Common Concerns in Pregnancy and Postpartum that you DON’T have to put up with - Physiotherapy can help!
Pregnancy is often highlighted as this glorious period in a woman’s life where she glows and loves her growing belly. For some this is the reality, but for many others pregnancy can be a challenging time of unwelcome bodily changes, uncomfortable aches and pains and suddenly feeling you may leak when you cough or sneeze.
Then add a newborn into the picture, a woman suddenly puts herself second and niggling pregnancy and postpartum issues can get ignored.
Physiotherapy is becoming more prevalent in mainstream management of women’s health during their pregnancies and beyond, and with good reason. There are many pockets of wisdom, strategies and treatment ideas that can help improve the quality of life for a woman during this time.
Long gone are the days of what we’ve been told by the generations before us about what’s normal. We are now striving to bust the myths and provide women with a more holistic approach to their journey.
In pregnancy the most common concerns that people assume physiotherapy can help with is exercising safely and back or pelvic pain. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. What about that leak of urine when you cough or sneeze? Or that bulging heaviness at the end of the day felt within your vaginal area? Or how no one told you how bad constipation can get with the fluctuating hormones? Or that feeling like you have a broken rib from the baby’s foot constantly kicking you?
We can help you…
Physiotherapists also LOVE to educate.
We can help you learn all about the pelvic floor, and why you need to learn to do them properly and regularly.
We can help you navigate different diagnoses in pregnancy such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or placenta previa and how you can alter your physical activity to keep strong.
We can help you prepare your body for the endurance marathon labour may become and provide tips and tricks for navigating the postnatal recovery period.
Then once the big day has come and gone and everything is a blur of newborn bliss we are there for you on the other side. If you have any physical birth trauma such as a vaginal tear, or have a new prolapse we can support you through that process and any complications that may arise. You may end up with some abdominal separation and need some support and strategies to regain your core strength. You may be leaking from either end and scared that it will never go back to normal - we can help you.
Even an aching neck and back from a sleep deprived state of cluster breastfeeding can be enough to leave you feeling weary and needing help. Then down the track once you are starting to come out of the newborn haze and want to get back to your previous exercise routine - we can help you do it safely without creating new aches, pains and leaks along the way.
At the Centre for Perinatal Health & Parenting we want you to feel completely comfortable coming to see a physiotherapist and not feeling nervous or any shame about a “woman’s problem” you are having. Nothing is too embarrassing to discuss, so don’t put up with uncomfortable issues and come and get help today with our physiotherapist Brooke!
Helpful websites / links to explore …
The Royal Women’s Hospital Fact Sheets https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-information/fact-sheets/#p
Pelvic Floor First
https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/pregnant.html
Continence Foundation of Australia
https://www.continence.org.au/
Jean Hailes for Women’s Health
https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/fertility-pregnancy/pregnancy-health
Australasian Birth Trauma Association
https://www.birthtrauma.org.au/seeing-a-pelvic-health-physiotherapist-in-pregnancy/