71. 10 Ways to Bulletproof your Pelvic Floor in Pregnancy
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Don't let your baby break your vagina!
Are you terrified to tear your pelvic floor during childbirth? Have you heard that your pelvic organs can hang outside your vagina after delivery? Instead of feeling afraid or stuck in fear, learn 10 tangible and actionable ways you can reduce your risk of pelvic trauma during birth. Improve your pelvic health during pregnancy so you can reap the benefits now and later!
Top 10 Tips to Protect your Pelvic Floor
Avoid constantly sucking in your belly, clenching your butt and pelvic floor.
Practice diaphragmatic and lateral-costal breathing daily.
Improve back and hip mobility.
Strengthen your arms and legs.
Improve bowel movements.
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Prioritize mental health.
Deal with any painful intercourse or insertion.
Start perineal massage after about 34-35 weeks.
See a pelvic floor physical therapist / physiotherapist during pregnancy to help you with all of the above! You can see one at any point in your pregnancy, even if you’re not symptomatic or in pain.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Embodia https://www.embodiaapp.com/ - use code momstrength to save $20 off your first month’s Tier 3 membership.
Helpful Links:
Grab my 90-minute Prenatal & Birth Prep workshop to prepare your pelvic floor and body for birth and postpartum
Sign up for my BASE fitness membership for pregnancy workouts to support your pelvic health and whole body
Book 1:1 physiotherapy (virtual or in-person in Toronto) to manage symptoms and achieve your movement goals
Connect with Surabhi:
Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca
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Surabhi: [00:03:31] Hey y'all and welcome back to another episode of Mom Strength. This is your host, Surabhi Veitch. I'm a pelvic physiotherapist, orthopedic physiotherapist, pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach, and I'm a mom of two. My older is five. My younger is... is three almost, and I want to share my top 10 things that I would do if I was pregnant and things that you can do to bulletproof your pelvic floor during pregnancy.
So this is for anyone who is already pregnant, who is planning a pregnancy, who is already trying to conceive. And this is also great for somebody who's already had one child, two children, and maybe you are unprepared. Back [00:04:31] then, but now you want to go into your subsequent pregnancy and birth a little bit more prepared.
This is for people who have, who want or plan to have a vaginal birth or a cesarean birth. Remember that about one in three births in North America are, end up being cesarean births, whether planned or unplanned. So it is a good idea to be prepared for a vaginal birth, but also prepare for a cesarean birth.
Now, Why is the pelvic floor important, even if you're going to have a C section? Here's the thing, when we think about the day that you're giving birth, whether it's through abdominal surgery or vaginal, that's just one day. For the other nine, nine and a half months, you have been pregnant, and there has been load, a growing load, a uterus, baby, extra body weight.
Pressuring and weighing down on that pelvic floor. So the impact on your pelvic [00:05:31] floor is not just from that one day of childbirth or the two days that you were in labor. It is from the entire experience of pregnancy. Which is why it's important to support your pelvic floor, pelvic health, and your whole health actually during pregnancy.
So, you know, first disclaimer. I don't want this to be an episode like, Oh gosh, I have to do X, Y, Z. I have so much already to do. Now I'm listening to Surabhi and she's telling me to do so much more. So if you're listening to this and you are pregnant, choose one of these 10 things and work on that for, let's say a few days or a week as that becomes more easy than work on the next habit, right?
That will take you through 10 weeks of pregnancy. And. Many of these things are easy once you start to incorporate it. And, um, let's just get started because you're going to see, you're going to see exactly [00:06:31] what I mean. Okay, rule number one, not rule, let's, let's ax the word rule. Tip number one, guideline number one.
One, avoid constantly sucking in your belly. Your butt, your pelvic floor, avoid clenching and tensing. Listen y'all, I know we've been raised in a society that has told us, as women, as vulva owners, as people that we should have a flat stomach. We should want to suck in our core and essentially, try to pretend that we don't have any rolls or fat in our abdominal area.
