Hannah Kirkman at Back In Action is an amazing pelvic floor therapist located in Apex. Not only does she have a keen understand of the pelvic floor and how to properly treat any ailment, she is a mother and understands the reality of being a parent! She is going to help you make a plan that works for you, and a plan that you will actually do! And best part: her practice accepts most major insurance carries!
Provider Spotlight: Functional Phyzio and Performance Therapy
My absolutely favorite part of working in the field of maternal health is connecting to other like minded professionals. I think it makes Carolina Birth and Wellness a better doula agency, it makes me a better a doula, and hopefully it helps our clients! Different professionals who have similar goals of advancing care during the pre-conception, birth, and the postpartum period further build up the options for clients.
When I connected with Dr. Norah Whitten of Functional Phyzio and Performance Therapy, I knew she was someone that our clients needed to meet!
Her interest in athletes as well as pregnant and postpartum folks, I knew she would offer an important perspective when it comes to care for our clients! With her background as an athlete and mom, she is able to bring her PT knowledge to her clients to allow them to lead active and healthy lifestyles, without pain.
PLUS as an added bonus, we are teaming up with Dr. Norah to host Emotional and Physical Prep for Birth and Postpartum on August 21st at 11am! We will be discussing various ways to prepare both your mind and body!
SO, let’s get into the fun of meeting Dr. Norah Whitten!
What made you first interested in women's health, specifically physical therapy?
I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in the health and fitness field. I loved learning about the body and how all the parts work together. I also knew I didn’t want a desk job so physical therapy seemed like the perfect fit. I more specifically became interested in women’s health after I had already been practicing because I started to see a gap in care between the orthopedic and pelvic floor PT worlds. The pelvic floor does not function separately from the rest of the body so it shouldn’t be treated that way. I also really felt like there was a gap in pregnancy and postpartum care, especially in regards to continuing with higher level exercise like running and crossfit workouts during pregnancy and then how to return to these types of exercise during the postpartum period.
What is something that you wish everyone knew as they enter into the pregnancy and postpartum stage of life as related to physical therapy?
It’s not all about kegals! The pelvic floor muscles are just like any other muscle in that they need to not only contract but relax as well! The pelvic floor muscles need to lengthen and “get out of the way” for birth so working on stretching is super important. In the postpartum period it’s also not always necessary to be doing lots and lots of kegals to retrain the pelvic floor. While initially they may need to be done, the pelvic floor works with the body during breathing and functional movements like squats, deadlifts, carries ect. So training the whole body and incorporating breathing into our movements is also going to be important for pelvic floor function.
What are some ways that you can help prepare someone prenatally for giving birth?
There are a few things we can work on! Pelvic floor stretches are a great way to get the muscles to lengthen and open the pelvis. These include things like sitting in a deep squat, happy baby pose or child’s pose. I also like incorporate deep diaphragmatic breaths to really encourage the pelvic floor muscles to relax. We can also review labor and pushing positions to encourage a more open pelvis and potentially decrease brith related injuries. Many women don’t know that they don’t have to lie on their back with their knees up (although they certainly can if they want!) we also can perform or teach patients to perform a perineal massage which helps to stretch and prepare the tissues for birth. While we can’t prevent everything, some studies have shown starting to perform perineal massage at 36 weeks 3-4x per week can decrease the risk of perineal tears.
Ideally, when would you like to see a client in the postpartum period?
If the client is not having any issues such as leaking or incontinence, prolapse, pain ect. then I usually like to seem them around 4-6 weeks. Many women think they are in the clear after 6 weeks and that is not the case! There are definitely things that they can and should start working on prior to 6 weeks like breathing and posture exercises so seeing a PT early on can help provide the needed guidance to make sure each mamma is doing what’s right for her body! It’s also not advised to just jump right back into life and exercise full force at 6 weeks so it’s important to progress slowly and build up strength in the correct way. If someone is having any of the issues mentioned above, they can come in sooner around 2-3 weeks to start addressing these.
When you are not with clients, where can we find you?
Usually working out with my husband and my son who tags along with us to the gym (although he’s 1 so he doesn’t have much of a choice at this point!) Outside of the gym I love finding a good tv show to get hooked on as well as taking long walks around the neighborhood!
Provider Spotlight: Abundant Life Chiropractic
With being a doula now for a few years, many of our early clients are coming back because they are pregnant with their second babies. And those clients hold a very special place in my heart for sure! And I hope we do for them as well. Sometimes, those extra special clients, will even connect us to providers that that love, and well that is just great!
Healthy Ways To Combat Postpartum Depression
Perinatal mood disorders are common as they impact 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men, but it’s understandable that you want to take care of yourself and your mental health. Learn various alternative and complimentary health services to help with maternal mental health.
Why It’s Important to Have Enough Comfort in Your Everyday Life
These days, there’s a lot of pressure to be as productive and successful as possible – and to ensure that you are going after major goals, pursuing your dreams, and “seizing the day” in as many different ways as possible.
