The 6 prenatal pelvic floor therapy visits every pregnant person needs
What is prenatal pelvic floor therapy?
Pelvic floor therapy can be a game changer for how you feel throughout pregnancy, your experience through labor and delivery, and how prepared you feel in the immediate postpartum period. In fact, in some European countries, pelvic floor therapy surrounding pregnancy and childbirth is deemed standard of care! Pregnancy is like a marathon on your body for 40 weeks and there are so many physical changes that occur! So I’ve created a roadmap, to lay out the 6 prenatal visits I feel every pregnant person should attend. It’s important to note that if someone is experiencing pain or any other pelvic floor symptoms (leakage, pelvic pressure, pelvic pain), they may benefit from more regular check-ins with their pelvic floor therapist.
For a more complete list of things we treat, surrounding pregnancy and postpartum, you can click here. Now let’s dive into each of your 6 prenatal visits…
Your Prenatal Pelvic Floor Therapy Roadmap
Early 2nd Trimester Visit
Around 12-16 weeks of pregnancy is a great time to establish a baseline for how your pelvic floor is functionating. Among other things, this is usually where we start building your foundation to keep you active and pain-free throughout pregnancy. A visit this early on can be very helpful is preventing issues that may arise, by understanding how your core and pelvic floor muscles are already functioning. For a typical, low-risk pregnancy, this is usually when we do our first pelvic floor evaluation. This differs greatly from a pelvic exam by your OB or Midwife, as this evaluates the muscles that are needed to support your organs and growing baby!
Later 2nd Trimester Visit
Between 20-25 weeks of pregnancy, we like to see our moms back in the office to tackle the postural changes that begin around this time and can lead to pain. By now, your abdomen is usually starting to become more prominent, your lower back may be more curved (and feeling tight), and your upper back/shoulders will soon start rounding forward. This is a great time to learn how to manage the pressure that is being put on your abdomen and pelvic floor muscles and focus on key strengthening exercises to help support the pelvis. We’ll start to teach you what to look out for when exercising, to ensure your muscles are coordinating well and you’re maximizing strength and function for the long haul.
3rd Trimester Visit
Anywhere from 28-30 weeks, we focus on muscle function and coordination training, with the intention of maintaining good mobility through the hips and spine. We will spend more time evaluating how well your pelvic floor muscles can relax and lengthen, ahead of birth prep. We also like to ensure your strength and ability to utilize your core is maintained. This time period will definitely require modification for exercises and we can look at your existing routine and make recommendations to keep you moving forward.
Birth Prep Visits
Now the real fun begins! Up until now, the focus has been on maintaining strength and mobility, to keep pain away and maintain function. Starting around 34 weeks, we recommend seeing your pelvic floor therapist every other week for birth prep. This equates to about 3 visits (34, 36, 38 weeks), but depending on how your pregnancy has evolved and how your muscle coordination stands, you may only need 1-2 visits. These visits are jam packed with birth prep essential skills including:
👍Movements and positions to optimize baby’s position in the pelvis
👍Strategies to shorten the second stage of labor
👍How to coordinate your pelvic floor muscles to push effectively
👍How to breathe through contractions
👍Ways to prepare your tissues, to minimize risk of severe tearing
👍Techniques your partner or birth support-person can provide around your pelvis, as comfort measures
👍Planning for early postpartum and what to know for the first few weeks post-delivery
What Next?
So there you have it…The 6 prenatal visits we encourage every pregnant person to have. Of course, there are always exceptions, especially when considering a high risk pregnancy. This is why your pelvic floor PT/OT will likely have some communication with your OB or Midwife along the way, to ensure that treatment is the best fit for you and baby. If you need help finding a pelvic floor therapist in Florida, we hope that you will consider us for either in-person or virtual appointments.
In the meantime, get more pelvic health content sent right to you, by completing the short form below👇