And during pregnancy... It's a little bit of, uh, it kind of messes with your head because you're supposed to be growing there. Your belly's supposed to be growing outward. And if you have lived your entire adult life feeling like you have to suck in and be thin, [00:07:31] this can really mess up your body image. So I really want you to think about...
Just doing what feels best for your body rather than trying to fit into this really unhealthy norm of Trying to be as thin or flat stomached as possible. Okay. So what you're gonna do is you're gonna practice letting go of your belly Maybe you can't in the middle of a work meeting. Maybe you feel like you have to look put together there But, how about at home?
How about with your friends? Can you size up in pants? Even if you're in the first trimester and you haven't really gained much, can you wear loose comfortable clothing or clothing that supports you and that makes you feel good without needing to clench and suck in? This is gonna matter because during pregnancy, some people love having support around their abs to kind of support the baby weight, and others hate it.
So, I'm not telling you to ditch all your tight leggings and your [00:08:31] pregnancy leggings to, for loose pants, but I am asking you to keep in mind that we don't, shouldn't be holding tension in our abs every second of the day, okay? Tip number two. This is ties in with number one, practice diaphragmatic and lateral costal breathing.
So, what this means is that when you are, when you have a break, let's say you are waiting for the elevator, waiting for the pot of coffee to boil, waiting for a traffic light to change, waiting for... Um, to pick up your older child from daycare. Anytime you're waiting or pausing or switching between one meeting to the next or between client to the next, practice about five diaphragmatic breaths or lateral costal breaths.
So if you're hearing these terms for the first time, let me talk about what it is. Your diaphragm is your main breathing muscle. It sits at the base of your rib. Ribs [00:09:31] and covers the whole base. So when you breathe in, picture it like a dome or a bell when you breathe in, it flattens out and it goes actually downward into your abdominal cavity.
And as you exhale, it comes back up. So inhale, it contracts down. As you exhale, it comes back up. So. You can imagine that in late pregnancy, when you have a baby in your abdomen, shoving your diaphragm upward, it can feel really hard or even impossible for you to breathe fully through your diaphragm without having all of the accessory muscles or your assisters.
to come help. So in mid to late pregnancy, if you're finding diaphragmatic breathing to be really challenging, you're going to practice more lateral costal breathing. So lateral meaning sideways and costal is referring to the ribs. So you're going to place your hands around your brow line, just at the sides of your ribs there.
And you're [00:10:31] going to inhale into those hands, feeling your ribcage expand sideways, frontwards, backwards, all kind of 360 degrees. So, inhale and exhale. As you inhale, the ribs open, and as you exhale, they come together. You can practice that, like I said, about five breaths. We can practice three more right now since we're doing it.
Inhale, let your ribcage expand, exhale, let the ribs come together. Inhale, let the ribs expand, exhale, let the ribs come together. We're looking for some movement. Don't expect it to move like as much as your, you know, elbow moves when you bend it, right? And they're your ribs, they're different joint, they're different, [00:11:31] um, shape.
So it's going to move, but if you're feeling like it's really tight, this is where tip number three comes in. improve your spinal and your pelvic and your hip mobility. Mobility does not necessarily mean stretching. So you don't have to just like stretch your calves, stretch your hamstrings forever. It's mobility, movement.
So you want fluid motion between the joints in your spine. You want fluidity, joint lubrication, because when you have more lubrication, Just picture a squeaky door, right? When it's lubricated, it's not squeaky anymore. It's smooth, but when it's not lubricated and you're just like, your body's going to feel stiff during pregnancy.
And to a certain extent, that's normal because you have. just a different mass, body mass. However, if you can maintain spinal mobility, rib cage mobility, [00:12:31] thoracic mobility, and pelvic and hip mobility, this minimizes the pressure that you're going to feel on your pelvic floor and your lower back. So if you, all of you who are listening, who are like, I've got low back pain, I've got neck pain, these, these types of mobility exercises can be really, really helpful.
