Trouble navigating sexytime postpartum? Struggling with your sexual confidence since you became a mom? Tune into this week's episode of Mom Strength to learn how to reconnect with yourself, your pelvic floor and improve intimacy after baby.

You’ll learn about:

1. Responsive desire vs spontaneous desire

2. Sexual brakes vs sexual accelerators in the postpartum phase

3. Pelvic floor strategies for pain, discomfort, or low libido

4. Sex frequency and what the research says

5. How we are impacted by society’s portrayal of “sexy”

6. Do Kegels help with painful sex?

7. Making sex work in your tired new mom life

8. Where to get help with pelvic floor or sexual health concerns postpartum

Join Surabhi Veitch as she sits down with Dr Nidhi Sharma. Nidhi is a pelvic physiotherapist in NYC with 15 years of experience, and is a board-certified women’s health and orthopaedic specialist in New York. Tune in as they discuss the journey into motherhood, Nidhi’s identity crisis as an immigrant and find out what Nidhi says is the most important thing to do before becoming a parent.

We discuss:

1. Nidhi's Journey into Pelvic Physiotherapy

2. Transitioning from Pregnancy to Motherhood

3. Moving to the USA from India

4. Finding Community Away From Home

5. Maternity Benefits & Support in the US

6. Postpartum Depression & High Maternal Death Rates in the US

7. Mat Leave in India

8. How Motherhood Changes a Person

9. Patient Advocacy

It’s time to cancel sexual pain! Surabhi Veitch interviews pelvic physical therapist, Dr. Janelle Howell aka the Vagina Rehab Doctor on sexual pain, pelvic health, clitoris and vaginal health. We discuss the importance of a vagina that is mobile, strong and has good endurance to achieve orgasm. We also discuss the importance of mothers caring for themselves and prioritizing their own sexual satisfaction.

There are so many reasons why your arousal and orgasms may be weaker postpartum, and they’re not all related to your pelvic floor!

Here are 5 (of many) reasons why:

1. You’re staying too quiet because of a baby sleeping/kids around

2. Pelvic floor muscle injuries from birth or trauma

3. You’re holding your breath or shallow breathing

4. Your pelvic floor is too tense

5. Your pelvic floor is too weak or lacks endurance

Find out how my Reclaim your Pleasure workshop can help you release tension, pain and welcome in more pleasure even if you have weak orgasms

Let’s talk about sex, baby! Or in this case, dyspareunia or painful sex. We go over:

— Find out what dyspareuia is and the different types and categories (superficial vs deep, primary vs secondary)

— How common is dyspareunia and how many people are impacted by painful intercourse postpartum

— How dyspareunia impacts mental, physical and sexual health

— Learn why you do not need to rush to have sex at 6 weeks postpartum

— How postpartum sexual health declines across all domains

— Why painful sex is not just the responsibility of the woman or vulva-owner

Find out how my Reclaim your Pleasure workshop can help you release tension, pain and welcome in more pleasure even if you deal with painful intercourse

Sharon Fan and Surabhi Veitch discuss Sharon’s experience as an athlete, ultra-marathoner and runner, and having an unexpected C-section in the middle of the pandemic. We discuss how working together through virtual physiotherapy supported her in her return to fitness!

Sophia Dhrolia (she/they) and I discuss their journey into parenting, including IUI, challenges with fertility, IVF, C-sections, postpartum pre-eclampsia and so much more. From meeting their wife (on Plenty of Fish!) to their Bollywood romance, we talk about how they had kids as a queer couple. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll learn so much from this incredible human. This is an absolute must-listen and one of my all-time favourite interviews.

Surabhi Veitch interviews Dr. Whitney Baxter, naturopathic doctor, on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including symptoms, treatments and tips for living with PCOS.

We discuss:

What is PCOS?

What are the main symptoms of PCOS?

How does a PCOS diagnosis work?

The main causes of PCOS

Is there treatment for PCOS? (short answer - yes!)

