Exercise and movement have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started dancing at age 3 and continued into my adult life. I began prioritizing fitness towards the end of high school. I eventually became a group fitness instructor and really found my enjoyment of physical activity and movement.
I built my strength up and eventually, I was the strongest I had ever been! And enjoyed finding new ways to challenge my strength. At the peak of my fitness journey, I became pregnant! Being that I worked at an all female fitness studio, I had seen pregnant women come through those doors all the way through their pregnancy until the very last day, and I fully expected myself to be one of those women. I was ready to take on the pregnancy while maintaining my activity and strength levels. This expectation would be a piece of cake…or so I thought!
Exercising during pregnancy challenged me in a way I had not experienced before. In my first trimester, I noticed my core weaken pretty quickly, I felt pain and discomfort in my lower abdomen and pelvic floor region, and I found myself having to modify quite a bit before I even made it to 14 weeks! It was frustrating, yes, but I thought certainly this is the norm! My body is getting ready to change in a way it has not before and with that I should feel pain and discomfort! Mamas can you relate?!
I carried on and remained active during pregnancy, or as active as my body allowed. As pregnancy progressed, so did the pelvic floor pain. My midwife was quick to prescribe Pelvic Floor PT (what a blessing) but I ignored that idea and continued on with the mindset that the pain is normal and will resolve itself after pregnancy! There were some days where I could hardly get out of bed the pain was so bad! I still engaged in low impact exercise, stopped working on core exercises (would not recommend) and walked as much as I could. I struggled when comparing myself to other pregnant women who were able to continue lifting weights, doing cardio, etc, while my body continued to painfully tell me to stop, By the end of third trimester, walking was my main form of exercise. Although walking is GREAT exercises, I continued to feel defeated that I could not continue engaging in the exercises I enjoyed so much prior to pregnancy.
Fast forward to postpartum. What a curveball! On top of managing my new role as a mom and juggling school, other relationships, and day to day chores, I was re-learning my new postpartum body. I could not WAIT for the 6 week clearance from my midwife to get back to the fitness studio and start moving again. I had this unrealistic expectation that it was not going to take long at all to get back to where I was physically since I maintained physical activity throughout. How hard could it be?!
6 weeks came, I got that beloved 6 week clearance, and straight to the gym I went! I took my first strength class, going in with high expectations of picking up right where I left off. Boy was i wrong..I made a few modifications but otherwise I jumped right back in. I thought that must be the way to build my strength back up to my pre-pregnancy self.
Hear me out, as an Occupational Therapy student with an interest in women's health, I knew very well I should have headed straight to pelvic floor therapy! But one part of me thought “well I’m not peeing myself, I just need to work my core” and another part of me thought “How could I possibly manage school, keeping this baby alive, and going to pelvic floor therapy every week?!” I could not fathom adding any additional obligation to my life!
For a short time, I was “fine”. But as time went on, I found myself having more and more difficulty connecting to my core during movement. Around 10 months postpartum , I found myself unable to do cardio due to heaviness, leaking, and a constant urge to urinate even after already using the bathroom. And even later on, around 12 months postpartum I was experiencing pretty severe urinary incontinence (aka peeing my pants). I was unable to hold in my pee, or felt a strong urge even shortly after going. Any type of cardio exercise only enhanced that feeling. I FINALLY reached my breaking point, and at 14 months I got myself a Pelvic Floor Therapist!! It only took a few sessions with my PT to make me feel stronger and within a month and a half, I was no longer experiencing this debilitating incontinence! I’m still building my strength up, and working on rehabbing my core and pelvic floor at 17 months postpartum! SO remember it is a process!
You’re probably wondering, “What is your point? WHY does this matter to me?”. And my answer is simple. Don’t be like me! Those of you out there who are thinking of starting a family, or are currently pregnant, or have had a baby EVER, do yourself a favor and seek out services to help you return to physical activity safely. Here are three things you can do during and after pregnancy, and three things I would do differently in my pregnancy and postpartum journey:
See a Pelvic Floor therapist! Don’t wait for things to get worse–be proactive! Your therapist could be an OT or a PT.
Trust your intuition– if you feel discomfort or pain, this does not need to be the norm!
Have a plan for postpartum and safe return to exercise.
If you are looking to learn more and grain a supportive mama community, come join us for our Core to Function group! Click here for more information on our mom & baby groups, and to register to save your spot!
-Danielle
Disclaimer: Content provided by mighty mOThers, LLC is informational in intent, and is not meant to replace or contradict guidance provided by your personal doctor, therapist, or other healthcare practitioner. Please contact your healthcare provider or schedule a 1:1 evaluation with an OT with specific concerns, and call 911 if you are having a physical or mental health emergency.
Comments