Okay, next, we've got, so let's re, you know, review. We've got avoid sucking in, number two is diaphragmatic or lateral costal breathing, number three is improve spinal, pelvic, and hip mobility, and number four, strengthen your arms and legs. I want those biceps. I want, you know, your chest, your back. I want that back to be strong.
I want your legs to be strong. So much of the focus in pregnancy and postpartum has become core and pelvic floor, core and pelvic floor, abs and pelvic floor, which makes sense. Right? Like when you're [00:13:31] looking at it more commonsensically, that's where the baby sits, is in your abs and your abdominal cavity.
So of course, you know, strengthening the abs and pelvic floor after birth and through birth or through postpartum or pregnancy can be really helpful. However, it's not your pelvic floor that's going to be lifting you when you climb upstairs. It's not your
I'm going to prepare for postpartum and use pregnancy as an invitation to do that. If you've never worked out a day in your life, and I'm talking like we've all worked out before, you can consider working out as maybe something you enjoy. Maybe it's horseback riding or dancing or running or walking or hiking, but if you've never lifted weights before.
Use pregnancy as a chance to begin. The second trimester is a great time to do this. You can start in the first depending on how you feel, of course. There's an increased risk of loss in [00:14:31] the first trimester. So this is why there's a lot of, you know, caution, caution. So you really have to discuss this with your your own health care provider and evaluate your unique circumstances.
But if you have been working out before pregnancy, continue, right? You don't have to stop just because you're pregnant. If you feel like stopping because you're exhausted, you're tired, and you're nauseous, that's valid. Um, working with a healthcare professional like myself, a pelvic physiotherapist who's trained in pregnancy and postpartum, um, That can support you because we will find ways to introduce movement that actually feels good and supportive for your body.
Okay, so strengthen those arms and legs because when they're strong, that reduces the strain on your pelvic floor. So if you have never heard the term pelvic organ prolapse, that is where one of your pelvic organs, it could be your bowel, your rectum, your bladder, it could be your uterus itself, [00:15:31] or the top of your vagina.
bulge into the vagina. So if you picture a tube, right? And something's kind of bulging into the tube or straw, something's kind of kinking in the straw. So that's a very simplistic model, of course, but prolapse can happen due to many reasons. Pregnancy is actually one of the risks. Um, it's not just pregnancy though, because many people who've never had a baby also have prolapse.
And as we age, our risk increases genetics. is a contributing factor as well. And this brings me to point number five. Improve your bowel movements. Your BMs, they gotta be smooth. If you picture, you know, a spectrum of BMs from loose diarrhea like to small little pebbles, pellets, we want something in between.
Like a smooth banana or smooth, um, snake like log, right? Or multiple logs. We [00:16:31] do not want... a bunch of tiny little pellets. We don't want to strain on the toilet. We don't want to spend more than five minutes on the toilet. So if you go to poop and your poop is not ready, don't just sit there for 20 minutes on your phone scrolling.
I actually, I know phone time, you know. Maybe the bathroom is your like quiet space and you like scrolling, but I actually encourage you as soon as you sit down, set a timer to go off in five minutes because you would be surprised. I've been there sometimes for like, Oh my God, half an hour has passed. My legs are numb.
Right? And this is a risk factor for your pelvic floor because what is happening when you're sitting on the toilet? Typically when we sit on the toilet, your pelvic floor muscles, which are the muscles, where you're sitting on the, you know, at the base of your pelvis, between your sits bones, between your pubic bone and your tailbone, that entire basin essentially is relaxed.
The gates are open because we want poo, pee, gas, whatever [00:17:31] to come out. Now, if you're in just extended open position for a long time and you're straining on your baby, your bump is growing, also adding weight to the pelvic floor, That may increase your risk of prolapse. So we had just talked about prolapse.
And there's many stages, you know, a mild stage one is almost considered normal at this point because things are going to sag a little bit as we age, as we're pregnant, postpartum, especially early postpartum. but we don't want to worsen the risk by being constipated, straining. And we're going to talk about the other points that also contribute to a higher risk of prolapse.
