If you are someone who has ever struggled with pelvic floor symptoms, than it’s likely that you’ve encountered the whole tight versus weak conversation. And while, yes, it is possible to just have a tight pelvic floor or just have a weak pelvic floor, it’s actually more common to have a combination of both, especially after postpartum healing has occurred. In this blog post, we are going to cover what a tight pelvic floor is and symptoms to be aware of, what a weak pelvic floor means and what symptoms may be associated with that, and finally, what it means when you have a combination of both, how to handle that and what exercises you can do while working on both issues at the same time.

A common scenario I’ve seen play out time and time again is women who are postpartum notice that their ribs seem to look and feel wider than they did pre-pregnancy. Maybe they notice a dress doesn’t fit quite as well as it used to, even though they’re the same weight as before, or they had to lengthen where their bra hooks in order for it to fit around their ribs, either way, it leaves them guessing if they are just imagining things, or did their ribs really expand after giving birth? First of all, no one is imagining anything, and what they may be experiencing is what we refer to as “rib flare”. In this blog post, we are going to dive into this topic, explain the why and the what behind it and give you some practical tips to take away from this in order to start working on adjusting that rib flare!

Pain with sex is one of the more common symptoms women may experience postpartum, but it can also be a symptom that happens even if you are NOT postpartum. Either way, this blog post will help if you are someone who has suddenly started having pain with intercourse or if it’s been going on for quite some time. In this blog, we will talk about why you may be experiencing pain with sex, as well as a few things to try to help alleviate your symptoms. And trust me, these tips have NOTHING to do with having a glass of wine or lubing up.

When it comes to breastfeeding, I think many of us have heard about milk coming in, engorged breasts, sore nipples, or even a baby who wants to be attached 24/7 at times! But something I think we often DON’T hear or know about is the back pain that can come with it…and it can be intense! This blog post is going to be quick and dirty by cutting right to the chase and giving you practical tips for combating and improving this back pain that often happens throughout your breastfeeding journey.

If you are someone who enjoyed running prior to having a baby, or are new to running now that you are postpartum, then you may be wondering how to know when it’s safe to start running postpartum without causing injury or having to deal with pelvic floor (or other) dysfunctions. This blog post is going to cover the reason why running can be so exacerbating to the pelvic floor, a few things to avoid when returning to running, and my fool-proof method for returning to running safely.

Whether your C-Section was planned or unplanned, sometimes knowing how to care for yourself and your scar afterwards can feel like a huge question mark. In this blog post, I am going to cover major priorities early post-C-Section recovery as well as what to work on in those first 6 weeks after having your baby. I also will go over what you can do for your scar if you are NOT in the early stages of recovery anymore and are noticing some issues with your scar recovery and healing. Even if you are months or years down the road, it’s NEVER too late to start doing some scar work.

If you’re wondering what you should be doing to help your body heal and recover in those early days postpartum, you’re in the right place! Maybe you’re currently pregnant and are already thinking ahead for how to prep and plan, or maybe you’re currently postpartum and are looking for a reputable resource to turn to for help, either way, I’m going to cover what you should be prioritizing when you are early postpartum and go over a few simple activities and movements to help you recover from labor and birth.

Prolapse. The word alone sounds scary, doesn’t it? But it doesn’t have to BE scary for you if you are someone who is currently experiencing symptoms or has been diagnosed with any sort of pelvic organ prolapse. You may be trying to find some answers, figure out what the next steps are or what to expect as you navigate through this. This blog post is here to educate you on what a pelvic organ prolapse is and the different types, what factors may cause a prolapse and the hot topic of whether surgery is necessary or not. Aside from that (and also more importantly), this blog post is meant to empower you and help to reduce the fear, panic and anxiety you may be experiencing if you are currently going through this! If you are simply looking for methods of prevention or wanting to learn how to keep a pelvic organ prolapse from worsening, make sure to read all the way to the bottom for my top 10 tips!

