Postpartum Therapies
“Postpartum” perception is often associated with the period immediately after birth, but in fact women who have experienced pregnancy and labor - no matter the time frame - are truly postpartum. That's correct, you can be 4 months postpartum or 14 years postpartum! Which makes postpartum therapies really for any woman who's ever had a baby.
Post-pregnancy care (of almost any form) is lacking in our society, and at Yellow Gazebo we're here to help you along with this journey. Just think about it, even after orthopedic surgery (eg hip replacement or knee replacement) post treatments and follow-ups are encouraged through complementary therapies and home-care - so why shouldn’t postpartum care also be provided and encouraged for you and the women in your life?
The postpartum therapies that we offer at Yellow Gazebo that might be of help include chiropractic care, pelvic floor physiotherapy, as well as acupuncture, osteopathy, naturopathy, and even massage therapy. Each therapy brings with it a different method of assessing you, and as such a different way to help you get back to being in top shape again. For example, chiropractic care might help you realign your hips that had to work hard and stretch during labour, and acupuncture can help regulate hormones that are now out of balance.
It is generally recommended that if you’re going to seek massage therapy for postpartum work, that this be done while also seeking assistance with a pelvic floor physiotherapist. Working with a pelvic floor physiotherapist assessments and treatments are performed for symptoms such as urinary incontinence, low back pain, diastasis recti (which many women have and don't know), abdominal weakness and pelvic pain. Mothers after Cesarean births often experience numbness around the incision and superficial/deep adhesions which cause restrictions on the rest of the body in ways you couldn't imagine. These symptoms can often be resolved and/or supported with our help.
What should you expect from postpartum treatments?
You might be wondering which therapy to try first - the truth is that since most of our therapies can help in some form or another, you can’t really lose by simply booking an appointment with someone. But if you want to be efficient and make sure you get treated and feeling better ASAP, email us at info@yellowgazeboclinic.com and we’ll point you in the right direction.
As for what to expect during a postpartum treatment, this will really depend on which therapy you choose first. Chiropractic and physiotherapy can give you an official diagnosis of sorts, and so their treatment will depend largely on their findings. And as for getting treated according to your assessment, the same goes for osteopathy or naturopathy, acupuncture or massage. Postpartum massage treatments in particular are similar to any massage treatment, and areas such as the cesarean scar, abdominal fascia and muscles that affect the pelvic floor are incorporated into the massage session.
We have lots of information that we would love to share with you and answer any questions you may have. Call us today at 416-909-2334, or use the online booking link below to book an appointment.
Written by Melissa Allison RMT, with Richard Lobbenberg
