THE NURTURED PREGNANCY
Your body, your experience.
Pregnancy is a journey like no other. Every pregnancy and birth is a story of its own. I am here to support and help you prepare in the way you need, and assist in keeping you as active and comfortable as possible.
Whether you are having pain or specific symptoms during or post pregnancy, wanting to be assessed to help your body get ready for birth, or recovery postnatal, I am here to help you.
My goal is to help you feel better in your body.
PREGNANCY
From the moment a women conceives till a year or two after delivery, her body experiences an enormous amount of physical and physiological changes.
The physical changes a womens body goes through include:
Postural changes to accomodate the growing baby.
Stretching of abdominal fascia and muscle
Stretching of the pelvic floor
Change in location of abdominal organs
Tightness and restrictions through spinal and hip muscles and joints.
Laxity through ligaments.
How can Physiotherapy help you during pregnancy?
Many women experience various forms of discomfort as a result of these changes which can be helped through physiotherapy. Some common pregnancy complaints are spine, rib, pelvic girdle and neck pain, headaches, and pelvic organ dysfunction.
It is important to listen to your body when its seeking your attention through pregnancy. The time and attention we put into our pregnant body can greatly assist labour and birth, post natal recovery as well as staying more active through out pregnancy.
An antenatal pregnancy session may include education to improve posture, treatment for mechanics and movement, breathing and diaphragmatic techniques, stretching and pelvic balancing exercises, specific strengthening exercises, splints, belts, active birth skills and stretches to assist labour. It really will depend on what you as an individual require.
Pelvic Girdle Pain
Pelvic girdle pain results from dysfunction around the Sacroiliac and Pubic joint. During pregnancy there is an increasing amount of oestrogen's in the body which cause laxity through ligaments. This means there is more movement in the joint and this increased instability can be painful especially when there are muscle and soft tissue imbalances effecting joint alignment.
Active Birth Skills
Active birth skills are about giving you the tools to understand the physiology of labour and how to work with your bodies natural ability to manage pain through movement, activation and attention to your other body senses. It draws on the knowledge of pain sciences, body hormone cycles through labour and mindfulness.
I can take you through the skills to help you stay on top of your pain during labour and birth, started you on the journey to a more empowered birthing experience.
Antenatal and Postnatal Exercise
The unique anatomical and physiological changes and requirements of pregnancy and the postnatal period need special consideration when it comes to exercise.
If you are interested in learning more about exercising in pregnancy or what to know about returning to exercise postnatal please book in and I can guide you through all you need to know. Allowing you the confidence to know you are doing the best for your body now and in the long term.
Pelvic Balancing during Pregnancy
To fully appreciate the benefit of pregnancy pelvic balancing a basic understanding of birth anatomy is helpful.
Basically the premise of labour is for Mum's body to dilate and baby to rotate so baby can move down the birth canal. The uterus and baby move to the space they are given. When there are imbalances through the pelvis is alters muscle and ligament tensions, potentially changing position of baby, and the pelvic outlets through which baby passes through on delivery.
By performing specific exercises through out pregnancy we are able to maintain a more ideal soft tissue balance through pelvic structures, uterine ligaments and muscles. Not only can this help with baby's position but also reduce pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain.
What about how you feel about being pregnant and having a baby....
We can't talk about helping the body with out spending some time connecting back to whats going on emotionally. In our society there is an abundance of information, preconceived ideas and beliefs around birth. We have all heard stories that make us cringe and a little spark of that can stay with us and build as apprehension and fear.
Our thoughts and feelings associated with pregnancy, birth and our post natal bodies are real and significant. They deserve the same about of time and attention in pregnancy as your muscles and joints!
The body responds to how we feel. A belief held around birth trauma may trigger off feelings of fear, our bodies natural reaction to fear is to become tense. There are changes that occur through our nervous system and musculoskeletal system in response to this.
Giving these feelings voice and perhaps getting a better understanding of the facts and yourself can go a long way in getting ready for birth. Lets be honest, the true transformation happening here is the birth of you the mother.
Im here to listen, answer your questions and be your sounding board.
POSTNATAL
Our bodies are nothing short of amazing with their ability to grown and transform through pregnancy and postnatally.
But it is in this time after birth that a mother's needs often get over looked until they can't be ignored any longer.
I believe all women deserve to feel good in their bodies and heal from birth, so they can be the best mum, and self for you and your family. Once post natal always postnatal- it doesn't matter how long it has been since you had your baby, often the patterns left from birth continue long down the track.
The Pelvic floor is subject to many stressors during our life time. Child birth, age, injury and life style can all contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction such as weakness and poor coordination. Many of these issues can be prevented and improved with the right intervention and management.
Knowledge is fundamental in creating the changes to help you in the short and long term. Knowing your body, how to help it recover after baby, and how to prevent and improve any issues you may be experiencing is quite literally life changing.
After birth some women experience painful intercourse, heaviness and pressure through the pelvis, leaking, difficulty taking deeper breaths, and pain through the pelvis and low back. These symptoms can be a result of a number of different things, many of which are very treatable with physiotherapy. The action we take to take care of ourselves after baby, is the best step in preventing future problems.
The Pelvic Floor is made up of muscles and other tissues which form a sling across the base of pelvis from the pubic bone to the tailbone. These muscles maintain upright posture, give support to the pelvic girdle and spine, support abdominal and pelvic organs, and help control bladder, bowel and sexual activity. When the muscles become dysfunctional they can create a wide range of problems. Pelvic muscle dysfunction can be muscle weakness, tightness, poor coordination and over use.
There is often associated impairments in the sacroiliac joints, lower back, coccyx, hip joint, diaphragm, that accompany this condition and can contribute to to pain and loss of function. This is why when treating the pelvic floor it it also important to to take into account what is happening in the rest of the body.
Some of the commonly found pelvic floor disorders are;
Stress Urinary Incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine during increased abdominal pressure from external stresses such as a cough or sneeze. It can be caused by pelvic floor weakness, damage to pelvic fascia, poorly coordinated pelvic floor, and urethral and hormonal factors.
Urge Incontinence/Overactive Bladder is the sudden, and very intense and difficult to defer urge to void. It may or may not be associated with leakage. This can be associated with constipation, long history of poor bladder habits, neurological disorders, bladder muscle issues, and in some cases pelvic floor weakness.
Retention of Urine is related to the incomplete emptying after voiding. It can present with symptoms such as overflow incontinence, urinary frequency and UTI's and maybe associated with organ prolapse.
Urinary Frequency is the need to void too often through the day. It can be associated with poor stretching of the bladder, fear of incontinence, incomplete bladder emptying, or weak pelvic floor.
Nocturia is the complaint by an individual that they need to wake more than once a night to void.
Pelvic organ Prolapse is the abnormal descent or herniation of the pelvic organs from their normal position.
Dysfunction of the anterior abdominal wall is another common condition.
Diastasis Recti or Abdominal muscle separation occurs during pregnancy as the baby grows and certain hormonal changes occur in the body. It occurs between the two long parallel muscles running from the base of the sternum to the pubic bone. If this separation remains after the birth of your baby you may notice a bulge through the midline as you contract your abdominal muscles,
If you are feeling any of these symptoms or you are unsure of something especially post baby, I highly recommend you come for an appointment. The underlying cause of every presentation is so different for each individual. So I design your treatment program and education to suit your needs and goals.
What you can expect from your appointment.
Detailed history
Education
Alignment and movement Assessment
Pelvic floor and core Assessment as required.
Hands on treatment to help restore biomechanics
A guided exercise program to help restore mobility, strength and function.