Preparing for Birth: How Tonic & Phasic Can Empower Your Birth Journey
Bringing new life into the world is a profound and transformative experience, filled with excitement and a touch of the unknown. As an expectant mother, you deserve to feel empowered, confident, and prepared for the incredible journey of childbirth. One essential, yet often overlooked, way to achieve this is through creating a plan with an experienced pelvic floor physical therapist. A pelvic floor physical therapist’s role is to optimize function, improve mobility, reduce pain, and restore quality of life when it comes to pelvic health.
…This definitely sounds like someone you’d want on your birth team…
So let’s get into it and discuss why our specialized method of pelvic floor therapy is a game-changer for your birth preparation.
Discover the Power of Your Pelvic Floor
Imagine the most supportive hammock you’ve ever been on or a sturdy trampoline that allows you to safely jump up and down. These examples are like your pelvic floor muscles, a group of muscles that cradle your bladder, uterus, and rectum, that stabilize your core and pelvis from the inside out, and that contract and relax to allow you to lift up a heavy box or help you from not leaking when you laugh on that trampoline (wink).
These muscles play crucial roles in urinary and bowel control, sexual function, and…childbirth. As your baby grows, these groups of muscles need extra care to stay strong and mobile and to be ready for the big day.
Why Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy with Tonic & Phasic?
Open and Releasing
Physical therapists have the unique skill set to create as much space in the abdomen and pelvis as possible through manual therapy interventions. This allows for the baby to move into position more freely and offload pressure onto the pelvis and some of the pelvic organs. This type of therapy can support round ligament pain, pubic symphysis dysfunction, tailbone pain, and much more!
Build Strength and Endurance
During pregnancy there is an increase in load and force through the core, pelvis and the pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening these muscles will build muscular strength and endurance, ensuring they can handle the extra weight of pregnancy and work efficiently during labor. I like to tell my patients that once you are pregnant the work starts now on strength training, because the load is only going to increase until your child can walk on their own independently.
Master Your Breathing
Breathing isn’t just for relaxation; it’s the most powerful tool during labor. Pelvic floor physical therapists teach a variety of breathing techniques that support mobility, pain regulation, and to optimize pushing. A common foundational technique is diaphragmatic breathing—a deep, controlled method that facilitates your diaphragm, abdominals, and pelvic floor to move in coordination. This technique supports nervous system regulation, can actively reduce muscle tension, and ensures your baby gets plenty of oxygen during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
In addition, we dive into the natural breaths of labor which will sound like groans, moans, hums, etc.
Embrace Pain Science
The apprehension of labor pain is natural, but understanding it can be empowering. We at Tonic & Phasic help bridge the gap of pain and labor & delivery. We do this by explaining how the nervous system works and teaching techniques to manage discomfort. This knowledge turns fear into confidence, equipping you to handle labor with a confidence-based mindset.
Perineal, Pelvic Floor, & Vulvar Stretching for a Smoother Delivery
The perineum, vulva, and pelvic floor muscles stretch significantly during childbirth. By learning perineal stretching and other pelvic floor stretching techniques can increase the elasticity of this area when implemented during the third trimester of pregnancy. This preparation can help reduce the risk of tearing, making for a smoother delivery and healing recovery.
Creating a team with you and your partner
At Tonic & Phasic, we incorporate your birth partner in sessions. This allows for everyone to feel comfortable with hands-on techniques and verbal communication and support. This can be very empowering for not only the one who is giving birth but their partner as well.
Empower Yourself with Knowledge
We believe that knowledge is your greatest ally in the pregnancy and birthing process. We provide comprehensive education about your body’s changes during pregnancy and what to expect during labor. Understanding the anatomy, hormones, physiology of your core, pelvic floor, and pelvic organs at the stages of labor and delivery, and even postpartum, transforms anxiety into empowerment.
Posturing
Pregnancy shifts your posture and body mechanics, often leading to discomfort, pain, or reduction of function in activity. As PFPT, we assess your functional alignment and teach proper body mechanics to minimize strain and excessive load on the pelvis and its supporting structures (i.e. round ligament, pubic symphysis pain, etc). This not only enhances comfort during pregnancy but also prepares your body for the physical demands of labor.
A Personalized Birth Plan
Every person’s journey to parenthood is unique. We as pelvic floor physical therapists tailor our approach to meet your individual needs, creating a customized plan that addresses your specific concerns and goals. This personalized care ensures you get the support and guidance you need for a successful birth experience.
Interested in Birth Prep with Tonic & Phasic? Learn more about pelvic floor PT, including a sneak peak of our Birth Prep & Postpartum Recovery Welcome Packet with our free booklet.
Conclusion
We definitely want to acknowledge that anything can happen during childbirth. And we want to support whatever decision you make. We think if we can support and supply you with these tools, we can aid in a better experience.
We feel pelvic floor physical therapy isn’t just about preparing your body for childbirth—it’s about truly empowering you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to embrace labor and delivery with grace, grit, and strength. By integrating pelvic floor therapy with Tonic & Phasic into your birth plan, you pave the way for a smoother, more comfortable delivery and a quicker postpartum recovery.
Expectant parents, consider consulting a pelvic floor physical therapist. Your journey to motherhood deserves this comprehensive, empowering support. Your body—and your baby—will thank you.
