1.) You’re an amazing mom of two, a physical therapist specializing in women’s health & a female founder of The Down There Doc. You’re a busy woman! What are some of your time management tips?
Hahahahah! What is time management?!? I’m 40, and I feel like I’m an irresponsible college kid late for class at the time…except class is every meeting and the bus stop.
In reality though, time management has always been something that has been difficult for me. I tend to overcommit basically everything, so I’m learning how to say no and how to prioritize
The absolute must haves. Some days my house suffers, some days I’m late to meetings, some days there’s piles and piles of laundry, some days I forget appointments for my kids and other days I’m totally on point. So it’s a learning process for me time management wise, but I try to go to bed at a reasonable time to wake up before my kids so I can get them ready and have at least 2 cups of coffee first thing in the morning.
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2.) The Down There Doc is dedicated to serving, empowering, and equipping women and the birthing community from birth preparation through postpartum recovery. Why do you find this so important for women in their journey to becoming a mother?
There are so many reasons why this is such an important topic and it’s such a missed and needed part of maternal healthcare. I think one of the main reasons why this is so important is because it’s not only just about these simple things that we can do to prepare women for birth, and to help them recover. It’s the bigger picture. It’s offering a solution to women for a problem that they don’t even know that they will have or have. It’s finally recognizing this need and telling women that their concerns are valid and that their bodies and birth experience and postpartum time is important. It’s making sure that they have what they need physically so they can be the woman that they want to be in any capacity. Whether that’s going back to work, staying home with the kids running a company volunteering being social with friends women wear so many hats, and we are told so many times throughout our life that we are not capable and that our health concerns aren’t important and giving women the tools and education to heal properly is a no-brainer to me and it shouldn’t be so difficult and confusing. I don’t want to see women not going back to work because of their pelvic floor issues from birth. I don’t want to see women becoming more depressed and anxious and postpartum because they’re afraid if they leave the house they’re gonna pee all over themselves. I don’t want to see women not being intimate with their partners because it hurts and they’ve told the doctors for years and they’re at and they respond with that it’s normal. I don’t want women to have PTSD or increased levels of anxiety because of traumatic birth experiences. I don’t want women to feel isolated or alone or confused about what happened during their delivery. I don’t want women to not be able to exercise or be active because of what happened to their public floors during delivery.
So yes, Pelvic for PT and what we do here at the Down There Doc is needed, and a huge missing piece of maternal healthcare, but the things that we teach and the information that that we give women is not rocket science. These are easy simple fixes that are applicable for every woman, and can influence their life in profound ways that have a trickle down effect for generations to come. It’s so much more than a pelvic floor program. It’s finally recognizing what women need and providing them the support so they can live their life the way they want.
3.) What are some common pelvic floor trauma issues that should be understood and talked about more?
Some of the most common things that I see where that people come to me for our leaking, urine, leaking stool or fecal matter pelvic organ, prolapse or vaginal heaviness, I know, painful intercourse, or sexual dysfunction, C-section scar pain, and general pelvic pain or abomination weakness.
These are all very common issues, and in fact, one in four women report pelvic floor problems after having a baby and nine out of 10 women have pain with sex the first time they have sex after having a baby however, we must understand that common doesn’t mean that it’s normal. And the thought that just because so many women are dealing with pelvic floor dysfunction and therefore a normal part of aging and/or postpartum is ludicrous.
4.) These issues are relevant to so many women, why do you find that it is often not talked about? What can we do to change that?
I think this is a big one. I think people could write dissertations on this. One thing that I see a lot in my practice, especially over the last 12 years, is that women are constantly told and mothers are constantly told that what they’re dealing with is just part of what happens after having a baby.
In my opinion, when women are telling your medical providers and your medical team over and over again about these very intimate and vulnerable situations, that most people find embarrassing, because let’s face it we’re talking about our genitals and bodily functions, which many people have a hard time discussing, and they tell you over and over that there’s nothing wrong with you or that everything is “healed” and that it’s normal to leak Pee and now you just have to wear an adult diaper, You’re going to stop asking for help because it constantly gets ignored.
And then we go to target or the drugstore and we walk down the aisle full of hundreds and hundreds of different types of adult pads and diapers and we think OK this must be normal now there’s no education about preventative or conservative management the treatment ““ is wear a pad, even though that does nothing for the symptoms, or have a surgery, which frankly has poor outcomes, and should not be the first line of treatment. So I think what happens is that people feel embarrassed, and shame surrounding these issues, they feel like they’re the only ones having them and they feel like something is wrong with them.
I think the solution is that we continue to offer women different and effective treatment like what we have at the Down There doc or referral to Pelvic for physical therapy if there’s one in their area. Or even just education that talks to them about what is normal and what is not normal surrounding their pelvic floor during pregnancy and birth. Women get zero information about what actually happens. During birth and their pelvic floor and how to recover afterwards. But we got a ton of information on how to swaddle a baby and what we need for breast-feeding. Which is all very important. I’m not saying that it’s not. All I’m saying is that we need to equip women better and have these conversations about what’s going on Pelvic floor wise.
5.) What is your favorite song lyric? Why?
Blackbird by the Beatles. I love the simplicity of the melody and the clear message of using your voice, even when it’s dead quiet outside and you may be the only one standing up to fly.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
