Here is the talk I recently gave for a group of postpartum yogis at a local yoga studio:

Objective of this session: To explain what to expect from your body after giving birth and what to do if things don’t go as expected.

If you have had a vaginal or caesarean birth, your abdominal and pelvic floor have been stretched and possibly damaged and it is essential to get them working well again. While your goal may be to lose your baby fat and restore your figure, how you do this is important since some kinds of exercise can create back pain, difficulty controlling urine or stool or dropping of the uterus or other pelvic organs. Knowing when and how to begin is very important!

Structure & Function:

The pelvic floor muscles create a hammock at the base of the pelvic outlet. Muscles are sometimes referred to as anterior (urogenital), posterior (anorectal), superficial or deep. The pelvic floor also includes, a key hip muscle called the obteratur internus, which is part of the deep hip rotator complex.

As a group, the pelvic floor muscles are responsible for:

1.      Sphincter control/continence

2.      Support of the pelvic organs

3.      Contribution to sexual pleasure & orgasm

4.      Contribution to lumbopelvic & hip stability, along with other core muscles

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may have a dysfunction of the pelvic floor:

1.      Do you ever leak urine when you cough, sneeze, pick up baby, exercise, etc.?

2.      Do you experience frequent urination (more than every 2-3 hours)?

3.      Do you have difficulty emptying your bladder (need to push to empty)?

4.      Do you have a ‘gotta-go, gotta-go’ bladder?

5.      Do you have constipation or painful bowel movements?

6.      Do you have fecal incontinence or difficulty controlling gas?

7.      Do you have pain with intercourse or orgasm?

8.      Do you have pain in the region of the pelvic floor, hip or lower back?

If you answer yes to any of these questions and would like to further discuss how physical therapy can help, please feel free to contact:

Dr. Shaden Ghattas ,P.T. at info@universuspt.com or 631-533-2888