Amanda: Pelvic Pain/ Dysfunction After Baby

This week’s story is a first-person account from Amanda, with my comments added afterwards.

Amanda’s Story
After having a baby a year and a half ago, I finally had a tiny bit of time to focus on my healing and sought out the assistance of a pelvic floor therapist. I was fortunate to have an amazing pregnancy and delivery of my dreams, but still didn’t feel “back to normal” down there.

After speaking to a few other mom’s in the area I learned we had a pelvic floor therapist locally that I could be referred to and our insurance would cover the visits. I was ecstatic to finally start getting some help and shifting a bit of focus back on myself. I had never been to pelvic floor PT and had no idea what it entailed. After a few visits, I left shaken up and everything felt “off”. That same day, I sent a message to Ariana advising that I had been going to PT and was thinking that I needed something else. I immediately felt relief when she shared this was something she not only can help with but that she would love to! I have been seeing Ariana for several years and she has grown to be someone I trust immensely. I am now kicking myself for not reaching out for her help sooner.

After two appointments with her, I had noticeable changes in the way my body felt. For the first time in almost two years, my hips felt like my home again. I left my appointments feeling totally relaxed and the anxiety I had previously felt entering/ leaving PT appointments was gone. Working with your pelvic floor can be incredibly vulnerable, and Ariana has always fostered an extremely trusting relationship and environment, I am so thankful I had the sense to reach out. I only wish I had done so sooner.

My hope in sharing my story is that others in our community know we do have options and as mothers we deserve to feel at home in our bodies. Ariana has been such a blessing to my entire family for many years and I am so thankful I have her help me through this season of life.

Ariana’s Perspective:

I love helping women through all kinds of issues, and although I am not a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, I have trained with them and can offer very similar help, all through gentle external work. I am a huge supporter of women accessing Pelvic PT when they need to, as all women deserve to have full pelvic function and to live free of pelvic pain.

Sometimes Pelvic PT can be very intense, however, and I have noticed that many of my clients here find it very invasive and it can even feel traumatizing. Sadly, I think this is a more common experience here in Spain, and the cultural and language differences make it harder. I am so happy when I can help a woman both recover from these difficult experiences AND get the help she was seeking, in a more gentle and non-invasive way.

When Amanda came in, I could tell that her nervous system was dysregulated and she was much more stressed in her whole body. She expressed to me that she had been going to many appointments without seeing a lot of changes, and was having difficulty getting full control of her pelvic muscles.

When I felt into her tissues, I could tell that everything was just very tight, constantly bracing. I explained that when these muscles are tight, it’s like someone asking us to pick something up when our hands are already full. We have to be able to release the loading/ holding before we can perform specific tasks. Some of the tension could have even been due to the way she felt during her PT sessions, which had created a lot of strain and anxiety for her. Feeling at ease and safe as I gently helped her pelvic floor muscles release was very important! Everything shifted quickly in this context, and by the next appointment she told me that she could now fully contract and relax these muscles in a way she hadn’t been able to in years.

I’m so glad Amanda reached out for help! I can absolutely help with these issues, and the sessions tend to be very efficient and less are required because of a gentler, more holistic approach.

Note: I have a video/ pep talk about receiving pelvic floor therapies that has some really important information that can help you have a better experience. You can find it here.