provide invaluable support along the way. At Chicago Pelvic Health and Wellness, we are dedicated to empowering new moms with expert pelvic physical therapy services that nurture their pelvic health and enrich their journey into motherhood.
Discover the transformative power of pelvic physical therapy - schedule your consultation with Chicago Pelvic Health and Wellness today.
Written by:
Dr. Jana Richardson, PT, DPT, WCS, PRPC, CIDN
Dual Board Certified Pelvic Floor Therapist and Owner of Chicago Pelvic Health
Dr. Jana Richardson is a highly accomplished pelvic floor therapist with dual board certifications and extensive experience in treating complex pelvic floor dysfunctions. As the owner of Chicago Pelvic Health, Dr. Richardson is dedicated to providing personalized and effective care for her patients. With a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and specialized certifications in Women’s Health and Pelvic Rehabilitation, Dr. Richardson is a leading expert in her field. She is also certified in Integrative Dry Needling, further enhancing her ability to offer comprehensive treatment plans. Dr. Richardson’s commitment to patient-centered care and her passion for helping individuals achieve optimal pelvic health make her an invaluable asset to the community.
Contact Information:
References:
1. Mayo Clinic - www.mayoclinic.org
2. American Pregnancy Association - www.americanpregnancy.org
3. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - www.acog.org
4. National Institutes of Health - www.nih.gov
5. MedlinePlus - www.medlineplus.gov
6. WebMD - www.webmd.com
*Embrace the transformative power of pelvic physical therapy with Chicago Pelvic Health and Wellness!*
