April is Cesarean Awareness month, and since roughly one third of American Babies are born this way I thought this episode was incredibly important to re-release!
Cesarean sections rank among the top surgical procedures given in the US. Since it’s such a common procedure, it can be easy to forget that it’s major abdominal surgery. New parents are sent home with the daunting task of caring for a newborn and healing from surgery often with little support.
In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with Sara Reardon and Jessica Reale, two doctors of Physical Therapy and board certified Specialists in Women’s Health. Sara and Jessica offer tips and advice for healing after a cesarean including how and why to do scar mobilization. They also explain how the pelvic floor is affected postpartum even if you had a cesarean.
In this episode you will learn:
- What brought Jessica and Sara to specialize in pelvic health and how they came to work together.
- Considerations to keep in mind when recovering from a cesarean birth.
- Given a cesarean is major abdominal surgery, how much movement is suggested in the first few days and weeks.
- Aches and pains that fall within the realm of “normal” and that can be expected.
- Warning signs that fall outside of normal and require consulting a care provider.
- The benefits of scar mobilization and a brief explanation of how to do it.
- How a cesarean affects the pelvic floor.
- How a cesarean affects the healing of the abs and special considerations someone needs after a surgical birth.
- Given the weakness of the core post surgery, ways a new parent can move functionally for daily tasks like picking up baby or bodyfeeding.
- Belly bands: when to use them, when to move past them.
- Jessica’s personal experience with healing from a cesarean birth.
- A tip/piece of advice both Sara and Jessica have for new and expectant parents.
- Where to find Sara and Jessica’s work.
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About Sara & Jessica:
Sara Reardon is on a mission to revolutionize the way we approach women’s health with a radical honesty and willingness to openly discuss often-taboo topics. She is a doctor of physical therapy graduating from Washington University in St Louis and board-certified women’s health physical therapist. Sara specializes in the treatment of pelvic floor disorders, including changes that affect sexual health and wellness and is the founder of The Vagina Whisperer, an online resource for pelvic health education for women worldwide. She was awarded the 2019 Alumni Achievement Award recipient from Washington University in St Louis and was recently named one of New Orleans’ Top 40 under 40 young professionals. She is a mom to two boys, wife, New Orleans Saints fan and wanna-be yogi.
Dr. Jessica Reale is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and a Board-Certified Specialist in Women’s Health (WCS), and has been working with people with pelvic health difficulties for over 10 years. She is the founder of Southern Pelvic Health in Atlanta, Georgia, a specialty clinic focused on helping all people optimize their pelvic health. Dr. Reale received her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Kinesiology from Gordon College in Wenham, MA and her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Duke University in Durham, NC. She is passionate about professional education and has taught continuing education courses to thousands of physical therapists and other health care professionals nationwide. She loves pelvic health and empowering people to overcome their pelvic floor difficulties. This led her to partner with Dr. Sara Reardon to create Pelvic Floor University, building a library of accessible online classes on all pelvic health, prenatal and postpartum topics. When not treating patients, Dr. Reale enjoys an active life with her husband Andrew, and her daughters, Emma (5) and Mary (2).
Connect with Sara & Jessica:
Website: www.thevagwhisperer.com & www.southernpelvichealth.com
IG Handle: @the.vagina.whisperer & @southernpelvichealth
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