Seeing a pelvic floor physio (and a message to the ‘fitness professionals’)
This is me outside the physio, i've spent a lot of time here since having Brodie. It’s been such a pain to arrange times to go, babysitters etc. but it's without a doubt been one of the best investments in my health.
I’m normally an open book but this I’ve kept this pretty close to my chest. I’ve been open about modifications and not being able to do certain things with ladies who join me in workouts. But I haven’t said much more than that.
But I know that 1 in 3 postpartum women who read this post will have or be currently dealing with something similar.
After having Brodie I knew something wasn’t right. I put myself at the bottom of the priority list during those first few months as we all do but the “something’s not right” didn’t disappear. I’ll spare you the details but my pelvic health wasn’t great.
I felt a bit broken and really pissed off. “I did all the right things during pregnancy.” My whole identity is wrapped up in exercise, so being told that moving forward there will be things I may not be able to do and that my return to exercise would be very slow took a bit to get my head around.
1 in 3 women suffer from some form of prolapse after having a baby. Every single mother has damage to their pelvic floor yet very few talk about it.
Many leaders in the fitness industry don’t speak of it. They avoid it. And in doing so cause women more damage by not stepping up. By not learning more and leaning into this space.
When working with postpartum women it should be an absolute non negotiable yet majority of the fitness programmes on the market right now do not cater for a postpartum body.
I’ve learnt such a lot from this experience. It’s made us step up at RHNZ in terms of the product we deliver. It’s made us learn more and it has 100% made us better trainers. Always a silver lining right?⠀
Anyway.. so here I am smiling because things have got so much better. It’s got better because I didn’t ignore it, I didn’t just “battle through” or “get on with it”.
I’ve taken my time easing back into exercise and for now accepted that HIIT and running are off the cards.. I hope I’ll get back there one day but it’s funny how your priorities change.
My body has been through a lot and it needs TLC. I’m getting stronger and fit in a different way. In a way that is so much kinder to my body.
If you’re someone reading this that’s struggling with pelvic health problems know that you are not alone. You are 1 in 3. Also know that I can get better.
And a message to the fitness ‘professionals’
Step up. If you are working with mothers, do the work, get your head in the books. Speak to physios. Make changes to your programme and do better for those 1 in 3 women.
If you know of a mother entering your programme, your class or gym that has just had a baby - instead of cheering them on giving them burpees and tuck jumps ask them who is your baby? How was your birth? Ask them if they have seen a pelvic floor physio and if they haven't encouraged them to do so.
Do better. Set yourself up with options and allow women the time to set the foundations after having a baby… and no this does not just mean slowing down your squats, using an incline and saying ‘draw your navel to your spine’!
Doing better means teaching women the foundations - how to activate their deep core muscles, it means working to bring back abdominal separation, it means teaching women how to do their pelvic floor exercises and how to breathe over their exercise to avoid pelvic load.
Doing this will allow women to get back into the exercise that they love without feeling like their insides are going to fall out. We exercise because it makes us feel good right? And that’s what we preach from the rooftops everyday in the jobs that we do right?
Well here’s a thing to think about..
No mother is going to be feeling good about herself if she feels like her vagina is going to fall out and no mother is going to feel good if every time she does a lung jump she leaks.
So step up and do better.
Ren x