52: Reconnecting to Your Body Postpartum with Alicia Willoughby

What is a women's health physical therapist and do you need one? Why do women believe we must just put up with certain physical + medical issues after giving birth? And what information do we need about postpartum sex, the pelvic floor,  and leaking? Podcast guest, women's health physical therapist, and mom Alicia Willoughby gives us the scoop on the importance of understanding, caring, and getting professional medical help for your postpartum and menopausal body. Whether you had a baby last week, last month, or 30 years ago, you need to hear this episode about an aspect of women's health you don't hear much about.    How Alicia Got Started As a physical therapist, Alicia treated a pregnant woman with lower back pain and recognized that the treatment made a significant difference in the woman's life. She realized there was a whole population of women not getting care. Physical therapists simply aren't trained in women's health; students receive one day of instruction on pregnancy and one lecture on the pelvic floor.  After undergoing extra training on pregnancy and post-partum to serve this underserved population, Alicia marketed herself to ob/gyns.  When Alicia had her first child, she felt like she was in a body not her own. While her daughter had recurring appointments to track her development and progress, no one guided Alicia into how to reconnect with her own body. Alicia went back to work at an orthopedic clinic and most female patients were mothers. She noticed that many experienced orthopedic issues because they never received postpartum care.  Now Alicia has her own practicing "treating it all," and believes she's filling a void in the medical system because postpartum is a really vulnerable time.    Why Women Think We Just Have to Put Up with Certain Medical Issues Alicia believes the reason women accept certain medical frustrations is multifactorial: Our medical system is not designed to care for moms.  Generations pass down their own experiences so we accept certain problems as  part of life.  The fitness community knows women leak when they do jumping jacks, but encourages us to keep going. Our peers reassure us that we're all experiencing the same concerns so it must be normal. At six weeks, you are discharged by your OB-GYN into the world, but no one is watching out for you.   The Truth About Postpartum Sex For many women, postpartum sex doesn't feel good, it hurts, or they're anxious before they even try. Alicia says it's important to reconnect to your body first.  In postpartum healing, we hear a lot about fitness and getting back to work, but we forgot what brings us joy and makes us feel like ourselves.    What's Going on with Leaking? Leaking (or incontinence) is involuntarily losing urine, gas or stool. The pelvic floor holds back our bodily fluid so when we leak, this muscle group isn't doing its job because it's (1) weak or (2) it's overactive. To determine the source of leaking, women must be evaluated by a pelvic floor physical therapist.  The more your muscles are stretched, the less likely they hold the fluid in. Leaking is common, but it's not normal. Leaking is a yellow flag; it's your body telling you things aren't right.   Alicia Gives the Scoop About the Pelvic Floor The pelvic floor is a triangular group of 14 muscles that run from pubic bone to tail tailbone, and butt bone to butt bone. There are three layers to your pelvic floor: two are the "squeezers" and one layer holds up your pelvic bones and organs.  What an Appointment with a Women's Health Physical Therapist is Like Alicia includes these elements in her exams: Posture assessment Balance exercises Full abdomen assessment Pelvic floor exam Prolapse check   The Medical System and How it Cares for Women Alicia sees in her patients that many women feel neglected and disappointed by the current system.  What we may think of as inconveniences are much bigger issues than we think they are.   Connect with Alicia Willougby: Website Facebook Instagram The Postpartum Wellness Solution To find a women's health physical therapist in your area, go here. Alicia Willoughby is women's health physical therapist who specializes in the pregnant and postpartum body and has her own practice in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Alicia is also a mom and knows first hand how pregnancy, birth and motherhood can be a huge life-altering experience both physically and emotionally. Alicia is passionate about providing mothers the guidance and support that they deserve but are otherwise not getting from the traditional medical model   Connect with Jen and Shamelessly Feminine: Join our Shamelessly Feminine Facebook Group Follow Shamelessly Feminine on Facebook Follow Shamelessly Feminine on Instagram Key Quotes from the Episode: "The pelvic floor can hold a lot of our trauma and can hold a lot of our stories." - Alicia Willoughby "We have a birth plan, but we don't have a postpartum plan." - Alicia Willoughby "When disconnect happens, it just trickles down … it affects so much." - Alicia Willoughby   This episode was originally published on shamelesslyfeminine.com/episode52.