Okay. So we'll have, you know, whenever I say improve your bowel movements, you know, people will be like, yeah, I wish I could just snap my fingers and do that. But I'm going to give you some real strategies. Okay. So from a pelvic PT perspective, you can do something called an ILU. Massage [00:18:31] may not work as your bump grows because now you're going to be just massaging the baby instead of your bowels.
But you can do an ILU massage in early pregnancy or if you're trying to conceive. Trying to conceive is a great time to fix your constipation issues or improve it at least. Because pregnancy, in pregnancy, your gastric motility, so the speed at which poop travels through your system, it slows down. You know, maybe to improve absorption, you have nutrients, but it does slow down.
It makes, it's a bit sluggish. So if you are already constipated pre pregnancy, it will worsen most likely during pregnancy. Now add to that, you're taking your prenatals. Maybe you're on iron supplements because your iron is low and you're really low energy and you're fatigued. Maybe your hemoglobin is low.
Maybe you're [00:19:31] anemic and you really have to take a lot of iron. If that's the case, that's gonna constipate you even more, right? So here are some things. Your goal is to increase your fiber to about 28 grams a day for pregnancy. And again, check with your dog, check with your midwife. You might have specific needs that are different, but for someone like me, I'm a vegetarian, it's super easy for me to get to that 28 grams a day.
I don't even measure it. I never have, right? Because I'm always eating. When I say always, don't, don't assume I'm never eating chips and cookies and stuff, because I am. But I'm also eating vegetarian foods that have lots of legume. I'm Indian, right? So dolls, all that good stuff, black beans, kidney beans, and then veggies, all the veggies and fruit.
So not just fruit juices, but get the actual fruit so you get the fiber to help move your poops along, [00:20:31] right? There's actually a 2021 study that shows increased fruit and veggie consumption before and during pregnancy may be a simple strategy to achieve increased total dietary fiber intakes to reach recommended quantities.
Which is pretty sweet, right? That's pretty amazing that even before pregnancy has an impact and here's what I'm really grateful for personally before my first pregnancy, I did a um, not a food share but a community It's called CSA. Community Supported Agriculture Box. So it's like a veggie box. And I had so many different types of veggies that year before I tried for our first child.
And I'm so glad I did [00:21:31] that because I felt like I had enough reserve in my body because pregnancy hit and I was nauseous and all I could eat was like crackers and popcorn. So it almost was like my body had the base of nutrients built up in the good habits built, right? And. Despite all that, I was still constipated because I was on so much iron and not eating enough.
If you're not eating enough anytime in your life, whether you're pregnant, not pregnant, guess what? Less goes in your mouth, less comes out of your bum, right? So, you gotta eat enough. And so many of us, with the pressure of, um, diet culture, fat phobia, even during pregnancy, we're not eating enough. Or if we are, we're thinking, oh, well, I've been told I'm eating for you, for, [00:22:31] not for you, for two, so I'm just gonna eat like extra, you know, desserts, which is, again, everything in moderation, talk to your own healthcare provider, your dietician especially, um, or not a naturopathic doctor, but understand that.
We want to also increase the nutrient profile, so that includes the veggies, the fruit, the legumes, if you eat meat and seafood and all that stuff as well, right? Okay, we've gone over five points. Let's do the next five. So the next one ties into constipation. Drink. Plenty of water. Water, water, water, right?
For those of you who went to Waterloo, University of Waterloo, that's actually a chant. Water, water, water, loo, loo, loo, water, loo. Sorry, I'm gonna, I'm gonna stop chanting. If you're watching this video, this podcast [00:23:31] on YouTube, you're gonna see my water bottle for the day. Almost empty. Which is perfect. This is only one liter.
I drink two to three of these every day. Depending on your body size, if you are pregnant, if you're pregnant in the summer, and you're sweating, and you're hot, you work outdoors, you're on your feet all day, maybe you're a teacher, you're a physiotherapist, whatever it is, the more active you are, the more your demands go up.
