Hi, welcome back. Well, I have got Rebecca's divine, who's a women's health continence video from vital core. And she's come to talk to us all about the girlie. Exciting session. Stay tuned. So I thought we'd get to know a little bit because we haven't met her yet.

So she is a what we call a continents women's health. That's right. Tell me what that all about that? Well, we're physios Yeah, so we've had a four year bachelor degree in physio. And then postgraduate studies in all things pelvic floor and women's health. So pelvic floor thing, anything to do with the muscles.

And then issues that go along with that. So constant tissues, leaking urine or fecal matter. Is that worth Yeah, I know. It's out there. Right out there. Have its feelings of heaviness or prolapse.

Another big one. At pain pelvic pain, which is a big one is often unspoken and spoken. Yes. And then we have other things such as the physic status of women's loss. So we have early early on in the teenage years problems with activity levels in young girls, we have endometriosis and pain associated with that, then the childbearing years which people are more familiar with women's health physios and then moving on into the older age groups, so the main pores and problems that occur in that stage and then older on into osteoporosis and balance issues and everything in between. It's very exciting, which is why she's just so busy.

You see all these girls, and she left out foods. Oh, well, it's not late night start those goods. The whole other section boobs are great food and great. She does a lot of love too. But we're not talking about boobs straight. While we are talking about you, and you our sama on another month three, yes, three.

So you do go back. Yes, she's done. She's tried it out and survived, which is very exciting. And so being a mum, you would get asked lots of times, you know, key tips and tricks when he's being the new absolutely mom, then what would be something that you would suggest or your best bit of advice? Well, we do we see moms while pregnant ladies, right up until they have their babies and then early postnatal, and we get asked all the time, what can I do? What can I do?

And the probably the most important thing for new parents, not just moms is just to Be kind, be kind to yourself, be kind to each other and sounds a bit strange, but try to rest both of you moms and dads, resting as much as possible in those early weeks is essential, essential to recovery, physically and emotionally. So that's our first one is wrist and every physio will say the same thing. Big walk will satisfy maybe almost every obstetrician and everything in between beside the same race and be conscious and be kind. We all think that we should know how to do it before we've done it. That's right. Yeah.

And it is a learning. It's a learning experience. It's a very, very steep learning curve. Everything about having a baby is a steep learning curve. Yeah. Well, the old pelvic floor.

I met mine yesterday about which was quite challenging after having two babies and thinking that you can bounce on a trampoline for an hour. Yeah, without paying a penny, which is not a good book. So I mean, my pelvic floor recovering today looks all good. Danny cific. That said she could if she had any issue, I'm straight, but lately, but the pelvic floor does get a battering, it does. It does and it starts well before the birth of a child.

Pregnancy has an amazing effect on the pelvic floor hormones as well, but just the weight of that heavy uterus, changes in posture, just trying to move differently. different courses on that pelvic floor. And we know that by mid 30s, in the mid 30 weeks, the pelvic floor strength is significantly diminished in nearly every woman. Yeah. Then we have a delivery. And if we have a vaginal delivery, even a very straightforward which on delivery, there's still a lot more stress that's placed on that tissue.

I mean, it's stretched. You know how big those babies heads are, they have to come out by shoulders. And even with the best hands of these best midwives do, they'll still be stretching, they'll still be strained and they must recover. So, again, rest afterwards is so important. And even the girls have the severe infections. They think, Oh, my pelvic floor has been spared.

No, they've been pregnant. They've been pregnant. They still need to read. Yes. And how long on average? would it take for the recovery of that muscle?

After Yeah, that's a big one. I get asked that a lot. And it's really, it can go go. Really, but you know, with what healing we've got weren't normal wound tissue healing, which takes minimum Six weeks. And that's in a in an ideal hormonal sense. We haven't got that with these new moms that are hormones are all over the place.

And then they've got the different stresses of having a baby caring and lifting, which affects the tissues as well. So we it does take a while it does take a while and we just need to respect that. So you know, if you thinking I'm going to do the fun run in, you know, a few months to shoot that muffin top. Not quite old. Oh, no, yes, absolutely want to spend a lot of money in the video. And yes, you know, lots of certificate buys.

Yes. And we're happy to provide that and a lot of girls will come just to learn how to use the flooring, and that's great. But please, please hold off. I did have a lady the other week say to me, I had my baby last week and I tried to stop doing away in the toilet. And I'm like, of course you're not gonna be able to do it. Yeah.

And she's like, oh, but I've got a really strong pelvic floor. And I think it's gonna take a bit longer. It's gonna take a bit longer and And this whole concept of being able to stop away is it's not, it's a nice idea. And if you've got a really good functioning pelvic floor, maybe you can do that. But you can stop away by doing all sorts of funny things with your pelvis and your body. That's not necessarily a good pelvic contraction.

So yeah, let's not use that as as our main measure yet, which is, you know, when you speak to other moms, that's really what they think the measure is. Yes. Right. So what would you say then is a good way to measure? You know, how your pelvic floor is, is going? Yeah, we, you can start with just the very simple things such as when you squeeze your pelvic floor, which is squeezing around the back passage around the middle and around the front.

