There IS Help for Postpartum Physical & Emotional Pain
Not the delivery experience you expected? We have a team in place to allow for physical and emotional healing for you and your partner.
You have done the prep work. Birthing classes. Check. Going to all of your Ob-Gyn visits. Check. Reading what you can get your hands on about getting ready for delivery. Check. Then the big day comes with all of your hopes and expectations of how you pictured your delivery experience to be . . . . and nothing happened as you had anticipated. Deep down you are disappointed with your birth experience for a NUMBER of different reasons.
Perhaps your husband could not be with you due to COVID restrictions and you were by yourself. Perhaps you had really wanted a vaginal delivery and unexpectedly needed to have a C-section and there were complications. Perhaps there were many stitches needed to repair your perineum and vaginal tissue after birth and you are in pain wondering what to do to not only care for your newborn . . but care for yourself.
You find yourself looking forward to your 6 week postpartum check up. You are experiencing pain from your C-section scar or perineal scar and are having difficulty carrying out your new-mom tasks and can’t even think about returning to sex quite yet. You are happy to discover that there is specialized Physical Therapists at NWO Center for Pelvic Rehabilitation and Wellness who are experts in helping your body recover from birth.
You then turn your 6 week postpartum check up discussion to your emotional health. Postpartum depression was discussed . . . . however you feel that what you are experiencing is not a typical postpartum depression. You realize that some of the emotional toll of your birth was not addressed and perhaps what you are experiencing is more of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from birth. There is a difference!
The good news it that there are counselors who specialize in PTSD after birth to address the emotional toll on the entire family. One such counselor in our area is Jennifer Knapp, LPCC, BC-DMT, Certified EMDR Therapist, and Christian Counselor. You, your physical therapist and your counselor can all work together to help you feel supported physically and emotionally – a full circle of much needed care for you! We pride ourselves in our ability to help create a team approach to addressing your specific needs.
Postpartum Physical Therapy
Your physical therapist will educate you about what your body went through during pregnancy and your specific birth experience and how this relates to the symptoms you are having. A systematic approach to address scar tissue mobility, weakened muscles and restoring proper function for your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles will be addressed. Helpful postural exercises will be encouraged to allow yourself the ability to stretch and lengthen after a day of multiple diaper changes, feedings and connection time with your little one. There are also many approaches that can be taken to help you to return to intercourse with less fear after your childbirth event.
Postpartum Counselling
Your counselor plays another really vital role in the pregnancy and postpartum period. 1 out of 5 to 7 women will have postpartum depression or anxiety. Jennifer sees the period of having a child being from the time you think about having a baby to one year postpartum. At any point during this time counseling can be beneficial.
Pregnancy and postpartum can trigger many emotions, thoughts, and past experiences. Though it is a happy time for many, even those who are excited about having a baby can have perinatal and postpartum depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. It is nothing that you have done or created. Postpartum depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, Bipolar, etc have the same symptoms and utilize the same treatments for Depression, anxiety, OCD, and Biploar, etc.
Perinatal and Postpartum mental health issues are caused by many stressors, such as changes in hormones, feelings about being a mom, lack of relationships/support systems, and stress about work, housing, and finances to name a few. Talking to someone about your experience, feelings, and thoughts can be beneficial when one is feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, scared, and/or disconnected from their body.
Toledo Area Postpartum Pain Specialists
If you are suffering from any type of postpartum physical, emotional or psychological pain – our caring team is here to help you.
Expert physical therapist Karen Liberi MS MPT WCS, has advanced board certification in pelvic floor physical therapy. She has helped hundreds of women in Perrysburg, Toledo, Northeast Ohio and Southeast Michigan get rid of postpartum pain and get their lives back after delivery, so that they can fully participate in and enjoy motherhood.
