As any mum will tell you, having a baby does things to your body. You will feel aches and pains in places that you never experienced a problem before and your body will do things that may surprise you. Embarrassing things. For most, this is just another part of motherhood and something that women have dealt with for centuries. But does it always have to be like that? Do we always have to suffer the unpleasantness of pregnancy and what follows after the birth of our child?
The answer to both of those questions is no. Physiotherapy can change the way we think and feel about our prenatal and postpartum experiences and it can make our bodies feel healthier, stronger and more normal again.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways prenatal and postpartum physiotherapy can help during and after childbirth:
Prenatal and postpartum physiotherapy is important for pregnant women as it can offer a wide range of health benefits that will make their pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum experience better. Prenatal and postpartum physiotherapy can:
Increase muscle tone and strengthen your body enabling you to bounce back after your pregnancy and begin getting your body back to normal.
Aid in recovery. Your recovery times will be decreased enabling you to be able to take care of our baby with less strain, difficulty and tiredness.
Improve bladder weakness causing you to have less bladder accidents and less trips to the bathroom throughout the day.
How does prenatal and postpartum physiotherapy do all of this? Physiotherapy is helpful during the prenatal and postpartum times of pregnancy and childbirth because it works to strengthen your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. These are muscles that are used not only during the pregnancy, but also after the birth if your baby.
We all know what our abdominal muscles are, but what exactly are our pelvic floor muscles? Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that supports the pelvis, aids both bladder and bowel control and is important to sexual function. During pregnancy, your pelvic floor becomes weak and it can cause other problems including urine leakage and a lack of bowel control. Exercising your pelvic floor muscles can strengthen them and help you to avoid embarrassing accidents.
Diastasis Recti
The Mayo Clinic defines diastasis recti as a condition in which, during pregnancy, the uterus stretches the abdominal muscles causing the two large parallel bands of muscles that meet in the middle of the abdomen to separate. This can cause a bulge in the middle of the abdomen that is commonly referred to as a “post-baby pooch”. Physio Comes to You can help manage diastasis recti and give you a flatter, more toned abdomen.
Contact Physio Comes to You
Physio Comes to You offers a wide range of professional physiotherapy services including Paediatric Physiotherapy and Women’s Health Physiotherapy, designed to strengthen a woman’s body and help her to return to normal after childbirth. Contact them today and see how they can help you become stronger and healthier after the birth of your baby.
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