It is. Very, very important that you don't under hydrate. You may need electrolytes, something like those NRC emergency little tablets, Noon. Um, be mindful, there was a lot of other extra ingredients in store bought things, so, but hey, convenience, right? Gives you a bit of flavor, maybe makes it a bit easier for you to drink, but.
Boost that water because that's gonna also help your poops [00:24:31] be softer. It'll also help your bladder because when your bladder is When you're not drinking enough water, your bladder will, the urine in your bladder that's being made is more concentrated. So it kind of burns, gets stingy, stingy, um, when you're peeing, or your bladder's so irritated that it's trying to squeeze more.
So, you just went pee and then like 10 minutes later you gotta go again. And you feel like you have to, right? We call that urinary urgency, overactive bladder, frequency, increased frequency, so. Drinking enough water, drinking more water, can actually help. Also helps with baby, right? Maintaining amniotic fluid levels, your energy levels, um, preventing UTIs, urinary tract infections.
So, all good stuff. So, number seven. [00:25:31] Prioritize your mental health. I, if, if I did one of these things, Looking back, that's what I wish I would have done. My mental health, I was so anxious. I had no idea that that wasn't normal, because so much of pregnancy is new, especially your first, and you're going through it all for the first time, and especially if you come from a background like mine where I was already a hard worker, overachieving, um, really constantly like in production mode, productivity mode.
It was really hard for me to slow down. And my sense of self worth, my identity. Everything was challenged. So, prioritize mental health support, whether it's therapy, whether it's medication, accommodation, mindfulness, yoga, [00:26:31] not just stretching yoga, because that's just asana. I'm talking spiritual, spiritual yoga, the full, complete, whole yoga, wholeness of yoga, right?
So, practice this to calm your mind, release tension and stress mentally, and Also, release control because even with the best of preparation, even if you do everything on this list, we still cannot control outcomes in pregnancy, in postpartum, in life. So it's, and it's really scary because it's the first time in our lives when it's not just us, it's us and another being or multiple beings if you're having twins or triplets or multiples.
And so there is this. mourning of like, or feeling of loss of sense of self, loss of freedom, [00:27:31] and that's where learning to start to accept that process during pregnancy can be helpful. Pregnancy can also, with the hormonal changes, and If you have any complications in pregnancy, that's going to trigger more stress, anxiety, potentially, um, fears.
And so a stressed body, holds tension, right? Picture like, picture someone who's stressed. Do they look chill? No, they're tense. Every muscle in their body is tense. They're reactive. And so that body is not ideal for a smooth birth, right? Imagine a baby's trying to exit your vagina. The baby wants gates open and you are so stressed.
Everything's tense. That's not gonna help, right? Even if you're having a cesarean birth. You want mobility, because when you [00:28:31] have good mobility in your pelvis, your body, there's less pressure on the pelvic floor, pressure on the pelvic organs, even as your abs start to separate in late pregnancy, there's less excess pressure, right? So, mental health 100 percent gets some support.
One thing that I would suggest right now is pause this episode and make a list of 10 things that will help you when you're stressed, when you're worried, when you're anxious. And do this when you're not already anxious.
Do this when you're like, ah, it's a good day. Or maybe you're like, I slept really well. Maybe you just went out for dinner with a friend. Or maybe you are snuggling with your partner. You're feeling good. Make that list then. Because then that will [00:29:31] guide you when you're feeling... Not so good. And you can refer back to your list and say, Oh yeah, I do enjoy coloring.
Or I want a cup of, um, you know, haldidud. Haldidud is turmeric milk, right? Um, or maybe you need a foot rub, right? So make a list of things. Low maintenance things. What I mean by that is, obviously vacation would be nice. Obviously, going to the spa would be nice, but like things you can do in your home when you're stressed, when you are not feeling good, okay?
Because daily stress management is important because every day of our lives we're faced with stress. Right? So we can't just save stress management for once every four months when we take a long weekend, right? Or go on vacation. Okay. Number [00:30:31] eight, deal with painful intercourse, painful insertion of a speculum, finger, toy, any of that stuff.
