Kat from Ivory Rose opened her Physiotherapy practice to provide the highest quality care in physiotherapy for women. To spark the unleashed conversations and get women feeling confident through the good, the bad, and (not so) lovely bits of womanhood.
So what do we need to know about your pelvic floor after having a baby? I’m so excited to have Kat join us on our blog to share all we need to know about our pelvic floor after giving birth.
The first few months of motherhood are a wonderful blur of pure love and heady exhaustion but taking care of yourself throughout this season is vital, not only to your well-being but to the well-being of all those around you including your (sometimes loud, but adorable) new baby.
Pregnancy and the changes our bodies endure are truly magic (and let’s be honest, sometimes downright uncomfortable!). In just nine short months, a woman’s body will undergo incredible physical and hormonal changes to prepare her body to expand and grow life from a tiny bunch of cells into a fully-fledged (albeit small) human. In addition to becoming a walking incubator, we then do the most amazing thing known as childbirth.
As our body softens and expands, our abdominal muscles lengthen, digestive and pelvic organs compress and descend to make room for our baby. We know that these changes cause stress on the body, in particular the back, pelvis and the ever-elusive pelvic floor.
There are many women who will admit to having not ever really paid attention to their pelvic floor and that prior to pregnancy, their relationship with these muscles was somewhat lacking. Unfortunately, childbirth can take an immense toll on a woman’s body, often leaving us feeling a little more vulnerable when it comes to returning to things we previously loved like exercise, laughing and sex. We try to find comfort in our new “norm”, whilst still healing, and trying to navigate a world of feeding, burping, nappy changing and slowly losing our mind as we play baby shark on Spotify on repeat.
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What you need to know about your pelvic floor
Women’s physiotherapy is proven to be highly effective in managing and treating all kinds of female health concerns. It’s our jam. It’s what gets us out of bed, because we know that the right treatment can be life changing. BUT how do you know WHEN you need help? To assist you to answer this question for yourself, we have listed our top 10 pelvic floor symptoms which we KNOW can be improved or cured with pelvic floor physiotherapy.
- Leaking urine with cough, sneeze, laugh, jump, exercise
- Leaking urine after you empty your bladder (post void dribble)
- Leaking urine on the way to the toilet
- Feelings of vaginal heaviness, dragging or bulge sensation
- Feelings of urgency when needing to open your bowels
- Difficulty holding in wind
- Vaginal pain with intercourse, Pap smears or tampons
- Pain when opening your bowels or immediately after opening your bowels
- Feelings of incomplete emptying when opening your bowels
- Difficulty reaching climax during sexual activity.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, or are just curious to touch base regarding your postpartum recovery then please contact us at Ivoryrose Physiotherapy today on 0401569209 to make an appointment. We will listen and work with you to regain your confidence and get back in control of your body.
We know that talking about these issues can sometimes be a little overwhelming but by seeking help from a trained Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist, you can rest easy knowing you are in a safe and open space, with empathetic professionals who treat women with the same concerns, every day.