pregnancy advice

Are you listening to the Active Mom Postpartum Podcast?

I get so many questions from other professionals about working with different types of clients.

And questions from moms asking who they can follow to get more information about a certain topic. 

Well, do I have a podcast for you! 

If you haven’t already checked out the Active Mom Postpartum podcast, there’s no time like the present! We are almost at our one year anniversary and we already have almost 10,000 downloads!

We talk to moms, physiotherapists, gynecologists, running coaches, researchers, hormone experts, breastfeeding consultants…everyone!

I created this podcast so we can keep learning from each other. I keep it conversational because I also like to be entertained while I learn (multitasking, eh?)

It;s available on Apple, Spotify, and other major podcast directories. We drop a new episode every Friday so make sure you subscribe! We are closing out season one by re-releasing our top 5 episodes of the season!

If you have already been listening to the podcast, PLEASE leave us a rating and review! It takes a few minutes out of your day and helps us show up in the algorithm so other moms and providers can find us!

Did you know the podcast is also on Youtube? So, if you prefer to catch your podcast along with the video, we have you covered!

What information do you need? Is it time to go beyond basic information?

So many soon-to-be moms learning, postpartum moms looking for information and solutions & then there’s those we need to empower to demand more cause the basics weren’t enough.

Which one are you?

Are you getting what you want?

I’ve been doing education on Instagram for over 5 years now. Five years is FOREVER in the social media landscape!

But I feel like the climate is shifting…

There are three types of women searching for information:

1 women who preemptively educate themselves. They’re  thinking about getting pregnant, and want to be knowledgeable going into the process.

2 women looking for information because they’re having issues. They’re looking for  basic solutions because they’re just getting started.. 

3  women that have done “the right thing”. They’ve worked with a pelvic PT, with a coach or trainer. But they’re still having problems. Maybe they get a little better but they are still having problems. 

And then they ask…

Is that it? Is there more? 

What they may not realize is that there could be another level of options. It may be they have to see a more experienced provider who has more nuanced solutions. 

Just because you’ve completed one program doesn’t mean there isn’t more room for you to improve your symptoms. 

We need to empower women to ask for more and how to find those next level resources. 

You didn’t fail Physical therapy. You’re just not done yet!

Let me know what you think. If you’re a mom, let me know which category you’re in and what type of information you’re searching for. 

If you’re a provider, let me know where your wheelhouse is. There’s nothing wrong with saying your forté is with basic information.

We’re coming into the holiday season where those awkward talks around the family dinner table are inevitable.

You know the ones I mean…

Politics

Religion

Money

What if I told you there is a way to shift the topic of conversation to something MUCH MORE uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing? 

(I didn’t really sell that one, did I?)

I’m willing to bet that my proposed topic has not been the hot conversation at your family gatherings, but let me tell you why pelvic floor history should be. 

Talk to your mom and grandmother if they have prolapse and leakage. Ask them if they ever had surgery. 

Their history can help you understand the symptoms you’re experiencing!

There will come a time when you won’t be able to ask them, and you never know when that’s going to happen. 

This is my PSA every year!

Hold the pregnancy advice.

You’re newly pregnant…

You’ve done all the research…

You think you know all there is to know…

(Yes, this was me 11 years ago. Don’t forget I laminated my birthplace.)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, you don’t know what you think you know.

As someone who has “been there, done that”, as a mom and a professional, here’s what I can say with confidence. 

1- There’s no right answer. Just because you aren’t experiencing a symptom now doesn’t mean you won’t later. You have to take things how and when they come. It will even be different from one pregnancy to the next. 

2- STOP WITH THE KEGELS. There are so many more things that are more important than kegels. What about your hip openers and pelvic floor relaxation? Your tight hip muscles could be the thing causing your hip pain, not your pelvic floor.

Your uterus contracts during labor, not your pelvic floor. 

3- It’s okay to lay on your back. If your baby is positioned in a way that it’s compressing your aorta or vena cava, laying on your back won’t be comfortable and you won’t want to do it. And that goes for any activity. If you were doing an activity before, it’s probably okay to do it during pregnancy. You will naturally modify something that isn’t comfortable. 

I caution you as a provider or influencer, just because you’re experiencing pregnancy doesn’t mean your advice is the end all be all. We don’t know the outcome yet. You don’t have to process it while you’re going through it. Save the pregnancy advice for the wisdom of hindsight. 

What are you seeing for pregnancy advice on social media? Have you seen anything useful or is it all terrible?