Forbes | Strengthen The Pelvic Floor Pre And Post Baby

Details: Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT; Published: 28 November 2022; Last Updated: 23 December 2022; 1570 Views

women discussing pelvic floor pre and post baby — Image courtesy of Getty Creative

As our reach expands beyond the realm of health care, we are seeing more and more articles around the internet about pelvic floor issues. Many sites that not long ago would have never posted such content are now looking into pelvic health.

A good example is this latest article on the Forbes website about strengthening your pelvic floor pre and post baby. In reasearching this article, Forbes writer Racheal Ede reached out to me for my input. Here is a brief synopsis of the article interspersed with a few notes from yours truly. A link to the full article is included below.

Heather Jeffcoat, DPT

Learn How To Strengthen The Pelvic Floor Pre And Post Baby

Tips for pregnancy and beyond

The article opens with a brief overview of the impacts of pregnancy on the pelvic floor pre and post baby:

As pregnancy progresses, and even after delivery, you may notice changes in your pelvic floor — including leaking when you cough or sneeze or pain during sex — which could be signs of weaker pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles are often impacted by pregnancy, and childbirth puts considerable pressure on the pelvic floor and can cause issues long after delivery, which can in turn impact its functions and anatomy.
"Fortunately, you can strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor training can help your muscles cope with the demands of pregnancy and childbirth, and may also help the muscles restore themselves after injury.

This may not be news to regular readers of our site, but we have written many articles describing all aspects of pregnancy and pelvic floor health. Navigate here for links to pregnacy related diagnoses we treat, and here for the various treatments we offer.

The article continues with lots of great background information for readers who are not familiar with the topic.

What is the pelvic floor and what does it do?

Racheal writes:

The pelvic floor is made of muscles and connective tissues that support the organs in your pelvic region, including the bladder, urethra, vagina, uterus, anus and rectum. The pelvic floor muscles form a hammock that stretches from your pubis (in front) to the spine (back), and are located between the sitting bones.

She goes on to describe the various duties of your pelvic floor muscles, including excretion, delivery, arousal, posture, and respiratory functions. This page lists all of the common pelvic floor related diagnoses we treat.

Pelvic Floor and Pregnancy

Racheal and I also discuss a number of factors that affect the pelvic floor during delivery, including:

Weight of the baby
The body's release of the hormone relaxin during delivery
Stretching of the Pudendal nerve
Complications that can weaken the muscles

Any of the above factors can contribute to a weakened or damaged pelvic floor, and may cause symptoms such as:

Urinary incontinence (unintentional loss of urine)
Fecal incontinence (unintentional loss of stool)
Pelvic organ prolapse (when organs in the pelvis shift from their position and bulge into the vagina)
Chronic pelvic pain
Pain during sex

Other Conditions That Can Affect the Pelvic Floor

Age
Obesity
Genetic predisposition
Surgeries

Other factors like smoking, heavy lifting, chronic constipation (which can cause straining to pass stool), and persistent coughing may also contribute to weakness of the pelvic floor.

These are just some snippets from the full article. Go here for the full article at the Forbes website which includes tips on strengthening the pelvic floor pre and post baby, and go here if you're ready to take the plunge with one of our trained physical therapists.

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What Our Patients Have to Say

Testimonial by S.P., Age 26

I would like to start off by thanking Heather Jeffcoat for educating me and curing me of Vaginismus. I had been married for almost three years before I was referred to Heather. I never knew about Vaginismus until almost three years into my marriage. I knew something was wrong when I went on my honeymoon and came back a Virgin. I had always imagined how magical my first night would be but boy was I wrong.

Read more: Testimonial by S.P., Age 26

Testimonial by Julie T.

