Preparing for a c-section: why seeing a pelvic floor therapist should be on your to-do list
Prenatal pelvic floor therapy has been getting more attention lately, and I’ve been having more and more expecting mom’s reach out to me to schedule. I absolutely love it! One thing I have noticed is that most of the time I get patients who are expecting their first baby and planning a vaginal delivery, are expecting a second, third, + baby and had previous vaginal deliveries, or are trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I don’t have many mom’s who are planning a scheduled c-section reach out to me for prenatal pelvic floor therapy.
And I get it. If you are having a scheduled c-section, you likely won’t go into labor on your own and won’t be managing labor pain, or needing to learn how to push. But you will be having a major abdominal surgery.
It’s also a common misconception that your pelvic floor “isn’t affected” with a c-section, but the truth is your core and pelvic floor still go through major stress and changes during pregnancy regardless of how you deliver, and c-section scars can also have a major affect on core and pelvic floor function postpartum.
So what do we do in prenatal sessions for moms planning a c-section delivery?
1) Learn about your core and pelvic floor strength, and work on exercise to optimize core and pelvic floor function. Your core and pelvic floor go through major changes during pregnancy. It’s important that you stay strong and well connected to these muscles to reduce pregnancy related pain and prepare for postpartum recovery.
2) Help expecting moms stay active throughout pregnancy. There is a lot of information out there about exercise during pregnancy, and I treat many mama’s who are concerned about what is safe. We work together to help you feel confident staying active throughout your pregnancy.
3) Address any pregnancy related pain. Although things like low back pain and pubic symphysis pain are common during pregnancy, there is a lot we can do in pelvic floor therapy to help reduce pain and make your pregnancy more comfortable.
4) Prepare for postpartum recovery. As I mentioned above, c-sections are a major abdominal surgery! We educate our patients on what to expect, how to support their recovery in the early postpartum period, and when to begin their postpartum rehab journey.
If you’re an expecting mom and planning a scheduled c-section, we would love to help! We are currently accepting new patients at our offices in Collierville, TN and East Memphis, TN. We also offer prenatal prep appointments virtually, and have a self paced online prenatal prep course.
You can schedule an in-person or virtual appointment here. Check out Birth Ready, our prenatal prep course, here.
Blog post written by Dr. Alexis Hutchison, PT, DPT, OCS
If you are planning or have recently had a c-section, check out our free c-section recovery tips PDF!