I would say that more and more women are becoming aware of the benefits of getting a pelvic health assessment after having a baby. Pregnancy causes huge physical changes to a woman’s body and whether a baby is born vaginally or via caesarean section, there is no denying that a lot happens when delivering our babies into the world! Having someone support you with healing your body after having a baby is indescribably beneficial, whether you simply want to feel more like pre-pregnancy self or because you are keen to return to be physically active in a safe way.
A pelvic health physiotherapy session can take place 6 weeks after having a baby. It is important to have time to recover after birth, since so much healing is taking place in the early weeks and quite often symptoms of tearing, scarring, bruising, heaviness and dragging can subside when given a little time. It is also logistically hard just to get out of the house for an appointment before then!
Because a Positive Pelvic Health initial consultation is 75 minutes long, it is a good idea to bring your new-born baby along with you. Lots of time is spent talking about your pregnancy, the birth and your first few post-natal weeks, especially with regards to how you, your body and, in particular, your pelvis is feeling. By exploring how the bladder, bowel and vagina are functioning, it can provide extra information regarding how the pelvic floor is impacted after birth. Lots of women presume their pelvic floor will need strengthening, however, for some learning to relax the pelvic floor muscles is much more beneficial.
I feel it is vital to consider other aspects of health, such as sleep, fluid intake, diet, physical activity levels (before conception, during pregnancy and after birth), musculo-skeletal pain and any other medical conditions that a woman may have. This ensures a fully holistic and whole-body approach is taken and outcomes of rehabilitation optimised.
During the physical assessment, a head-to-toe approach is used. What happens above and below, is just as important as what is happening with the pelvis! By looking at movement patterns, breathing, abdominal diastasis, scar healing and mobility, alongside assessing the superficial and deep pelvic floor muscles, it allows a comprehensive rehabilitation and exercise programme to be formulated and actioned.
Since I have worked as an ante-natal breastfeeding educator and a breastfeeding peer counsellor for many years, alongside raising 4 boys, I am able to adapt the session to meet the needs of you and your baby. Whether it is getting you an extra pillow to help your posture when breastfeeding or holding baby whilst you complete your physical assessment, it can make a huge difference to helping you optimise what you gain from your Positive Pelvic Health session.
By having a post-natal pelvic health physiotherapy consultation, it really can make a huge difference to your recovery and help you achieve your goals. Whether you want to get back to competing in triathlons, wearing your baby in a carrier without having low back pain or having confidence to have sexual intercourse with your partner, pelvic health physiotherapy can help with all these things and much, much more!
Jennifer runs an in-home clinic in Maungaraki, Lower Hutt. She helps women from the Wellington region, including Porirua, Upper Hutt, the Kāpiti Coast and the Wairarapa, with their pelvic health physiotherapy needs, at all stages of life.