Today we’re talking about pelvic floor therapy, and local recommendations for therapy.
Over the last few years, it seems like it’s become more common to hear about pelvic floor therapy, but I’ve found it’s still pretty common for a lot of moms to be a little unsure about what to expect, so I thought I’d share with you my experience with pelvic floor therapy.
Picture it: it’s February 2021. I’m three months postpartum with my second child. I’m wading through the newborn fog and trying to put my body back together when I realize that things “down there” don’t feel quite right. In fact, they feel quite wrong.
Oh no, it’s happened; my pelvic floor has COLLAPSED.
Keep reading for local pelvic floor resources and my own experience. If you’re looking for more “what to expect at your first pelvic floor appointment” check out this blog post.
If you’re looking for more postpartum support and resources, be sure to checkout our full Pregnancy + Postpartum Guide here.
XO,
Jackie
Local pelvic floor therapy providers our team recommends
These recommendations are not sponsored, just who our team personally recommends:
What the heck is a pelvic floor?
For those of you who still have functional pelvic floors and live a blissfully unaware life, congratulations.
Now, let me break it down (in my not-a-medical-professional understanding): Your pelvic floor is essentially a big muscle hammock running from your tailbone to your pelvic bone.
It’s the guy who makes sure that you don’t pee your pants each time you sneeze or fart constantly. It also keeps your organs where they are supposed to be and keeps sex from feeling like a nightmare. Needless to say, it’s pretty important.
Why do pelvic floors collapse after birth
When you have a baby, that sweet pelvic floor of yours can get jacked up. There are all kinds of ways that your pelvic floor can prolapse, but the main problem is that the stuff that is usually held up and out the way (think your rectum, bladder, uterus, etc.) is no longer held up and out of the way.
For me? I realized that there was a literal bulge coming out of my vaginal opening. Let me tell you, it’s not what you want.
Why aren’t we talking more about pelvic floor therapy?
Historically, prolapsed pelvic floors were widely accepted as a necessary evil of having children. Everyone has a mom or an aunt who has been peeing their pants for decades.
If you were one of the unfortunate ones who had a severe prolapse, you could go in for surgery and have a mesh sling seen into your vagina (woohoo!). I didn’t even know about the existence of a pelvic floor until 6 months AFTER my first kid was born.
Thankfully, some wonderful people have started figuring out how important pelvic floors are and are changing the game. While it isn’t as easily accessible or routine as it is in some other countries, pelvic floor physical therapy is available.
Where to start if you think you need pelvic floor therapy
Upon immediate googling, I realized that the prognosis for a pelvic floor prolapse could be bleak. So naturally, I panicked. I’d never even talked to my husband about farting and now I needed to confess that things were falling out of my body. I texted him something along the lines of, “My vagina is broken. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Needless to say, my sex life was indefinitely put on pause. I spent every waking moment thinking about my vagina in the un-sexiest way possible. It’s not how I wanted to be spending my life.
I reached out to a friend who had been transparent (God bless her) about her journey with her prolapse and she was able to connect me with an amazing physical therapist.
Leading up to my first physical therapy appointment, I was mortified. The thought of a medical professional spending 30 minutes trying to fix my mangled vagina almost stopped me from seeking help, but I persevered. Within three months, this old gal was back up and running.
And how did I commemorate my graduation from physical therapy? A celebratory dinner out with friends, of course.
Would I recommend pelvic floor therapy?
Was it fun? Not even close. Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. I learned that pelvic floor issues don’t really go away on their own. In fact, they get worse with age. I would highly recommend getting help NOW instead of living a life of peeing your pants and painful sex.
If you want more information about how to find a PT, how to schedule and what to expect at a pelvic floor physical therapy appointment, I would highly recommend reading this article (https://eastvalley.momcollective.com/pelvic-floor-pt-what-it-is-and-what-to-expect/)
