Women’s Wellness
PRENATAL
When you are dealing with a changing body and having a backache, going for a workout may be the last thing on your mind. But, a growing body of research has shown that there are many benefits to exercising during pregnancy.
- Ease back and hip pain. Many of my pregnant students came to me because of the pain in the lower back, hip and tailbone due to the extra pressure/weight from the baby bump. Some of them do not know how to engage their core muscles to properly support themselves during movement.
- Reduces Gestational Diabetes Mellitus related adverse outcomes. Babies born to mothers with poorly treated gestational diabetes are at increased risk of being too large, having low blood sugar after birth, and having jaundice. If untreated, it can also result in a stillbirth. Research has shown that women who exercise at least 3 times a week are able to reduce such adverse outcomes.
- Prevents Diastasis Recti which is the separation of abdominal muscles to make space for the growing baby during pregnancy. By learning how to manage intra-abdominal pressure during pregnancy, the separation can and will return to its original state pretty much.
- An easier road to recovery when you actively manage your intra-abdominal pressure. You will learn how to engage your core and pelvic floor muscles as you go around your daily activities and move with intention.
Learning Outcome
The sooner you learn how to repattern your breath and properly engage your core, the faster you are on your path of strengthening and healing. By training your core and pelvic floor, and being mindful of your movement will get you prepared for delivery of your precious little one, and able to heal faster postpartum.
DIASTASIS RECTI
Diastasis Recti (DR) is simply separation of abdominal muscles to make space for the growing baby in the stomach. It is important to remember that DR is not an inevitable postpartum injury. There are ways to prevent and heal a DR, regardless during prenatal or postpartum. The Beacon Movement are here to remove the uncertainty and misinformation surround DR, and replace it with clarity and knowledge for all mothers.
DR comes in 2 forms – normal occurrence (as a separation to make space for the baby) and injury-based. For the former, as long as the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is well-managed, the separation can and will return to its original state pretty much. For the injury-based DR, it happens when the IAP isn’t well-managed and forces through the newly-stretched midline, resulting in ‘doming’. Every time doming happens during daily activities or workout, it is leading up to an injury.
Learning Outcome
You will learn techniques that can help you to manage IAP to protect the integrity of your core and pelvic floor muscles, which prevents injury-based DR and associated back and hip pain.
POSTNATAL
Childbirth is one of nature’s most wondrous but biologically harsh feats. A mother has to bear the increasing weight of her baby for 9 months. And, during vaginal birth, muscles and other tissues stretch and sometimes tear.
- 24% out of 1200 women in a 2015 study was reported to experience pain during sex in one and a half year after childbirth.
- Another study found that 77% of more than 1500 women suffer from persistent back pain a year after childbirth, and 49% suffer from urinary incontinence.
- Women who undergo cesarean sections also experience similar degrees of continuing pelvic pain, as reported by 2014 study.
“Childbirth is a well-studied traumatic experience for women’s bodies, yet modern medicine still leaves far too many mothers debilitated, sometimes for the rest of their lives,” Laura Beil says.
Solutions usually come at 2 extremes: Do Kegels or undergo surgery to strengthen the pelvic floor. However, surgery is not the magic bullet we wish it is. As for Kegels, it is commonly prescribed but a 2015 study showed that about 1 in 4 women are unable to do Kegels correctly. And, for some women, their pelvic floor may be too tight instead of too weak, and therefore strengthening exercises can make it worse. They will need other kinds of training such as down-training.
Learning Outcome
In The Beacon Movement, we aim to lift the misinformation and uncertainty about postpartum. Through our assessment, you will understand more about the condition of your pelvic floor and core, and learn the correct exercises for your condition. You will learn how to breathe correctly and work your breath together with your movement and exercises. This will improve the strength and flexibility of your pelvic floor and core muscles which quicken your healing process.
PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION
Common Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
- Urinary incontinence. There are two types of incontinence. One of them is Stress urinary incontinence whereby there is a tendency to leak urine when laughing, running or sneezing. The other is Urge urinary incontinence whereby it is difficult in holding the bladder when there’s an urge to urine; it may cause a person to pee more than 8 times in 24 hours.
- Diastasis Recti is defined as the separation of rectus abdominal muscles. You may see doming (like a volcano) forming in your belly during crunches or other abdominal exercises. Even after losing baby weight, you may find it difficult to lose the ‘mummy’s tummy’.
- Prolapse is where pelvic organs fall out of place during the loss of muscles and/or connective tissue support.
- Pelvic pain which can result in pain during sex or pregnancy-related pelvic/hip pain
What to expect?
- Assessment of your condition, symptoms and limitations
- Assessment of your breathing, posture, strength and weaknesses
- Establishing a program that consists of up-training (strengthening) and down-training (relaxing) of your pelvic floor muscles