Having a baby changes your world – and your body. As you prepare to have a child, and in the months and years that follow your birth experience, your body will continue to change. It’s a journey that all mothers go through, rather than a process with a defined start and end date. At Spooner, we’ve seen firsthand the benefits that women gain when they set themselves up for labor success by staying physical and strong throughout the pregnancy. And, we know that physical therapy can help you become reconnected postpartum, allowing you to get back to daily activities and feel normal again.
Preparing For a Healthy Delivery
Your body is constantly changing and adapting to make room for the baby. This means that some women experience many challenges throughout pregnancy as their bodies grow: their hips may be sore, or they may feel persistent low back pain, or problems getting comfortable when they sleep at night. Other women experience pain in the lower groin and throughout the pelvic region. While some of these changes are certainly uncomfortable – or even alarming – they are normal as ligaments stretch and tighten. It’s your body’s way of preparing for the challenge of labor.
Along with these physical changes, many women shift their daily activities throughout pregnancy. Some women who are active before they become pregnant may maintain the same level of activity throughout the pregnancy, but others may find that they start or stop their activity level. We get it; it can be challenging to juggle prenatal appointments, work, or current family obligations and still make time to exercise!
However, the challenge that all pregnant women face is that you’re growing bigger. Your center of gravity is shifting, your posture is changing, you hold yourself differently. While staying active is critical to a smooth delivery, it’s also important to do it in a way that is gentle on your body without causing injury. Physical therapy can help women on their prenatal journey by evaluating what’s going on with their changing body; bottom to top, and guiding them on healthy exercising. Therapists who treat women’s health diagnoses can spot and treat minor challenges with alignment and movement – challenges that can affect your full-body and your quality of life.
Postpartum: Become Reconnected To Your Body
Most women get their doctor’s approval for physical activity approximately six weeks postpartum. At this stage, these women are still in the throes of managing their new life with an infant, including many sleepless nights, breastfeeding and possibly recovering from surgery or vaginal tears. Some women experience incontinence postpartum; they may have accidents when they cough, jump or run, making it incredibly frustrating to return to a healthy, adjusted lifestyle. Other women report that they have an urge to go, yet they can’t make it to the restroom in time. And still, other women have painful intercourse or experience prolapse with their bladder or uterus. All of this while caring for a newborn can be overwhelming and frustrating.
Postpartum therapy involves an internal exam, which can surprise many. But this internal exam is important in understanding what’s happening with your pelvic floor muscles. These exams are done in a completely private room, much like what you’d experience if you were receiving an exam from your doctor.
Recovering From Childbirth
After a baby, your muscles can sometimes “forget” how to properly engage and support other functional movements. Therapists work with women on performing Kegel exercises, but not just alone – we do Kegels with women while they jump, jog, walk and squat. Women have a lot happening after a baby. They are constantly leaning over, picking up a baby and moving in new ways. We look to retrain your pelvic muscles to support these new movements so you can have a healthier postpartum lifestyle. It’s almost like teaching your body to get into the habit again. Many women come in a few times a week and then can take the exercises into their homes on their own.
Postpartum challenges can be a problem years after birth, especially for women who ignore the challenges or who have no idea they have a problem. For example, prolapse may occur even a year, or decades later. While some women may feel somewhat normal after childbirth, these serious issues can occur so many years later, and they are all linked to your pelvic floor not being capable of supporting your internal organs.
Physical therapy can support you throughout your prenatal and postpartum experience – it’s more than staying active and regaining strength.
Learn more about Women’s Health at Spooner Physical Therapy. Ready to schedule an appointment? Click Here to schedule an appointment or complimentary movement screen with a Spooner physical therapist at one of our locations throughout the valley.