Pregnancy & Postpartum Care
You deserve guidance and personalized care through this major body and life transition!
How We Can Help
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Pregnancy Support
Whether you want to optimize your body before even getting pregnant or get expert guidance for all of the changes that come with pregnancy, we've got you! Every organ system in your body is affected in pregnancy, and while it is amazing, it can cause some bumps along the way. If you are experiencing pain, urinary or bowel changes, sexual health issues, want to know how to modify or start exercise, or prepare your body for the upcoming birth and postpartum period, we can help.
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Birth Prep
We can't plan for exactly how birth will unfold, but we can give you tools to set yourself up for success! Learn how to have empowered birth by getting your body ready, better understanding common interventions and what to expect, how to advocate for your choices, and comfort measures to use during your birth. Plus, make sure you are are armed with knowledge on labor and birth positions, optimal pushing techniques, and ways your partner can help. We can also discuss any specific questions you have regarding your own situation, review your birth plan, and tailor the education to exactly what you would find most helpful. As always, partners are more than welcome to attend these sessions so they can feel better prepared too!
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Postpartum Care
After being pregnant for many months and then going through the major event of birth (no matter how baby comes out!) we think every person who gives birth deserves care in the postpartum period! In postpartum visits, we can discuss ways to optimize your healing process, how to safely and confidently return to exercise, and go through ways to do all of your new activities well (feeding baby, lifting/holding baby, managing carseats, etc). Of course, if you had a birth injury or are dealing with symptoms such as pain, leakage, diastasis recti or prolapse after birth, we are here to help you with your recovery from that too.
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Mastitis/Clogged Duct Solutions
Clogged ducts or mastitis are a real pain in the boob! We can help by using therapeutic ultrasound, manual therapy, exercise, and education to make your lactation journey more comfortable.
If you are looking for a group childbirth class for you and your partner instead, you can also check out our Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class too!
“Jacki is such an amazing asset to all pregnant and postpartum women! She is so knowledgeable and compassionate when providing care. If/when I have another baby I definitely will utilize her services. What an incredible women’s health PT and strong advocate for women!” -Lorana
FAQs
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We truly believe it is never too early.. or too late to start! Understanding and optimizing your body to support your fertility journey, preventing issues through pregnancy, and getting prepared for whatever your next phase is would be ideal! Similarly, in the postpartum period it can be pivotal to get care early when your body is going through so much change. We think our current system does a huge disservice to new parents by waiting 6-8 weeks for any follow up care. However, we also understand that life happens or you don't realize you need services until you REALLY need them! We have seen people at 40weeks of pregnancy and 20+ years postpartum, and just want to help you reach your goals whenever you are ready!
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Of course! If your partner wants to better understand what you are going through or be able to better help you outside of the clinic, they are more than welcome. Your baby is welcome too. If childcare is an option, you may be able to better focus and relax during your appointment, but we don't want that to be a barrier to getting physical therapy care!
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Nope! We love staying on top of things to make sure you are well equipped with the knowledge and tools to stay comfortable and symptom free. We can guide you through rocking your pregnancy and/or postpartum and navigating all of the changes that come along with them so that hopefully you do stay symptom free!
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Internal assessment and/or treatment is never mandatory at TCPH, but we do often utilize it to get a more specific understanding of your concerns so we can better tailor our interventions. This includes during pregnancy any time after the first trimester (unless otherwise directed by your birth provider) and can typically resume around 6 weeks after birth.
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YES! While you may not have birthed your baby vaginally, your pelvic floor and rest of your body were under different loads and changes all through pregnancy. Plus, a Cesarean is a major abdominal surgery going through 7 layers of tissue. Good preparation and recovery can help your scar mobility, your core strength, the appearance of your abdomen, and more along with any other symptoms you have.
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This depends on you and your unique needs and goals! If you are completely symptom free in pregnancy, we generally recommend scheduling monthly in the early stages and then increasing visits a bit closer to your due date. If you are symptom-free in postpartum, we can meet at intervals that make sense to give you new activities or guidance based on your recovery. If you are symptomatic at any point, we most often see clients about 1X/week until we can get the symptom under control and make sure we are making progress in the right direction.
How is Tri Cities Pelvic Health Different?
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You can expect 1 on 1, personalized treatment from the same Doctor of Physical Therapy each time you come to physical therapy. No aides, no assistants, no getting passed back and forth and trying to go over your story again.
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We specialize in pelvic health and peripartum patients. This is TRULY our passion and not just something we do here and there. All of our doctors of physical therapy also have extensive background in general outpatient orthopedic physical therapy, and we additionally have advanced knowledge on hormone health and the birthing process so we can assess and address you as a whole person.
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You can count on maximizing our time together. We do not believe in just being there to count your exercises for you, hooking you up to machines, or a one size fits all approach. Instead, we are continually reassessing your situation, modifying your treatment as needed, and fully utilizing our sessions.
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At the heart of this business is true connection with people. You are not just another number coming through the door, but instead we care about you and genuinely want to see you succeed in all of your goals!
What does a typical course of pelvic health physical therapy look like?
Your care starts even before we see you. We are happy to talk with you, get to know you, and answer any questions to make sure we are a good fit for each other and you feel confident in your choice.
You will be sent a comprehensive intake form so that we can learn more about your history and concerns and start developing a framework and priorities for your initial evaluation.
At your initial evaluation, we will chat more about anything that didn’t come up on the intake form, complete an external and internal examination as appropriate, and get you started with treatment. (Internal examinations are never mandatory based on your comfort level)
You will be given some sort of home program to continue gathering information and/or working on factors that are contributing to your symptoms or goals.
Treatment and follow up visits will vary based on your needs but may include manual therapy, specific exercises, and education to keep you moving forward. We will continually be watching to make sure we are on the right course, and will pivot as needed.
By the time you are finished with physical therapy, we hope that not only are your symptoms decreased or gone, but you have tools to set you up for success in whatever is ahead.
