Why you should see a pelvic health physio before you give birth
These days it is becoming a lot more common to see a pelvic health physio after you’ve given birth, which is an amazing step forward for women’s health.
BUT there are so many benefits to seeing a pelvic health physio BEFORE you give birth, during the second and/or third trimester, no matter if you’re planning a vaginal or caesarean delivery.
Reason 1: Discovering your pelvic floor baseline (aka what is normal for you) before birth
Did you know that pelvic floor dysfunction is common after BOTH vaginal and caesarean deliveries?
If we can assess your pelvic floor muscles before your birth, we can find out what is normal for you and compare this to function after birth.
It also gives us a chance to fix any little nagging issues before you birth your baby including making sure you are squeezing your muscles correctly, and addressing any weakness or tightness in the muscles.
Reason 2: Optimising bladder and bowel function during your pregnancy
Urine leakage is very common but not normal during pregnancy. If you are experiencing any leakage, it’s important to get on top of it sooner rather than later. Research shows that pelvic floor exercises help to prevent and treat urinary incontinence during pregnancy (Woodley et. al, 2020).
Constipation and haemorrhoids are also extremely common during pregnancy. Research shows that anywhere between 30-85% of women are affected by haemorrhoids during their pregnancy. A pelvic health physio can help assess your haemorrhoids and provide you with tools to treat constipation and prevent haemorrhoids from worsening.
Reason 3: Creating a pregnancy-safe exercise program
There is a lot of misinformation out there about what is and isn’t safe for exercise during pregnancy.
Pelvic health physios are highly trained in the dos and don’ts of exercise during pregnancy, and can even provide you with a customised exercise program.
The exercise program can address things like pelvic floor weakness, lower back pain, abdominal separation and more. I have a post on exercise during pregnancy you can read here.
Reason 4: Getting on top of any aches or pains
There is nothing worse than suffering with pain during pregnancy, especially if it can be treated quite easily.
A pelvic health physio is trained to treat these pregnancy-related aches and pains, including neck, back, pelvic, wrist and thumb pain (and more!).
If you get on top of these aches and pains early, there is a good chance that they can go away completely (Pulsifer et. al, 2022)!
Reason 5: Learning about birth positions and stretches that help to ready the pelvis and pelvic floor for birth
There are a huge range of stretches and birthing positions out there to help you to birth your baby.
Advice from a pelvic health physio includes education around perineal massage and when to complete it, as well as a range of stretches and birthing positions for the different stages of labour.
Overall, there are so many ways that a pelvic health physio can help you during your pregnancy. But remember, prevention is often better than a cure!
References:
Pulsifer, J., Britnell, S., Sim, A., Adaszynski, J., & Dufour, S. (2022). Reframing beliefs and instiling facts for contemporary management of pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain. British journal of sports medicine, 56(22), 1262–1265. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-105724
Woodley, S. J., Lawrenson, P., Boyle, R., Cody, J. D., Mørkved, S., Kernohan, A., & Hay-Smith, E. J. C. (2020). Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 5(5), CD007471. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007471.pub4