One consequence of this “hustle culture” ethos of always maximizing productivity is that it can be pretty easy to end up burning out, and to come to view everyday comforts and luxuries as somehow gratuitous, irresponsible, and overly self-indulgent.
Don’t Let Your Disability Interfere with Raising a Child
Everyone needs a challenge. Without one, you would never learn, grow stronger, or feel the satisfaction of a job well done. Now you’re headed for the biggest one of your life: being a parent. However, your condition shouldn’t interfere in raising your child as best as you can. Why should it?
Provider Spotlight: Impower Physical Therapy & Wellness
Two of my biggest goals for 2021 have been providing more postpartum support for our clients and more community support for our doulas. And, well, when I met Radhika Bhatt Trivedi, PT, DPT of Impower Physical Therapy & Wellness, she helped me reach both of those goals!
7 Easy Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health
A lot of people avoid are talking about mental health. The reasons could vary; some think of it as a stigma while others don’t believe in it. Regardless of what they think or say, mental health is as important as your physical wellbeing.
Imagine feeling low and sad all the time; how does that feel? What if you hear someone talking when really there’s nobody around? It sounds scary, eh? Think about having flashbacks of a traumatic event over and over? That’s the summary of your mental health.
Pregnancy & Addiction: What You Should Know (Guest Blog)
Though alcohol and drugs are sometimes deemed socially acceptable in certain environments, addiction and abuse can have detrimental effects on the human body, especially during pregnancy. Even if illegal drug addiction is not the issue at hand, over-the counter and prescribed medications, tobacco or a mixed cocktail at dinner could adversely affect the development of the fetus.
Why Sleep is Crucial For You and Your Baby
You expect sleepless nights when a little one joins the family, and the age-old image of sleep-deprived parents isn't one that's going to vanish any time soon. We know it isn't easy. In fact, it’s reported that new parents face up to six years of sleep deprivation.
Provider Spotlight: Women and Family Nutrition
I always thought I ate well: I enjoy cooking, I try to eat less meat, more vegetables, organic when I can, low sugar (mostly), but as I have learned about my fertility, I figured why not talk to a professional. Enter Pam Schoenfeld of Women and Family Nutrition!
5 Tips for Eating Healthy During Pregnancy (Guest Post)
Congratulations to you and your little bean! While you wait to hold your little one in your arms, we know you’ll be working hard to keep them comfortably warm and nourished.
That said, if you’re already parenting another child—or a few!—making time to eat well can be a task all on its own, more so if the sibling-to-be is an energetic toddler who is also a picky eater. Meanwhile, morning sickness (or indeed, any-time-of-day queasiness) might also be messing with your appetite, or simply, your ability to keep down your favorites.
Guest Blog: Mindfulness Exercises For The "New Normal"
The holidays are upon us and so (at times) is stress, anxiety, and a bit of chaos. To limit unwarranted emotions from impacting your pregnancy, we encourage you to incorporate mindfulness exercises into your daily routine. Mindfulness activities can positively prepare you for the stressors of life and labor.
The Power of Magnesium
First things first, why as a society do we tend to be magnesium deficient? Most Western diets contain processed foods, high refined cards, and changes in our farming practices and soil quality means that foods have lower amounts of Magnesium, and our bodies are being negatively impacted by that change.
Physical and Emotional Benefits of Regular Sleep
The emotional and physical benefits that your body and mind experience from have good quality and quantity of sleep can have lasting impacts on your health, including your fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum health.
Provider Spotlight: Vitality Physical Therapy
I recently chatted with Lori O’Neill of Vitality Physical Therapy in Chapel Hill, and in between show and tell of all our various teaching materials involving pelvises, my son jumping on the call to say Hi, and a few technical hiccups, we had a great conversation!
What Does Chiropractic Treatment for Back Pain Involve (Guest Post)
If you’ve ever been to a chiropractor you probably don’t know what a visit would be like. You may not even know exactly what a chiropractor does or the tactics they use. The fact is that, whether your back pain is nonspecific, the result of pregnancy, some sort of strain, or an injury, a doctor of chiropractic can probably help you. This article will explain it all as we focus on the question: what does chiropractic treatment for back pain involve?
Provider Spotlight: Triangle Area Parenting Support (TAPS)
The Triangle is a special place for soon to be parents and families. Not only do we have some amazing prenatal support in place, but the postpartum support we have for new and seasoned parents alike is unmatched. One of those great postpartum support networks is an amazing the amazing Triangle Area Parenting Support (TAPS).
Oxytocin: Benefits Beyond Just Contractions
Oxytocin is a powerful hormone produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland. It is commonly associated with childbirth and postpartum bonding, but there is much more to it! This powerful hormone has many other amazing benefits and should be recognized for not only during the birth and postpartum period, but also all stages of life for both women and men.
What Exactly Is A Normal Period?
When talking to my clients, I always like to stress the difference between common and normal, as those two terms can mean very different things when talking about women’s health, especially menstrual health.
