My Experience with Pelvic Floor PT

I don't remember exactly where or when I first heard about pelvic floor physical therapy.  I think I randomly came across the topic while I was reading everything I could get my hands on about baby/birth/postpartum (and compiling my 30 page google doc full of information and links - yes I'm crazy).  I read that in other countries, seeing a PT after birth is standard practice, but obviously not in the US.  I also read about the many women who suffer with postpartum complications and never get help, accepting peeing during certain activities as a rite of passage, part of becoming a mom.  The topic can be embarrassing and shameful, so I felt compelled to share my experience to help other women.

After having an amazing birth with no drugs and very minimal tearing, feeling fairly normal only a few weeks after birth, and waiting over 3 months to get back to the gym, I thought my body would resume my regular activity without any lingering issues.  Instead I found myself peeing during certain workouts (just in case I didn't hate jumping rope enough already) and experiencing a lot of discomfort when trying to navigate postpartum intimacy.

I knew I didn't have to live with these symptoms, but I honestly avoided facing them for a while.  I dreaded the awkwardness of explaining them to someone and volunteering myself for more pelvic exams with a new provider.  But a friend gave me the encouragement I needed and a few months ago I finally called my OB for a prescription and made an appointment with a physical therapist that specializes in women's health.

The first appointment involved a full evaluation including a physical exam looking at my abs, flexibility, glute strength and more, as well as an internal exam and a long conversation.  Upon meeting my physical therapist I immediately felt at ease.  She is super easy going and always makes me feel very comfortable.  She also shared the history of how she came into this line of work and her passion for helping people.

And she knows her stuff!  I found out that my pelvic floor was very tight and was basically stuck contracted, so all the kegels in the world would have just made my issues worse!  I also had a small ab separation (diastasis recti), which is normal in pregnancy, but causes that nice mom pooch look and again it's something that I could have made worse if I just resumed my normal ab exercises.  In addition to a weak core and tight pelvic floor, the PT identified that I have weak glutes and I'm also tight in that area and my quads.  It's all related, which did not really occur to me beforehand.

My therapy is a mix of many things.  I have internal release and strengthening activities.  I also do ab exercises that literally started as just me squeezing my abs, lifting my head, and pushing my abs together at the separation.  I have recently progressed to more advanced exercises since my separation has healed, yay!  I also do a lot of stretching, stabilizing exercises, and glute work.

I see my PT every 2-3 weeks and I intend on going until she discharges me or insurance cuts me off.  I pay $75 per visit (with our high deductible plan) and I truly believe it's worth it. All of my issues are not fully resolved, but attending PT has definitely helped and it has also been very educational and given me lots of tools I can do at home myself.

I would recommend any postpartum mom (no matter how much time has passed) or anybody suffering with incontinence issues or pelvic pain to please seek help!  A few months of PT could change everything!

Please feel free to reach out and ask me anything.

Body After Baby & Whole30 Results

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

I started out 2017 at the top of my normal weight range in the high 150s.  I had enjoyed ALL the Christmas cookies and I was trying to get pregnant, so when my gym announced a nutrition challenge and there was some chatter in our Whole30 facebook support group, a January Whole30 was an obvious choice.  Things were going really well... until morning sickness took over and we ordered a pizza on Day 26!  Then, as you all know, I ate everything my pregnant little heart desired and gained approximately 60 lbs!

8 Weeks Pregnant (2/16/17): 158 lbs

39 Weeks Pregnant (9/19/17): 216 lbs

I lost about 30 lbs in the week after birth.  The human body is incredible!

39 Weeks Pregnant vs 10 Days Postpartum

I easily lost another 10 in the first month and wasn't feeling too bad about my body.  I mean don't get me wrong, there would be moments where I'd look in the mirror and question if I was ever going to like my stomach again, but then I'd literally say some affirmations out loud like "you created a human, you are strong, you are beautiful" and I'd feel better.  Overall I was happy enough with how things looked and I felt great physically.

1 Month Postpartum - RIP my beautiful long hair!

I think breastfeeding really did me a lot of favors.  For the first few months I was eating whatever I wanted and a lot of it and I was still losing a pound here and there.  I was doing some walking for exercise, but nothing super consistent.  I finally returned to the gym in January but only made it there once or twice per week at best.  It was some time in March that I finally decided I need to clean up my diet a little bit and I started trying to make some more Paleoish/low carb meals but we were still mixing in bread for BLTs, taco shells, etc. and not being strict at all.  The pounds were consistently coming off, slowly but surely.  I always had the 9 months on, 9 months off mentality and never wanted to risk jeopardizing my milk supply.

February // March // May // June

When summer came along, I plateaued.  I think it was a combination of my body trying to preserve the last 10 lbs to make sure my baby would always be fed, all the food centered fun that summer brings, and also knowing that my 1.5 year eating free-for-all was soon coming to an end.  I knew this Whole30 was coming and I had a lot of "last" indulgences that peaked during our 4th of July vacation down the shore.  I had been weighing in around 164-166 since May, but after pigging out and drinking all week, my Whole30 starting weight ended up at 170.