Which is better? - Natural vs Medical Treatments

Importance of nutrition in treating and preventing PCOS

The healing benefits of movement

Struggling to connect with core postpartum?

Difficult to strengthen your core?

Core just doesn't feel the same after having a baby?

With all the abdominal stretching and diastasis recti that happens during pregnancy, it is common to have difficulty connecting with your core in those early weeks postpartum. But why do so many have trouble 3 months, 9 months, 2 years and even 5-10 years after having kids?

If this is you, listen to this episode to find out which of the 7 reasons applies to you.

BASE fitness membership for quick & effective home workouts that you can do with the kids or baby around, before or after work, or whenever is convenient for you! BASE helps to decrease the barrier to entry, so you’re actually able to get consistent workouts in without having to think about which combination of exercises to do or how to make it work for your body.

Come and join this conversation with Antony Lo, as we discuss how to navigate through postpartum, return to exercise and your fitness goals. Antony shares his expertise and approach in helping people lift heavy weights and navigate back to their fitness goals postpartum. Antony explores the importance of strength training, highlighting the benefits and surprising results (you’re probably stronger than you think!).

We discuss:

Progressing physically and mentally through postpartum

Finding hope in a prolapse/diastasis diagnosis (it’s more common than you think!)

The consequences of comparing yourself to other Moms

Dangers of fear mongering in fitness/health industry

Strength and aesthetic goals in postpartum

Come join this conversation with Dr. Danielle Watson as we discuss pregnancy prep for postpartum, and thriving in motherhood. We discuss supporting how to support yourself during each trimester of pregnancy, and how to best care for yourself in the postpartum phase.

We also discuss:

how to use pregnancy as a time to connect with and listen to your body

postpartum depletion & prioritizing your micronutrients

perinatal mood & anxiety disorders, and how you never think you'll be the one to experience it

impact of Type A high-achieving personalities on how we cope with postpartum challenges

why weight loss isn’t the best measure of postpartum recovery

Dr. Danielle’s The Mother Method program for pregnant and postpartum moms

Come join this conversation with Chana Henche Ross as we discuss:

pressures to bounceback, as healthcare professionals working with pregnant and postpartum people

being a huge supporter of women and elevating others around her

running a business as a mom of 4

stepping into the name that you are given and the importance of pronouncing your name properly

the overwhelm of being a mother and taking up time for self-care, even when you know it’s so important to you

thinking about our thinking and where our beliefs come from

Come join this conversation with Melissa Venturuzzo as we discuss how to navigate postpartum when your labour and birth didn’t go the way you planned, breastfeeding struggles, getting the wrong advice, dealing with prolapse postpartum, and the difficulty in getting a pessary. We also talk about the importance of carving out time for self-care as a mother.

Aliya Dhalla and Surabhi Veitch discuss the #1 tip to overcoming prolapse, the mental and psychosocial components of prolapse, and shame around prolapse.

We also have a great discussion on martyrdom in motherhood in South Asian and many other communities, people-pleasing behaviours, defining our own identities as mothers, ditching mom guilt, and the journey to practicing self-care.

Inemesit Graham and Surabhi Veitch chat about:

body image in fitness and chasing after the flat abs aesthetic

diastasis recti and how aesthetics don’t determine your athletics

body liberty and getting to root cause of body image issues

umbilical hernia, bullying, and harmful white-centric norms

understanding body oppression and aesthetic norms and the role of colonization, slavery and oppression

growing up Black in a society built on white privilege

snapback culture, white supremacy and patriarchy

the freedom in telling your story

how to cultivate community in your postpartum journey

what to do when you don’t have a village

asking for help postpartum

preparing your environment for motherhood

Learn 6 key things to help you heal those first 6-weeks postpartum: BEDMAS! BEDMAS stands for Breathe, Eat, Drink, Me-time, Ask for help, Sleep. I elaborate on each of those factors and how and why to focus on each one during this episode.