Pregnancy and Postpartum Physical Therapy

Pelvic health physiotherapy tailored to those who are pregnant or postpartum in the Durham, NC community and beyond.

Pregnancy physical therapy treatment in durham nc

Pregnancy & birth is a huge physical undertaking. You deserve support during this time of life.

These sessions focus on preparing your body for birth during pregnancy and helping you recover well after birth. We can also address any symptoms that you may be experiencing - you do not need to live with symptoms just because you’re a mom.

What we can address in pregnancy and postpartum physical therapy:

  • Birth preparation: strengthening, mobility, positioning, and more

  • Pain associated with your growing baby: lower back pain, hip pain, abdominal pain

  • SI joint pain/instability

  • Diastasis

  • Incontinence or constipation

  • Safe strengthening during pregnancy and postpartum

  • …and more

To get started, click the button below to book your FREE discovery call with me. On the call, you can ask any questions you have as well as get a general idea of what treatment for you may look like.

If you’re looking for someone to help you feel good during pregnancy and prepare your body for birth, I’ve got you.

You don’t need to guess when it comes to your care. Pelvic PT for pregnant and postpartum women can help you avoid pain, stay strong and remain active during pregnancy, avoid unnecessary secondary effects of pregnancy (like incontinence and excessive diastasis), as well as prepare you for birth as much as possible.

What to expect at Durham Pelvic

My approach is designed to give you the best results in the most efficient way. Each session is 60 minutes long and one-on-one with me. You will not be passed off to a different therapist each session.

This means that we’re able to develop and refine your specific treatment plan. This way, what we’re doing in therapy is always helping you get to the goal that we’ve set together. No sessions or time wasted and always time to discuss any changes and updates that need to be made.

My approach is a blend of manual techniques and exercise and is tailored to your needs, always.

Have more questions or want to get started? Schedule a FREE 15-minute discovery call with me to chat about what symptoms you’re having and how Durham pelvic can help you.

Pregnancy Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Breakdown

Pelvic floor physical therapy can be extremely valuable during pregnancy, from early on in your first trimester all the way into your third trimester to address pregnancy-related concerns as well as avoid pregnancy-related aches and pains.

Here are some of the most common things that I treat and help my pregnant patients with:

  1. Birth preparation: In sessions, we work to prepare the whole body, mentally and physically, for birth so that you can lower your risk for birth-related trauma. This is also a great place to ask any questions you have related to birth, what to expect, how to push, when to change positions during birth, what birth positions exist and how to use them, how to utilize partner positions, and more.

  2. Core strengthening: Strengthening the core muscles is a focus within our sessions as well as core lengthening. It is normal and expected to have some abdominal muscle separation during pregnancy to accommodate your growing baby and while your baby is growing, we can work together to ensure that you maintain optimal strength and coordination of the abdominal muscles so that you can have an optimal recovery after birth.

  3. Leaking: It’s very common to leak with increased pressure (the baby!) on top of your pelvic area. The good news: you don’t have to deal with leaking throughout your pregnancy. We can go over strategies to mitigate this, which will also help you postpartum.

  4. Pelvic floor muscle relaxation: We work a lot on relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles. This helps prepare your pelvic floor for birth; we need the muscles to relax and lengthen during the birth process, rather than being bound up and tight so that the baby can pass through the birth canal with ease, rather than fighting against tight muscles. When the pelvic floor is able to relax, there is a lower risk for birth-related trauma. Since strengthening of the pelvic floor is typically well-known, it’s important to note that all of the kegels in the world won't help you push the baby out, but in sessions, we will go over what will help with those pushes during birth.

  5. Breathing for birth: We’ll cover breathing strategies to use during birth that can help you have a better birth experience overall as well as help with pelvic floor muscle relaxation.

  6. Common diagnoses during pregnancy: Pain during pregnancy (back pain, hip pain, SI joint pain, etc.), leaking/urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis, and more.

