From Bump to Baby: How Prenatal Physical Therapy Enhances Pregnancy, Birth, and Recovery
Written by Dr. Lindsay Durand Massumi, PT, DPT
When it comes to pregnancy, there’s a lot of preparation involved. Prenatal visits with your OB/midwife, creating a baby registry, nursery renovation, massage therapy, birth prep classes, baby shower, and more. But do you have a pelvic health physical therapist on your team to support you throughout the next 9 months and beyond? You should!
There are several benefits to working with a pelvic health physical therapist during your pregnancy, such as less pain, improved mood and sleep, higher activity levels, lower instances of bowel or bladder problems, and of course, shorter labor and pushing times during birth.
Whether you’re experiencing symptoms like pain or leakage, or having the pregnancy of your dreams, here are five reasons to work with a pelvic health physical therapist prenatally:
Avoid pain and leakage. It is estimated that nearly 75% of people experience pain or leakage during pregnancy and when they bring it up to their providers they’re often met with, “It’ll go away after pregnancy. There’s nothing you can do about it now.” False! There is so much you can do during pregnancy. In fact, having pain or leakage during pregnancy is a risk factor for continued pain and leakage postpartum, which means waiting to address it will only make it worse. There’s no need to suffer through pregnancy when a pelvic PT can help keep you moving and dry right now!
Make sure you’re properly using your core. As your belly grows and your abdominals stretch, it’s important to know how to properly use your deep core muscles. This is NOT intuitive and definitely not taught in your typical exercise class. Learning from a pelvic PT how to properly use your deep core can reduce risk of injury to the abdominals, reduce leakage and urgency, and reduce pelvic pain. Not to mention, learning how to properly use your abdominals is a key component of your postpartum recovery!
Pepare your pelvic floor for birth. When it comes to birth, your uterus is in charge, not your pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor’s job is to stretch, relax, and move out of the way so the pelvis can open and baby can make its way through the birth canal. A pelvic PT can identify any areas of tension in your pelvis or pelvic floor and instruct you on how to relax and stretch this area. Preparing the pelvis and pelvic floor for birth is extremely important for helping your baby get into optimal position, keeping your labor progressing and reducing additional stress on your pelvic floor during birth.
Reduce your labor and pushing time. Staying active during pregnancy in combination with a great awareness of your body and birth can reduce your total labor time and pushing phase. A pelvic PT can teach you (and your partner) optimal labor and birthing positions to help manage discomfort and keep labor progressing. They can also teach you how to efficiently and effectively push (or breathe) your baby out without causing additional injury to your pelvic floor. Shorter labor and pushing times mean lower risk of severe tearing or assisted delivery and typically quicker recovery postpartum.
Get a headstart on postpartum recovery! When you prepare your body for birth by working with a pelvic PT, you’re also preparing your body for postpartum. Prior to having your baby, your pelvic PT can help you develop a rehab plan for those first few weeks postpartum to ensure that you can safely and comfortably take care of yourself and your baby, regardless of how you birth. And when you’re ready (I see people as early as 2 weeks postpartum!), your pelvic PT can help you return to exercise and all of your daily activities without pain, leakage, or heaviness.
By having a pelvic PT on your team, you’re signing up for a better pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery! Whether this is your first pregnancy or your sixth, it’s never too late to learn more about your pelvic floor and how pelvic PT can benefit you prenatally and postpartum.
For more information about our pelvic PT offerings with Dr. Lindsay at the Body, Birth, and Baby Center, click here.