Pregnancy is a time of upheaval for women's bodies. It's a unique moment that can be stressful, distressing and create tension. Pain in the back and joints can be linked to posture, but also to the stress of childbirth. Prenatal physiotherapy helps pregnant women prepare for childbirth and become more aware of their bodies.
What is prenatal physiotherapy?
The aim of prenatal physiotherapy is to give pregnant women the keys to preparing for childbirth. The exercises practiced during a prenatal physiotherapy session help you to move your body during pregnancy, to relax, to breathe well during contractions and to push. During these sessions, the pelvis, abdomen and perineum are stimulated to facilitate childbirth. It also helps to maintain physical activity during pregnancy.
What are the benefits of prenatal physiotherapy?
Prenatal physiotherapy has many benefits for women about to give birth!
Visiting a physiotherapist during pregnancy can help relieve pregnancy-related pain such as sciatica, lower back pain, heavy legs, headaches and insomnia. Prenatal physiotherapy combines several techniques, such as relaxation exercises, breathing exercises and lymphatic drainage.
Prenatal physiotherapy helps pregnant women to relax, and all the benefits it brings are also felt by the fetus she's carrying! A plus for the baby!
The primary benefit of prenatal physiotherapy is that the pregnant woman is accompanied by a health professional during a period of great change. The aim is not only to relax the pregnant woman during her pregnancy, but also to better prepare her body for childbirth, particularly her pelvis and perineum. This not only makes childbirth easier for the woman and her health-care team, but also anticipates and limits the deleterious effects of pregnancy that can occur in the post-partum period. Re-education of the perineum is much easier. What's more, as the pregnant woman feels physically prepared for childbirth, she is often mentally more ready too, since she knows that the risks of complications during and after delivery are reduced. Prenatal physiotherapy can also help identify pathologies such as incontinence (urine leakage), as well as treating pain in the pubis and/or sacrum.
A couple's prenatal physiotherapy session involves both parents in the pregnancy and birth. This often creates complicity, dialogue, empathy and involvement within the couple. The person who is not carrying the baby can thus better understand the pregnancy and be more present for the pregnant person.
When should you start prenatal physiotherapy?
If you have no problems during your pregnancy, you can start prenatal physiotherapy around the third trimester, i.e. at the 7th month of amenorrhea. If you feel pain or heaviness in your perineum or abdomen, consult us as soon as possible, around the 5th month. What's more, if you suffer from any kind of pathology, such as incontinence or pain during intercourse, you can start prenatal physiotherapy as early as the first few months of pregnancy to combat these problems as soon as they appear.
Where can I get prenatal physiotherapy?
If you'd like to start prenatal physiotherapy, you can turn to hospitals, nursing or medical homes, as well as private physiotherapists' practices. These sessions, which last on average between 30 minutes and an hour, can be individual or group, depending on what you're looking for. You will also be shown a number of exercises that you can do at home to help relieve your pain.
To help you feel at ease in your body during pregnancy and post-partum, discover our menstrual panties, which will gently guide you through all the stages of this upheaval that is welcoming a baby.
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