Hi friends! It’s been a month since I’ve given birth to Everett and I’ve been meaning to write this post for the longest time. I FINALLY understand when mom friends warned me that I will have ZERO time to myself the first few weeks! I’m starting to get into the mom groove and greeting you all with today’s post.
There were a few treatments that I relied heavily on during pregnancy to ease the pains and aches and also to prepare for birth (though I ended up undergoing an unplanned c-section, but that story is for another day!). I’ve previously shared my experience of Prenatal Yoga at Toronto Yoga Mamas in this post but I also visited this community based studio for a number of wellness treatments while I was pregnant – Chiropractic Treatment, Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy, and Prenatal Massage.
Prenatal Chiropractic Care
As early as nine weeks, I was already experiencing tailbone pain. I’d say the peak of this hit when I was on my babymoon, at about 20-23 weeks. My growing uterus was putting a lot of pressure on my spine which led to all the pain. It’s quite common for pregnant women to experience this and the only treatment that seemed to alleviate this pain for me was regular chiropractic treatments. In addition to helping me manage this back pain, chiropractic care was also able to help me create overall alignment for the growth of the baby to help position him properly for delivery and ease body imbalances caused by the pregnancy. Though, this was not my personal experience, but prenatal chiropractic care can also assist with a shorter labour and an easier brith by making proper adjustments for your spine and pelvis.
Toronto Yoga Mamas offers both prenatal and labour preparation chiropractic care and their team is experienced and specialize in treating pregnant mamas.
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Prior to becoming pregnant, I had NO idea what the pelvic floor was. All I knew from other moms was that I should start doing my Kegel exercises pronto. Pregnancy and especially vaginal birth can cause the pelvic floor muscles to tear. Learning about how to properly prepare these muscle before birth can really bring advantages to the labour experience and postpartum recovery.
Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a specialized form of physiotherapy that focuses on the muscles of the pelvic floor. During my first consultant at Toronto Yoga Mamas, I was given an initial assessment of the muscles with an internal vaginal and rectal examination. This is to see how ‘strong’ my muscles were and whether I was also able to contract and relax these muscles on my own, which is key when it comes to labour pushing. I was also sent home with a number of exercises to strengthen these muscles and tips on stretches to reduce possible pelvic floor injury during labour. Subsequent visits consisted additional pelvic floor muscle stretches and more exercise to take home. After visiting registered physiotherapist Lamiya Zaidi at Toronto Yoga Mamas, I was sent home with a wealth of knowledge and yes, how to properly perform Kegel exercise as well!
Though I didn’t end up with a vaginal birth, these visits were still extremely beneficial as it helped with easing some pelvic floor pain during pregnancy and believe it or not, helped me mentally to cope with labour pain anxiety!
Prenatal Massage Therapy
I’ve always enjoyed a good massage treatment prior to my pregnancy but massages while I was pregnant was a MUST. It is very important while pregnant to have massages performed by a registered massage therapist that specialize in working with pregnant women. During my last trimester, when my hands, legs, and feet were starting to swell, prenatal massages really helped with easing the discomfort. I found it also helped with overall blood circulation and well, also SUPER relaxing! During my last month, I was visiting Lisa Wideman at Toronto Yoga Mamas weekly! She is hands down the best massage therapist I have ever had and guys, I’ve had a lot of massages in my lifetime! I so look forward to seeing Lisa again soon for a postnatal visit – where I can finally get 60 minutes of uninterrupted calm and relaxation time!
If you’re currently going through your pregnancy journey, first off, CONGRATS! Secondly, I hope you’ll find the time to reduce those aches and pains with one of these treatments, and if you’re relatively painless (lucky you!), find the time to TREAT YOURSELF with a prenatal massage and prepare for childbirth with a pelvic floor assessment at Toronto Yoga Mamas! I think you’ll find these really helpful!