Femina PT (née Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy) has honestly changed my life. Before receiving treatment at Femina, I was going doctor to doctor to try and find the answer to my pelvic pain. It has taken me YEARS to find someone that can help fix this. It wasn't until my gynecologist recommended your clinic that I finally felt relief. My pelvic pain is almost gone, and granted I still have a lot more to work on with Laureen (my PT), my original problem is nearly cured. I am so grateful to her.
What is even better is she gave me practical exercises to do at home that were not tedious and provided instant (and lasting) relief. Although I mainly work with Laureen, my interaction with the owner (Heather) has been great. She is very generous, kind, and committed to her business.
It hurts to know there are women out there suffering who will never know or have the opportunity to work with women like Laureen and Heather because this issue is hardly talked about and this field is so rare. I hope more doctors and physical therapists see the value in this work and can relieve more woman of their pain.

-- Julie T., 12/4/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by Fritzette H.

I went to Heather after the birth of my third child. It was lucky, really, that I was referred to her, because my doctor had referred me to a surgeon for a possible hysterectomy or pelvic wall rebuild. Thankfully, I went to Heather before undergoing either surgery, she was able to fix the problem. She has studied extensively in women's health--even written a book about it--and was able to diagnose my problem, suggest a course of treatment (6 weeks), and then follow through with said treatment. By the end, as she said, I was as good as gold. Boy, was it worth it! Though uncomfortable to talk about, much less write about, it is worth getting the word out there. If you have painful intercourse, especially after birth or other trauma, the treatment may be as simple as Physical Therapy (with Heather, of course). I highly recommend her.

-- Fritzette H., 3/24/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by Julie T.

Femina PT (née Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy) has honestly changed my life. Before receiving treatment at Femina, I was going doctor to doctor to try and find the answer to my pelvic pain. It has taken me YEARS to find someone that can help fix this. It wasn't until my gynecologist recommended your clinic that I finally felt relief. My pelvic pain is almost gone, and granted I still have a lot more to work on with Laureen (my PT), my original problem is nearly cured. I am so grateful to her.
What is even better is she gave me practical exercises to do at home that were not tedious and provided instant (and lasting) relief. Although I mainly work with Laureen, my interaction with the owner (Heather) has been great. She is very generous, kind, and committed to her business.
It hurts to know there are women out there suffering who will never know or have the opportunity to work with women like Laureen and Heather because this issue is hardly talked about and this field is so rare. I hope more doctors and physical therapists see the value in this work and can relieve more woman of their pain.

-- Julie T., 12/4/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by Amanda W.

Heather's unique physical therapy program literally changed my life! After years of struggling with vaginismus, a condition that made it impossible for me to have intercourse and very difficult to use tampons without pain, a gynecologist referred me to Heather. I was nervous for my first appointment, but Heather's professional and friendly demeanor put me at ease. She did a great job explaining each technique she was using to help my muscles relax. Heather uses a combination of internal and external stretches and exercises to relax the pelvic floor and build muscle strength. Her specially developed home program helped me quickly recover from an issue that seemed insurmountable before meeting Heather. She was optimistic about my progress and incredibly encouraging. Less than 6 months after my first session, I was able to have pain-free sex for the first time in my life! If you are suffering from vaginismus or any other pelvic floor issues, I highly recommend making an appointment with Heather and reading her book!

-- Amanda W., 2/15/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by R.H.

No one could tell me why I was having pain during sex--sharp pain, not just uncomfortable, pain. I was referred to Heather Jeffcoat after researching several different options. I had seen a specialist who told me physical therapy would not help and my only option was surgery. I really didn't want to go that route, so when we got a referral, I decided to try it--it can't hurt, I thought. I am so glad I did. She diagnosed the problem right away, which was a relief in itself.

To know why I was having pain eased my mind immensely. And to hear that she could fix it without surgery was another relief. She said she could fix the problem in 6 weeks. I think it was actually 4 for me. She was very methodical, and treated me as an intelligent human being capable of participating in my own recovery. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone. She did not try to prolong my session numbers, she worked hard to accommodate my schedule (and the fact that I had to bring a baby to sessions), and she was completely honest the entire time. It is so hard to find someone with these characteristics, much less a professional who is so good at what she does. She has my highest respect.

-- R.H.

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Forbes | How To Strengthen The Pelvic Floor Pre And Post Baby