And then it was finally time!

Start Weight (7/9/18): 170.6 lbs

End Weight (8/8/18): 156.8 lbs

Weight Loss: 13.8 lbs

 

Other results:

• It's a lot easier to get my rings on and off
• I fit into some of my pre-pregnancy pants
• So much energy!  I never felt tired during the day at all!
• I somehow avoided the cold that Dave suffered with for over a week
• I went to the gym twice per week consistently and PRed my overhead press

I though this Whole30 would be so hard, I mean Whole30 is hard enough but doing it with a baby would have to make it my hardest one yet.  But it honestly wasn't.  I think a few key things really contributed:

• Keeping it simple: I stuck to easy meals that were quick to get on the table to avoid my usual mid Whole30 cooking burnout.
• Setting myself up for success: If I wanted to do something more elaborate or I had plans to go to the gym after work, I would prep some things for the next day after the baby went to bed.
• Having support: Dave was an awesome partner and always helped get dinner ready or keep the baby entertained while I was cooking.  He is also the master of dishes!
• Waiting for the right time:  Things are really smooth with the baby in general right now, she's sleeping through the night and we were already in the swing of getting dinner on the table before she goes to bed.  I'm really glad I waited until the right time and didn't push myself into it too early postpartum.

A side note on weaning:  I dropped my pumps week by week and then got down to just nursing first thing in the morning and right before bed, but Sunday morning was my last session.  My boobs are super full and I'm still hoping that once my body figures out that I'm done, my giant milk jugs will calm down and I'll lose another pound or two.

I had amazing Whole30 results, but I'd be lying if I said I was 100% satisfied with my body right now.  I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm right at the top of my range where my pants barely fit and I'd be thinking about doing a Whole30.  I am really proud of all the hard work I've put in and losing 60 lbs is no small feat!  And maybe I just need to accept that my body may never look the way it did before I grew a human inside of it.  But I'm going to keep pushing to eat the way I know I should and rebuild my strength so I can be the best momma I can possibly be!

Someone go back in time and tell me to look at the camera...

July Snapshot: Whole30, Dreaming of Folk Fest, and Other Ramblings

Today is Day 18 of my Whole30 and things are really just chugging along.  I thought this round would be so hard but it really hasn't been.  I think waiting until I was 9 months postpartum was a great choice because I was truly ready to make a change and the baby consistently sleeping through the night doesn't hurt either. Getting dinner on the table before the baby goes to bed is the biggest challenge, but I've been trying to pick dishes that come together quickly, Dave always helps, and sometimes I prep some things the night before after she goes to bed.

I feel like I never have time to post here and sometimes I think about just letting it go, but then I'll click through my old posts and I just can't.  So here we are with a quick snapshot of what's going on right now (inspired by this blogger).

FEELING:  Unbloated, energized, productive.  Tiger blood?  I'm not sure, but I know I feel good!  Emotionally I'm still feeling pretty mixed about weaning the baby, but tomorrow she will be 10 months old and I'm so proud we've made it this far!  And I'm done pumping at work!  HUZZAH!

EATING:  Let me say it again, Whole30 is not a diet where you eat boring unsatisfying foods!  We have been eating so many delicious things.  We do a lot of easy no-recipe meals like burgers, steak or chicken sausage with roasted or sauteed veggies, eggs, etc.  But we've also made some awesome recipes from the internet:

• Mango Chicken With Coconut Cauliflower Rice
• Juicy Cuban Mojo Pork Roast
• Melissa's Chicken Hash
• Homemade Mayo
• Sweet Potato Apple Breakfast Bake
• Crispy Buffalo Chicken Fingers
• German Potato Salad
• Bacon Chorizo Chipotle Smothered Meatloaf

CRAVING:  GIMME ALL THE CHOCOLATE!  Apparently my sugar dragon is not yet slayed.  Dave and I have both been craving sweets at night which we have been battling with fruit and La Croix.  But dang, I want a Hershey kiss!

PLANNING:  Post Whole30 I am headed to Annapolis for my long time BF Jes's bachelorette party, then I have a short work week and we're headed to the Philadelphia Folk Festival!  I am so jazzed up for both events and I'm basically wishing away the next two weeks to get to the good stuff.  But there's a lot of prep that needs to happen in the meantime though!

2013, babies!

LISTENING:  I'm studying for Folk Fest and trying to get to know the must-see bands, so I'm listening to my Fest playlist over and over.  I love listening to some new genres and artists I'd probably never make space for otherwise.  Some of my top picks right now are Valerie June, Porter & Sayles, Earle and Coffin, Making Movies, and Earth Radio if you're looking for something new to listen to.

