How to prevent tearing in childbirth
HOw to prevent MAJOR TEaring by a PElvic floor PT.
If you are a first time mom counting down the weeks until you meet your sweet baby, you are probably worried about how to avoid tearing in birth, scared of labor pain, and overwhelmed if you will ever be able to have a great sex life again.
If you can relate, you aren’t alone! As a pelvic floor physical therapist who specializes in pregnancy care, this is one of the top issues I help pregnant moms with.
how to avoid tearing in birth
I believe preparing for childbirth and understanding what you can do to be proactive is an important topic because too many women struggling with painful sex or embarrassed by leaks have cried in my office coming to me after a traumatic birth wishing they knew there was something they could have done to better prepare for the injury they sustained.
If you have heard stories like that before from your mom or your bestie, I want to know you aren’t alone and you are in the right place!
This blog will go through what you need to know about preventing major injury to your pelvic floor.
How common are birth injuries?
It’s important to know that in birth injuries happen just like in sport- sometimes it’s a minor tear, for some women it is more severe - bones can break and in 14-36% of women, the muscle rips off the bone.
It’s also not your fault if something major happens as many things are out of your control in birth and understanding how to reduce your individual risk beforehand is key.
Exercises to prevent tearing during birth
This is why during the Empowered Pregnant Athlete Program in month 2, I walk clients through a process of-
Learning how to understand labor pain and lower the fear of what is about to happen
Discover how to read the cues that their body is giving them as this is going to be key to coping and feeling safe in your body during birth.
We spend 3 dedicated sessions to help them understand how to identify pelvic floor tension, to reduce discomfort, and to practice pushing in ways that their OB has not informed them, so that they can easily relax when it hurts the most.
The best part about all of this is — you don’t have to wait until a head is emerging from your vagina to figure this out!
How do I prevent tearing in birth?
Your OB is doing their best, but traditional medicine is not properly equipping you for preparing for the birthing process and recovery. The truth is there are things you can do to prepare yourself to reduce risk of severe birth injury, feel empowered as an active participant in the process, and feel prepared for your postpartum recovery.
My clients enter birth feeling confident about practicing effective pushing and understanding how to lengthen your pelvic floor so that they trust they have done their best to help prevent a major injury so that they have an easeful recovery.
Part of my mission is to equip women with the knowledge and the skills of how to not just survive birth, but how to be in the best possible position to have a healthy birth, and easeful recovery so that you can feel like yourself again as you get back to the sports you love!
The clients in the Empowered Pregnant Athlete program have the opportunity to do their 1 on 1 sessions with me in person at the Durham office as well as remotely on telehealth.
Yes, that’s right! I can help moms remotely around the world
At Radiance PT, I have created programs for pregnant athletes who want to proactive and get started in their first trimester, or maybe you are finding this blog and trying for a VBAC , I’d love to support you!
When to start pelvic floor PT in pregnancy?
What most women don’t realize is how crucial it is to be proactive during pregnancy so you know exactly how to—
keep your abs strong & keep up with your fitness
how to prevent having a painful, traumatic birth
understanding how to get back to exercise after birth!
This is exactly why I created the Empowered Pregnant Athlete Program, as I have seen that so many women are ill-equipped when it comes to knowing how to manage the changes in their body during pregnancy, prepare for giving birth, & getting back to fitness without fear or injury!
This is why in my programs, I help moms who want to be proactive create a custom plan so that you’re feeling—
well-equipped so that you have autonomy over your body through the pregnancy changes
give you hands-on practice sessions so that you can how to read the cues of your body for labor
confident on how to return to fitness & workout hard again after c-section or vaginal birth!
Are you ready to confidently start preparing for a smooth as possible birth and be prepared for your postpartum? Reach out today to get started in the Empowered Pregnant Athlete Program today!