Deal with that. If you have that now, whether you're pregnant or trying. Deal with that now. See a pelvic physical therapist pelvic floor PT like me. Why deal with this now is It can be a sign of underlying pelvic floor dysfunction. And so if you have pelvic floor dysfunction, or maybe it's not pelvic floor dysfunction, but maybe you have poor, um, pleasure positivity, maybe you have shame, um, maybe you just strategies you're using or the body positions you're using.
Don't work for pregnancy. Um, maybe your libido is low. Right? There's so many things. But working with a pelvic PT, um, [00:31:31] and or getting more support. Intimacy coaches exist. You know, psychologists, social workers who work in this field. But get some support because pregnancy is, it can really mess up your sexuality.
Especially not, not pregnancy as much, but postpartum. And so if you struggle with body image, eating disorders, pre pregnancy, or even during pregnancy, please get support. Because with support, you won't always feel that way. Or maybe the amount of days where you feel, um, your body is not, not right or not good or not proper, maybe those days will be fewer and far in between, right?
Excuse me. So, please get some support. Pelvic PTs, I'm going to book and, not book, um, share my show [00:32:31] notes, um, how you can book in to see me. You can see me virtually from anywhere in the world. If you live in Ontario, you can book virtual pelvic physio. If you live in Toronto, Vaughan, York, GTA, you want to come see me in person, I work in North York, 200 Finch Avenue.
West out of North Don River Valley, Midwifery. So come see me, y'all. Booking a visit, right? At least one visit during pregnancy. Usually recommend any time during pregnancy and then definitely at around 34 weeks because this brings me to point number nine. Perineal massage or perineal, however you want to pronounce it.
So your perineum is the part between your vagina. And your anus, your rectal opening, right? So that part needs to stretch. Needs to be soft, [00:33:31] supple, so that when you're birthing your baby through the birth canal, the vagina, there's flexibility there. It is wild. I'm still amazed every single time at our bodies.
How is it even possible that our bodies expand from, you know, normal size when they're closed to 10 centimeter diameter? Or bigger if you've got a large headed baby, you know, it's amazing. And so. So often I'll hear from people, Oh, my OB said I'm, uh, my baby's bigger, so they're scheduling me for an induction.
They're gonna schedule a C section. Listen, that's your business with your doctor, your OB, but because this is my podcast, I really need to say that there's, in for[00:34:31]
your body. Imagine that we start telling people Oh, if you're having a big poop, we're going to have to cut a bigger hole because you might not be able to get it out. And so now imagine everyone's suddenly scared of pooping, but that's what's happened in our culture in parts of the world where birth is so overly medicalized.
In some situations, it has to be medicalized. It had, there has to be interventions, but in some of the major downtown Toronto hospitals, the intervention rate. is 97%, 96%. And it's really hard to find these numbers, by the way. I know, I'm not going to share how I know this stuff, but I have, um, worked with labor and delivery nurses.
I have worked with midwives. I have worked with OBs and the intervention rates are high in hospitals. So that could be anything from an [00:35:31] epidural to forceps to vacuum assisted births to episiotomies, which is where they take. Um, an incision. They make an incision and false incisions don't heal as well or they may not heal as well.
There's, there's no guarantee one way or the other, but natural tearing is supposed to be better because when you naturally tear, it's not a clean line. It's like a web. And so the scar tissue that's built is better, smoother and less. Um, rigid. So natural tearing is better than episiotomies in most cases.
I understand. If there's a safety issue, health issue, medical emergency, you gotta do what you gotta do. And sometimes that is really hard [00:36:31] to, um, accept, but that is just how it is. However, let's try to prepare ourselves with perineal massage. So what is perineal massage? It is using your fingers, one finger to two fingers, clean hands, yourselves or your partners.
I always recommend do it yourself first because then you understand what it's supposed to feel like, what the pressures are like, and then optional, you can involve your partner or partners as a bonding, as a nice way to bond. And you're essentially massaging and stretching Your par your perineum. You put your finger up your vagina and kind of stretch.