WATCHING:  I have 2 episodes left of the second season of The Handmaid's Tale and whoa.  It's so incredibly messed up but also amazing.  The show always makes me reflect on my pregnancy and the gift of motherhood.  I'm also super pumped for the new season of Orange is the New Black that just came out today.

MOVING:  I've been consistently hitting CrossFit once per week, sometimes twice, and I'm still getting my ass handed to me.  CrossFit is punishing when you're not in shape and going once per week is not really helping my cardio capacity.  But I still love it and the feeling I got from easily deadlifting + low hang snatching 90 lbs on Wednesday keeps me coming back for more.

As you can tell, life is good and busy as per usual.  I'll be back in two weeks with my Whole30 results and some body after baby updates!

It's Time: My First Postpartum Whole30!

Over the past year and a half, my body has grown and nourished a human being.  How incredible!  During that time I had given myself a free pass to eat ALL the things... and boy did I!  Now that's coming to an end!

I've been thinking about dieting for a few months now but I didn't want to do anything that would risk my milk supply.  Breastfeeding has been a wonderful journey and did a pretty good job taking off most of the 60 lbs I gained during my pregnancy.  But now I am ready to wean Vienna, kiss my pump goodbye, and drop the last 10 lbs of the baby weight.  And Whole30 seems like the perfect tool!

My eating habits have been based on feeding two people for a while now, so the Whole30 will truly be a reset for me.  I need to get back to the basics, focus on food as fuel, and kick my intense sugar cravings to the curb.  I am starting tomorrow 7/10 and ending 8/8!  I hope to blog a little, but I'll probably share more on my Busy, Bold, Blessed facebook page.

It's going to be SO HARD!  This will probably be my hardest Whole30 yet!  I know I am going to feel like crap while my body goes through a sugar/bread/alcohol withdrawal in the next few days.  I also know I am going to be tempted by fun summer events and free food (there's literally a free lunch at work on my first day tomorrow). Oh and I have a baby now!

So I'm taking steps to set myself up for success.  I'm rereading It Starts With Food to put the science behind the program fresh in my mind.  I've rallied the troops and I've got a group of 10 people doing it along with me in my private facebook support group (please let me know if you're interested in joining)!  I am meal planning simple things and trying to think of how I can do as little work in the kitchen as possible.  I ordered some sauces and other Whole30 staples from Whole Foods using the new Amazon Prime delivery service.

I am so excited and a little nervous.  But I am ready for the amazing changes I know I am about to experience!

Thoughts on Working and New Motherhood

I just kicked off my 5th week at work and so far I've found balancing work and motherhood to be pretty difficult, but not in the ways I expected.  We are very happy with our childcare situation.  Vienna has been chugging down bottles and she lights up with the biggest smile when I drop her off, so leaving her with Miss Connie hasn't really been too hard for me.  Although Vienna has been going to bed between 10 and midnight (woof), I am still managing to get between 6 and 7.5 hours of sleep!  My supply has also been great and I'm pumping a ton of milk so that has been a relief.

But I thought I was returning to work to ease back in on a familiar project that's currently in a lull and instead I have been tasked to help out with a crazy demanding project in DC.  My company has allowed me to transition back into the workforce at 30 hours per week, but everyone else on this project is working overtime.  Between stepping away to pump and then coming in late and leaving fairly early, I just feel extremely awkward. To make matters worse, the part of the project I am supposed to be spearheading is significantly behind (aka everyone just ignored it) and it's a giant mess.

At first, the project was stressing me out to the point of trying not to cry at work, but now I am just trying to do what I can and not let it get to me.  My manager has been extremely supportive and it's not like my other coworkers have made comments or anything, it's just an internal pressure that makes me feel like I am not doing enough.  I need to remember that this is just a job.  It is not life or death.  I do not need to feel bad about taking the time to pump milk to nourish my baby.  I do not need to feel guilty that I am working less hours to adjust to my new role as a mother.

In other news, I've been doing pretty decent with my January goals.  Black coffee isn't so bad.  Daily stretching has been awesome.  I've avoided all shopping, except I finally broke down and purchased a ton of new bibs the other day since Vienna is a drool monster.  I've gone to the gym once a week for the past 3 weeks.  Some things felt pretty humbling.  I quickly quit on box jumps and opted for step ups so I didn't bite it my first time back at the gym.  I've lost a lot of strength in my squat, which makes sense since I backed off of heavy squats towards the end of the second trimester.  My dubs sucked and I left the gym with lots of whip marks from the jump rope, fun!  But other things felt great.  My snatch felt pretty strong and I was able to do 30 reps at 75# in a workout.  I worked up to 105# in a heavy clean and jerk complex.  My pull ups feel good and my number one goal of 2018 is to finally fix my dang kip and connect my pull ups properly.  And most importantly my pelvic floor felt good and I haven't peed myself during any running, jumping, or heavy lifting.  Huzzah.

I still can't believe that this time 1 year ago, I was 5 weeks pregnant and trying to hide my nausea and now I'm waiting for this 16 pounder to roll over!