Abdominal binders and compression garments after having a baby can be a nice option, especially if you are needing extra support for pain control or just overall comfort. Many women, especially after having a C-section, are told to utilize an abdominal binder, but abdominal binders and/or compression garments can also be an option after a vaginal birth as well. In this blog post, I will discuss what an abdominal binder is, the different types of abdominal binders out there, what factors may indicate the need for using one, how to properly place and use one and the option for a compression bloomer as well! I also would like to briefly discuss the differences between a waist trainer and an abdominal binder, as this seems to be a common misunderstanding when comparing the two products. Let’s dive in!

If you have ever struggled with any sort of pelvic floor issue and all you were told is to, “Just do Kegels!”, then this blog post is for you! In the past, knowledge and awareness of pelvic floor treatment options were fairly limited - both in the general public and in the professional community. Even today, this is still an area that lacks in full awareness, which is why the standard treatment for pelvic floor conditions became the one and only thing people DID know about - the Kegel. Unfortunately, ‘just doing Kegels’ is NOT always the right thing to do and almost always should not be done initially or in isolation. In this blog post, we are going to uncover why pelvic floor strength is important, what a Kegel is and when they may be appropriate to perform, potential risks of doing too many Kegels, and some alternative options for strengthening the pelvic floor that may actually be BETTER than Kegels!

If you’re preparing to give birth any time in the near future, you’re going to want to save this blog post! As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I know some things about the postpartum time period, and let me tell you, all 5 of these postpartum products are one’s you are going to want to have with you. This blog post covers my TOP 5 favorite postpartum products (plus 2 BONUS C-section specific product recommendations), a few links, and a little information on what you’re going to need them for while in your postpartum initial recovery phase.

Diastasis Recti is the separation of the two sides of our rectus abdominis muscle (think 6-pack abs muscle) that often occurs with pregnancy - as baby grows, your body grows and stretches as well. The distance between the two sides (width) is known as the inter-rectus distance (IRD), and is how we measure if you have an actual DR or if you just have normal separation, as some separation is to be expected and a normal part of pregnancy.

Does the term “deep core” have you a little stumped on what exactly that even means? Or maybe you have some idea on what it is referring to, but are struggling to find the significance between the deep core and postpartum healing. This blog post is going to go in-depth about the anatomy of the deep core, where it’s located, what exactly it does and why we need to know about all of this for optimal postpartum healing! Read all the way to the bottom for my two-cents on kegels and why they aren’t the “fix all” of the pelvic floor.

You may NEVER think about your pelvic floor…until something goes wrong with it. This is where pelvic floor physical therapy comes into play. I would like to say that it would be ideal if everyone had pelvic floor physical therapy preventatively…but that might be asking for too much at this time. More typically, pelvic floor PT is utilized when the pelvic floor starts to act up and it no longer is doing its job as effectively as you might like. This blog post is going to dive into all things pelvic floor physical therapy and give you some insight into what it is and why you may need it!

Here I come…one big step up onto my soap box for this topic, you ready?? A C-Section is a major abdominal surgery and should be rehabbed!

I cannot emphasize this enough, and I won’t stop talking about it because those C-section mamas DESERVE it. They deserve treatment. They deserve care. They deserve education, and awareness, and ALL THE THINGS that a standard surgery (not resulting in a baby) automatically includes. So we are going to take some time and give some acknowledgement to our C-Section mama’s and use this blog post to discuss the things we can do to help with optimal healing.

This blog post is going to give you all the tips for optimizing your 6-week check up as well as give you ideas for questions to ask your provider! Make sure to scroll to the bottom for a free printable guide to navigating this very important part of your early postpartum.

Is it possible that breastfeeding your baby can actually impact your pelvic floor?? And the answer is…complicated!

Learning how to relax your pelvic floor can really be the key to unlocking many pelvic floor symptoms! Check out this blog to learn what the common symptoms are for a tight pelvic floor, what things can contribute to a tight pelvic floor, tips to start working on improving pelvic tension as well as exercises to try to relax your pelvic floor.

What even is the mommy pooch?? I honestly dislike this term because it insinuates that there is a “problem” with how you look. The first thing I want momma’s to know is that your body is AMAZING. And the fact that it just grew a human is an absolute miracle. Your body has stretched and changed and made room for the little one to grow healthy and strong preparing for this world. So your “mommy pooch” is nothing to be ashamed of.