There's a there's a technique to it and it most benefits first time mums [00:37:31] or first time vaginal births. So if you had a c section and you want to go for vaginal birth, definitely recommend. If it's your first birth, definitely recommend. If you're over age 30, Definitely recommend. I was over 30 for both mine.
So I did it. I definitely did it. And, um, fortunately, I didn't tear with either birth. So I really do think perineal massage played a big role. And it's not just the massage. Don't assume that, oh, I'm massaging my vagina. So birth will be easy now. No, what we're going to use perineal massage for is mind body connection.
You're training your brain and your breath to stay calm, even When it's uncomfortable even when it's kind of like, oh, I'm I'm stretching right because you're gonna lean on those same skills When it comes to actual birthing, right even with an epidural Even if you can't [00:38:31] feel 100 percent of what's going on, you're still gonna lean on though that resilience and the skills I always like to tell people remember epidurals not given right away.
We have to wait Your anesthesiologist may not make it in time. Your epidural may not work. So I still want you to prepare for birth as if you were doing it without medication, right? And then if you have meds, if you want meds. Then that's your choice. Okay. So perineal massage, let's see if there's anything else.
And the reason that actually helps is because it actually decreases risk of um, episiotomy by 15%. That's one of the stats from one study, right? So So Thank you. Less episiotomies means less pain, um, and people who have done [00:39:31] perineal massage always have less, also have less perineal pain at three months postpartum, right?
So once a, one to two times a week at about 34 or 35 weeks pregnancy onward. Don't have to do it daily, although some places, some research studies say daily. So I never liked saying daily because honestly. Unless your entire full time job is being pregnant, if you have another job, if you have other children, you're busy, you may not have time or energy for daily.
If you do, a number 10, see a pelvic floor physical therapist. See a pelvic floor PT, see a pelvic physio. All those things are the same, by the way, just different ways to say it. Why do we need to see one? You don't have to. It's never mandatory. But every single point I've made so far, all these nine [00:40:31] things?
A pelvic PT like me can help you with. And I've given you generic, general info and if this is enough for you, I'm glad. I'm, I'm happy to share this information. I started this podcast because it would reach people's ears even if they don't have money to access physiotherapy. I also have a prenatal and birth prep workshop.
Where I demonstrate perineal massage and some stretches and mobility exercises for you to incorporate. I will share the link to that in my show notes, you can go grab that. It's a 90 minute workshop, it's awesome, you get my powerpoint slides, um. And yeah, it's, it's mostly catered around vaginal birth and preparing for a vaginal birth.
But all of those same skills you can still practice if you're planning a C section. Okay, and if you can't afford care, if you, [00:41:31] whether you have insurance or not, if you can't afford care, please y'all go see one. Um, work with me, I would love to support you. I got into this field because, you know, people always say, oh, I didn't know, and so I want people to know.
I want you to tell at least two friends, two friends who are pregnant, planning a baby down the road, even if they've already had a baby, because all of these same, same things. Still support your health and your pelvic health and your full body health postpartum, right? But you can imagine how some of these things may be a little bit hard to work on with a baby who's keeping you up through the night when you're exhausted, sleep deprived.
Not impossible, but a little bit harder. So when you are pregnant, it may be, um, very exhausting and fatigue inducing. But if you're able to get help, [00:42:31] have your partner remind you to drink more water. Have your mother, mother in law, father in law, father, auntie, neighbor, maybe help them, maybe have them chop veggies with you.
Right? Prepare a fruit, veggie tray every Sunday so you can snack through the week so that you have more fiber. Fill up your water bottles the night before. For some people, I love this strategy, I'm like, fill up three liters of water, get three water bottles, whatever it is, put it on your kitchen counter.
So if you're working from home, you see it dwindle as the day goes on. If you're going to work, bring the water with you. So that you're, it just is easy visual, how much are you drinking? And if you're confident you're drinking enough, then you don't need to do that. Now I didn't even talk about movement and exercise and walking.