  7. Strengthening in general: Safe strengthening is a must. We will go over lifting, carrying, exercise guidelines, and more so that you’re prepared to do any necessary tasks after birth as you are able. We will also cover typical fitness-related questions, such as “can I do XYZ type of exercise or exercise class while pregnant” and anything else you want to cover.

Postpartum Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Breakdown

After birth, returning to pelvic floor physical therapy can help with recovery, general wellness support, and returning to exercise safely. When it would be best for you return to pelvic floor physical therapy in your postpartum journey can be determined and planned prior to birth.

Once you’ve had a baby, you’re always postpartum. Postpartum physical therapy is for those who are newly postpartum or those who had a child or children years ago.

Here are some of the most common things that I treat and help my postpartum patients with:

  1. Diastasis recovery: Even though abdominal separation is necessary, sometimes it takes a little targeted therapy to help the muscles return to a resting position without an excessive gap down the middle, between the muscles.

  2. C-section scar recovery: If you have a cesarian section, we can work on scar mobility, decreasing scar sensitivity, strategies for going about daily living tasks without aggravating the area, decreasing pain, and return to exercise safely.

  3. Prolapse: Sometimes patients will be diagnosed with a prolapse after they give birth. In pelvic therapy, we can work on decreasing the prolapse severity as well as mitigating symptoms like heaviness and pain.

  4. Leaking: While it is very common to leak post-birth due to excessive relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles and poor coordination of the abdominal muscles and core region as a whole, leaking during coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping, running, lifting, and more is something we can work on in therapy so you can go on living without feeling like you need to avoid trampolines, running with your kids, and jump roping.

  5. Pelvic Pain: It’s not uncommon to have some pelvic pain after birth. While time will help with this recovery, there are techniques we can utilize in session to decrease the pelvic muscle sensitivity and pain.

  6. Return to exercise: Whether you are an avid runner, lifter, cyclist, or weekend warrior, know that returning to exercise postpartum can be a journey that we can collaborate on so that you do so safely and with maximal control and coordination. During pregnancy, your body undergoes a lot of changes and the postpartum period can be a super difficult relearning period while your body recovers. With that, it’s important to focus on figuring out where your current limits/boundaries are and then slowly progressing back to what you were doing pre-baby.

  7. Pain with intercourse: If you are experiencing pain with intercourse after birth, we can determine new strategies to make intimacy enjoyable again which may include pelvic floor muscle relaxation, manual techniques to help with muscle tone, and positional strategies to avoid areas that are sensitive with a goal of getting back to pain-free intercourse.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic PT

  • Common reasons to see a pelvic PT during pregnancy or after baby:

    • Urinary leakage or urgency

    • Pelvic pressure or heaviness

    • Pain with intercourse

    • Lower back or pelvic pain

    • Constipation

    • Diastasis recti (abdominal separation)

    • Preparing for birth

    • Recovering from childbirth (vaginal or cesarean)

    • Scar tissue concerns

    • Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms

  • You can begin at any time during pregnancy.

    • Learn how to relax your pelvic floor to prepare for birth

    • Proper pelvic floor strengthening

    • Prepare for labor and delivery

    • Prevent potential issues during birth like tearing and prolapse

    • Learn techniques for pushing and delivery

    • Address strength and mobility issues that may contribute to typical pregnancy-related symptoms like back pain, hip pain, foot pain, and more.

  • Common indicators include:

    • Urine leakage when coughing, sneezing, or exercising

    • Persistent back or pelvic pain

    • Difficulty controlling bowel movements

    • Feeling of pressure or heaviness in the vagina

    • Pain with intercourse

    • Difficulty emptying bladder or bowel

    • Separation of abdominal muscles that isn't improving

    • Scar pain or restricted mobility

    • Any pregnancy-related pain like back pain, hip pain, pelvic pain, SI joint pain

Learn more about pelvic health physical therapy for pregnant and postpartum women in the Durham Pelvic blog

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