But that idea of stopping away What do you feel? Can you feel something happen? Let's ask first and can you feel anything happened? And then when you let it go to something happen? So can you feel something come on? Can you feel something?

Turn off? Yep, that's after son. Okay. So that's quite good. And from there, we can work on some exercises. And but then looking a bit further on, do you have any problems?

So if you're standing up for long periods of time, is there an ache? Is there any soreness or is there any heaviness by the end of the day? Is there any soreness in your pelvic floor area or in your groin? Am I having any problems in terms of incontinence is the big one. So and that might be Oh, I caught this nice and I liked a little bit. I sneezed.

I liked a little bit, it was just a little bit and I know you're late. You're late. So there's nothing wrong. Can you hold wind? So if you're in a in an elevator, and you've got to go there's a bit of wind there, can you hold it? And yeah, and if people wouldn't tie that together I pelvic floor with very much a pelvic floor.

It's all part of it. And it's one of the first signs when girls go to you like audio. Yeah, so I guess you look at those, those fairly obvious size and, but then there's also pain too. So some girls that have had deliveries that with the tissue healing, but this is some soreness down there or in there they can't quite like hate it. Yeah. So any sort of pain or dysfunctional any problems at all?

Yeah, and not normal and we need to say to them yeah, so obviously all of those things that have happened adding in an elevator abnormal in that first all in this first week or two. And that's right that first week or so. Not quite making it to the toilet is okay. And I would argue it's okay. Not being able to build your pelvic floor. Yeah, fine having some heaviness in a penis when you stand for a bit too long.

Absolutely. That's that's all normal part of healing. Everything is swollen. Everything is sore, just like you'd have any other wound in your body. It would be sore for the first week. So you just need to respect that.

Yes. And you know the principles like you would with any? Yes, yes. So again, I put in some cold on it. Resting Yes. Keeping it somewhat elevated.

So laying on your side trying not sit sitting is puts a lot more pressure on your pelvic floor. Try not to stand too much, certainly don't go out walking the ice wrist and little bit of elevation after a couple of days, you can sometimes start to squeeze your pelvic floor a little bit and hopefully you can feel a little bit and maybe a little bit of squeeze release which release if it's comfortable and that connect like a bit of like a pump to pump any sort of congestion away and can trigger your pelvic floor exercises. But in that first week, we're really about risks and and you can't emphasize that enough and that's both with the theory and or with the john oliver stone. And lots of people that have had a Syrian think that their pelvic floor is in Spain and you know, as from what you said earlier, it's really the carrying of the baby.

That's right. That's right. It's that thing pregnant that caused a lot of the issues and then the jungle liberate. Yes, of course that can cause worse, or sorry, can cause different problems. Yes, tissue damage. damages I thought but being pregnant self Does, does cause a lot of issues.

Absolutely. And lots of things to really, you know, keep in mind, especially in this first phase of looking after yourself, being kind to yourself, as was our number one suggestion here, and you know, not feeling like you, you know, you need to do something to get there quicker. Because there's no race here. It just takes time. So, hostess area, we were going to go through some really good, effective ways to stand out and to get out of bed without causing too much less damage. Yes.

So one of the first things we want to do is make sure that we're in a good fitting posture. So the way we are at the moment is not that it's not good is not good, and it will make you feel quite uncomfortable quite quickly. Yeah. failure, early postnatally when you're doing so much sitting and holding and definitely not the baby. So, first thing we want to do is when we are sitting and we're taking all our lovely businesses Is that we are at the the new mother the most comfortable person in the room. And that will be being upright as being either flat on the fourth floor or with a small footstool will have a cushion at least behind us.

And our bottom will be pushed back against that. It should be comfortable to rest there. I don't want anyone having to use their muscles to sit up because it's just too much. You don't have to be upright, not crossing our legs. We don't have to be incredibly stiff and upright, you can actually be quite relaxed and you don't have to have that absolutely perfect ideal spinal position. We just want to pretty good, okay, and it needs to be supported that you can relax, you could be there for a period of time.

Thank you baby for an hour. Exactly. And so from there, we want to work on ways to be able to stand up safely and protecting our tummy and in a pain free way to get out of bed off the couch. This is a good recipe. position with a pillow between the knees, a pillow behind your back and under your neck. Need to bring yourself over onto the bH.

You know, bring your arm up nice and high, your legs up close to the edge, you're going to push through your hand, support your wound, using that arm using the arm and using a little bit of momentum. When you back up into taking from there, it's the same pattern as you did with your feet to stand before to bring yourself into standing from sitting, bring yourself onto the edge of the chair at the front. You take your feet hip width apart, you put them in a stride stance. So one foot forward one foot back, you put one arm on the arm, the chair and the other arm or other hand over your wound. You're going to lean forward so your whites over your legs, even a push up through your legs. And as you lift up, your nose will go forward and that will actually helped me to stand.

Well thank you very much for demonstrating this. The Standing and getting up. I'm sure lots of new moms will find that a lot easier to get me in and out of bed to that fabulous example. Thank you big thanks for coming. Oh, thank you for having me one day and we'll hear lots more from Becky over the coming weeks, don't you Mary? Thank you