I did [00:43:31] mention arm and leg strength and full body mobility, especially spinal and pelvis. And if you need direction with that. I've got my base fitness membership, which has three different tiers and options to support your needs and I highly recommend it because I go over pregnancy modifications, I teach you the same skills that you're going to need postpartum.
So your core and pelvic floor. will, I don't like using the term bounce back because it's not about an aesthetic tightening, but you will feel like, Oh, I can connect with those areas so much more easily now. I've had clients who've had one baby on their own and then they're like, Oh, that was brutal. I'm coming to you for the second and third births.
And I work with them virtually and even with just virtual care, they get so much better and their outcomes are so much better. Even if they had an unexpected c section, they're like, Oh, [00:44:31] you know, I'm not bad. I can heal pretty easily. So, wrapping up this episode with a bunch of resources that I'm going to share with you.
My prenatal and birth prep workshop. My base fitness membership for prenatal prenatal fitness, which includes strength workouts. mobility exercises and stretches. Workouts take about half an hour and all you need are a set of dumbbells or a few sets of dumbbells, um, a yoga mat or a mat or a carpeted area and some pillows or yoga blocks.
Okay? Resistance bands or balls are optional and I always give you other options as well. So if you don't have whatever equipment, you can still make it work, but dumbbells are necessary. So workshop, fitness membership. And one on one consults, virtual or in person if you're in Toronto, same booking link, go pick in person, virtual, [00:45:31] and book a consult.
Any time during pregnancy, even if you have zero symptoms, no constipation, great. Let's work on some of these basic principles and foundational habits now so that you're prepared for your growing body, your growing baby, and your changing body. Congratulations, again, if you are pregnant. I'm so grateful for you to listen to this whole episode.
Listen, y'all, I thought this would be 20 minutes. It's over 40 minutes. There's so much to share, so much more I could share, and I will, in separate episodes. Um, if you enjoyed this episode, like I said, share it with two friends. Share it on Instagram, tag me, let me know that you like this work, this, um, episode.
Um, and please rate and review Mom's Strength because with your reviews and your ratings, this is how my podcast grows and this is how more pregnant folks hear this [00:46:31] information and can save their pelvic floors, bulletproof their pelvic floors so that they give themselves the best chance. Right? I always say, it's like when you study for an exam, math test, you, doesn't mean you're gonna get a hundred percent.
Doesn't even mean you're gonna get eighty percent. But if you didn't study at all, chances are the outcomes are gonna be less ideal, right? Um, and I don't want to, I don't want to say that to scare you and say, oh, if you don't go to pelvic PT, things will be worse. That's not true at all. People around the world don't have access to it.
But also if you're from a culture that sees birth as normal and beautiful and natural, and if you, if you have your aunties and your moms giving you cultural wisdom, ancestral wisdom, your birth, you're probably seeing birth as more of a positive experience. If you're in Western culture where you've seen, [00:47:31] you know, Rachel from Friends scream through her birth, and every birth showing, um, birthing in the Um, Lithotomy, not Lithotomy, Lithotomy position with your legs up, feet in the air, which is not the ideal position, FYI.
And if you see the mom screaming or emergency situations, then you, you almost learn to expect that. So that's where we go back to point number seven, prioritize your mental health. Okay. Quick summary of the 10 points. Avoid constantly sucking in your belly, butt and pelvic floor. Practice diaphragmatic and lateral costal breathing.
Improve your back and hip mobility. Strengthen your arms and legs. improve bowel movements, drink plenty of water, prioritize your mental health, deal with any painful insertion or intercourse, [00:48:31] perineal massage in late pregnancy, and see a pelvic floor physio because we can help you with every single point that I just made.
And we can help by giving you a plan to get there that doesn't feel as overwhelming. So, reach out for support and thank you for tuning into this episode despite the less-than-ideal sound quality and everything else. Please share this with 2 friends in your life who would benefit from hearing this information.
