Why You Should See a Pelvic Floor PT during Pregnancy

As a Pelvic Floor PT, many of my patients are pregnant or postpartum. So whenever one of my friends learns that she’s having a baby, I’m inevitably her go-to person for questions like:

• What can I do about this hip pain?

• What exercises should I be doing to prepare for birth?

• I’ve heard you’re supposed to massage your pelvic floor, is that true!?

I can talk about the pelvic floor all day long so of course I’m always happy to answer their questions. But unfortunately a lot of my friends live states away so their questions usually come over a quick text. I’ll usually text back the basics (or even give them a call so that we can catch up while I address their concerns), but then I always encourage them to see a Pelvic Floor PT themselves. Pregnancy is such an important time in someone’s life and can have so many effects on the body and the pelvic floor that I truly believe every pregnant woman should have a Pelvic Floor PT on her team! 

5 Reasons to go to Prenatal Physical Therapy

You can address any current symptoms.

• This is an obvious one. If you’re experiencing pain, bowel or bladder issues, or anything else that doesn’t feel right in your body, please go see a Pelvic Physical Therapist! We’ll be able to help you determine the cause of unwanted symptoms and then can create a plan on how to resolve them. This applies whether you are pregnant or not, but pregnancy can sometimes bring on pains or symptoms that you may have never had before. And no, you don’t just have to live with it, despite what anybody says. You definitely want to get your symptoms addressed quickly can so that you improve your quality of life (and actually enjoy being pregnant), and work on your concerns now so that your symptoms do not worsen throughout your pregnancy and the postpartum period. Trust me that addressing aches & pains isn’t as simple as “just give it time” and usually the sooner you address issues, the quicker they resolves. 

  Prevent future symptoms.

  There’s no doubt that many physical changes come with pregnancy. Weight gain, hormone changes, an expanding uterus, and so on. Since there are so many changes in a relatively short time frame, pregnancy usually affects the way that people move, which can sometimes result in aches & pains, or pelvic floor issues. Though there’s no way to prevent symptoms with 100% certainty, you can certainly stack the odds in your favor by working on your movement patterns, strength & mobility before any symptoms appear with a physical therapist. One of my favorite parts of prenatal physical therapy is helping moms learn their body & provide them with insight on some of the best labor positions for them! So many times I find restrictions in movement in my mama’s pelvic bones and helping them to restore this mobility and empower them to labor & push in positions that work with their body (not against it) can help them have smoother births and faster recoveries!

  Continue to stay active. 

  Many mamas I treat want to stay active throughout their pregnancy, but aren’t sure what exercises are safe to perform in this new stage of life. Then I have some patients who have been really active throughout their lives and want to continue their typical routine, but aren’t quite sure how to modify exercises to make it work for their growing baby bump. And then there’s other patients who have been given very restrictive guidelines from their OB and want to learn how they can move their body in a way that supports their health without putting them or their child at risk. Regardless of which camp you fall into, Pelvic PTs are the experts in movement and can help you create an individual exercise routine for your pregnancy! 

  Prepare your pelvic floor for delivery.

  And no, this doesn’t just mean kegels! The pelvic floor muscles should actually relax during the birthing process to allow the baby to freely pass through the canal. And there’s an optimal way to coordinate a pelvic floor muscle relaxation with your breath that can help minimize your chances of tearing your pelvic muscles during labor. But pelvic floor coordination is not as intuitive as you would think, so a lot of sessions with my pregnant patients involve teaching them (and having them practice) this coordination, otherwise known as “push prep”. We’ll also go over general movements & pain relief strategies that can help you during labor. And yes, there is a benefit to massaging down there, called “perineal massage”, but don’t worry, we’ll go over that too!

  Help prepare for a smooth postpartum recovery.

  Finally, we want you to be as prepared as possible for the postpartum period. Labor & delivery is such an incredible event, but there’s so much happening that it can often feel like a blur. Plus, once you deliver, you’ll probably be thinking more of your little one than of what you can be doing to make your physical recovery easier. For those reasons, I’ve found it very beneficial to go over how to best care for your body (and your pelvic floor) in the postpartum period well in advance of your birth. That way, you’ll have a postpartum gameplan so you can focus on your baby but also take care of yourself!

I have personally seen what a difference prenatal PT can make, and I love getting to be a part of this special time during a mama’s life!

I hope that this blog helped answer some questions you may have about physical therapy during pregnancy, but if you have any other questions, feel free to contact us and speak to a member of our team to learn more about how pelvic floor physical therapy can benefit you!