Can you do pelvic floor therapy while pregnant?
By now, most people have heard of how incredibly helpful pelvic health physical therapy can be during the postpartum period. But did you know that you can (and should!) see a pelvic floor therapist during pregnancy? It’s true!
In this blog, I’ll break down some common myths and answer the most frequently asked questions I get about pelvic floor therapy & pregnancy: Can you do pelvic floor therapy while pregnant?
After reading, you’ll know why I recommend that every pregnant woman absolutely see a pelvic floor physical therapist!
Common myths about pelvic floor PT
Physical therapy isn’t safe during pregnancy.
I understand this concern. It’s only natural to be extra cautious during pregnancy now that you’re thinking about a little one. But let me reassure you, physical therapy is very safe!
Check out The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)’s webpage that confirms the safety of exercise during pregnancy, with few exceptions.
An additional thought to consider is that even if you did happen to have a condition which caused you to need to limit or forgo exercise - physical therapy involves so much more than just exercising!
I do a lot of hands-on work (such as massage) with my patients to help them feel more comfortable during their pregnancy.
I also teach patients small changes that they can make to their daily routine to improve stamina and reduce pain (pelvic pain, back pain, hip pain, SI pain, etc,).
We review labor & delivery (which includes going over the stages of birth, optimal positions for laboring, the pelvic floor’s role during labor and how to correctly push a baby out, and more). I could keep going but hopefully I’ve made my point that pelvic floor physical therapy is definitely safe for pregnant mamas!
You might as well wait til you’ve had the baby.
This couldn’t be further from the truth! Just because you’re pregnant does not mean that you have to accept symptoms such as urinary leakage or low back pain as just “another part of pregnancy”.
In fact, I have many patients who see an improvement or even a complete resolution of their symptoms during pregnancy!
If you’re having symptoms that can be addressed in pelvic floor physical therapy, delaying an appointment will not do you any favors. I would recommend you start addressing your symptoms now so that 1. you get relief from bothersome symptoms sooner and 2. you don’t have to start from scratch when you have a newborn!
And if you’re not having any symptoms, you can still benefit from pelvic floor therapy. I love when mamas come in for preventative care!
We can focus on keeping you strong & healthy during your pregnancy, prepare you (and your pelvic floor!) to give birth, and plan ahead for a smooth postpartum recovery.
Some things we can focus on: pelvic floor exercises to strength the pelvic floor, strengthing and stability of your abdominal muscles, strengthening of the core muscles, exercises to relax the pelvic floor, helpful tips to mitigate urinary incontinence and/or prevent urinary incontinence, tips for healthly and regular bowel movements while pregnant and postpartum, and more.
You don’t need to worry about your pelvic floor if you’re planning to have a C-section.
This is another big myth that still circulates out there so I want to take the time to address it here.
Your pelvic floor is not just affected by the birthing process but is also working hard for almost 10 months of pregnancy. Just think about it - during pregnancy, your pelvic floor is supporting a lot more weight than it typically does!
So if the pelvic floor muscles aren’t functioning well, problems can arise as the baby grows bigger and there’s more weight on the pelvic floor. This is actually what can cause symptoms to crop up during pregnancy - think of the straw that broke the camel’s back!
There are also a lot of changing hormones during pregnancy that cause the pelvis to be a little bit more flexible - which is great for pushing a baby out of the birth canal! But not so great if your body was relying on the pelvic stability that you no longer have.
The good news is that by addressing weaknesses in physical therapy, you can stay ahead of potential issues…whether you plan to give birth vaginally or by C-section!
FAQs about pelvic floor physical therapy
What if I don’t have any symptoms?
Great! You can come on in for an evaluation and you likely won’t need very many visits.
Like I wrote above, there’s so much that we can work on as you prepare your body for birth and postpartum. We’ll review:
pelvic floor coordination and optimal pushing techniques
perineal massage
the stages of labor
laboring positions to help baby drop down through the pelvis
pain management techniques to use during labor
what to expect physically your first few days postpartum
And so much more!
I’ll also assess you to see if there’s anything you should be working on during your pregnancy to reduce your risk of developing symptoms in the future. Remember what I said above about the straw breaking the camel’s back? If we don’t take care of our pelvic floor proactively, pregnancy can expose our weaknesses.
And anecdotally, the women I’ve seen during their pregnancy tend to have much smoother postpartum recoveries than the ones who begin their treatment after giving birth.
While it’s never too late to come in, waiting until you’re having severe symptoms often makes your recovery take longer than if you had started when you had mild symptoms.
What if this is my second (or third or fourth!) baby?
It’s never too late! Even if you’ve had pelvic floor issues since having your first child who is now 10 years old, we can work together. And if you don’t have symptoms, gaining more knowledge about your body and more physical coordination & strength is always going to be a positive. Plus, remember that every pregnancy and every birth is different.
So if this is your second child and your first postpartum recovery was a breeze, it might look a little different now that you’re also caring for a toddler! You want to be as prepared as you can be and pelvic floor physical therapy can help you with that.
When during pregnancy should I make an appointment?
If you’re having symptoms, make an appointment as soon as you can! Otherwise, I recommend coming in early in your second trimester so that we have plenty of time to address any concerns that we find during your initial appointment, and I can help guide you through your pregnancy as your belly grows.
So there you have it!
Can you do pelvic floor therapy while pregnant? → Absolutely!
Should you do pelvic floor therapy while pregnant? → Absolutely!
I hope that this blog post helped you see why pregnant women would benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy, but if you have any further questions, feel free to reach out or schedule a free discovery call with me! You can also learn more about pregnancy and postpartum physical therapy here.
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