"I'm excited about the Beyond Birth Program because it puts the focus on the mom. A lot of times, after pregnancy the focus is on the baby, and this is really our opportunity to put the mom in the spotlight. My name is Kelly Resha. I'm a pelvic health physical therapist here at Results Physiotherapy.
"The Beyond Birth Program is a program designed specifically for postpartum women, in which we cover all areas of postpartum. That could be anything from back pain, hip pain, incontinence, painful intercourse, bowel, bladder, back conditions related to postpartum conditions. After a woman has a baby, there are a lot of different emotional states that she may be in. She may be overwhelmed, depressed, exhausted, and we understand that.
"The Beyond Birth Program is appropriate for any new mom, whether that's a vaginal delivery, whether that's a C-section delivery. Each one of those conditions comes with their own set of conditions that we treat. Many women have concerns about childcare when it comes to scheduling appointments. We encourage women, if they need to bring their children, to bring them, and we can use that as functional training for our treatment program.
"When a new mom comes in, she is typically referred to by her OB/GYN, and that may be six, eight, twelve weeks after having her baby. I tell these women that, yes, they're coming here with these issues, but we try to educate these women that these conditions are normal, they aren't something that's going to be forever, and we're here to help them.
"After a few sessions with these new moms, they will typically start to see a change, whether that's reduction in pain, reduction in leakage, or they're just able to do more. They're able to lift their baby with less pain. They're able to start their workout routine with less leakage.
"When they recognize that, when they see that change, that's that shining moment. That's when they think, okay, this isn't how my life has to be anymore. Seeing a new mom come in and being with her for a few sessions, there is a turning point in which she comes in and her pain, or her incontinence is improving. Seeing that confidence, and that awareness, and just that relief that this isn't something that's going to be forever, is really rewarding."