Learn more about Nurturely’s Positively Pregnancy group including how to join.
Nurturely’s Postively Pregnancy group allows members to connect with other pregnant parents and gain tools to prevent postpartum challenges. The four-week virtual class led by Nurturely team members Sonya and Roshny includes two hours per week of interactive learning sessions on topics related to perinatal wellness and postpartum preparation. In addition to the virtual sessions, parents receive supplementary learning resources including articles and worksheets, just-for-fun virtual meetups with other expectant parents, customized support with postpartum planning, and six months of access to a private community where your cohort can continue to engage with and support one another through birth and postpartum.
One of the virtual sessions includes a lecture by pelvic floor physical therapist, Dr. Eileen Johnson of University of Southern California and the Perinatal Research Group. While a relatively new specialty of physical therapy, pelvic floor therapy can be beneficial to all birthing people both before birth and postpartum. “It is not just kegels!” Dr. Johnson said. Johnson works with birthing people to gain confidence in social settings including in sexual function and incontinence. She not only treats birthing people but also people suffering from constipation and other gastroenterological conditions as well as endometriosis. Pelvic floor physical therapy is not well known amongst the general public and often shrouded in stigma but yet can treat a myriad of conditions.
Johnson, a mom herself, is passionate about raising awareness about the benefits pelvic floor physical therapy. She hopes more people will seek it out and more physical therapists will enter and advance the field. She also hopes that the healthcare system will promote the use of these services. Regardless of her work on the macro level, on the individual level she stresses the importance of advocating of yourself as well as listening to your body and sharing your stories to eliminates stigma associated with pelvic floor health.
Find a physical therapist specializing in pelvic health near you here.