Babies! At Prajna, a studio in Eau Claire, Sheri offers cues from her yoga and Pilates background to assist women in strengthening their pelvic floors and finding deep core strength. This work is done on Pilates-specific equipment and on a yoga mat with props. She attracts a wide range of clientele: “Basically anyone ready to commit to rebalancing their body. This includes finding subtle strength. We need to be both strong and flexible. We need to be balanced. We need to undo the consequences of our work style, lifestyle, play style. I offer my clients a full body, breath, mind approach to well-being. Some clients spend the first hour learning how to breath again. Others spend time ‘finding their true deep core.’ ” Sheri is incredibly understanding about the needs of new moms and is delighted when moms bring their babies along for sessions. She makes sessions physically and logistically accommodating so mothers feels it’s possible to repeatedly attend. Christopher Hayden, LABT, CAR, a licensed bodyworker, will offer Visceral Manipulation (VM) and other modalities at Tuning Tree, a collective of therapists offering services in a new location on South Barstow Street, beginning in May. In his training with VM, he is “learning how to apply gentle hands-on techniques to the internal organs. This is aimed at improving their function, but can also help your body move and feel better.” In addition to postpartum work, VM can aid in digestive health, relaxation, and better movement throughout the body. “I’m excited to bring this work to clients to not only improve functioning, but also embodied self-awareness that really makes a long-term difference,” Christopher
“OUR BODIES ARE AMAZING, AND AFTER MY FIRST HOME BIRTH I REALIZED PREPARING FOR BIRTH IS LIKE TRAINING FOR THE MOST INTENSE WORKOUT YOU WILL EVER HAVE. ”
says. “I’m pairing up with Sandra Helpsmeet at the Yoga Center of Eau Claire to incorporate yoga techniques and visualizations with hands-on techniques in workshops and individual sessions.” If you are most comfortable in a clinic setting, physical therapy may help you understand the shifts you’ve experienced and how to work with your postpartum body.
While caring for an infant, it can be hard to get a true sense of what your needs are. There is very little alone time to contemplate and focus on yourself, compounded by having very little time to take action on what your needs may be. It often gets to a point of fatigue or breakdown before women can recognize that something needs to change for them. By highlighting what is available to women, we can encourage them to seek help earlier on in the first few months of motherhood so they feel supported and can soldier on. “Early intervention is key for treatment success, so letting women know that we are
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here and can help them is vital,” Stephanie says. That said, treatment is possible at any time. Taking into consideration which approach to care may be best for you, you can work on rehabilitation of the body months or years after childbearing. Stephanie elaborates on the commitment needed: “Timeline can be variable, dependent on severity of symptoms as well as other medical factors. While all therapists have their own approach, generally starting with once-weekly visits to establish tolerance to treatment, changes in symptoms, and assisting with challenges that may affect success. In terms of treating incontinence, we may see patients every two to three weeks to give them time to work on a home program.” As wonderful as it is to seek and receive professional help, what simple things can you do to make things easier on yourself? Stephanie has more great suggestions: “Can you keep a few pillows near the area you normally feed baby, to keep your arms propped and avoid hunching the upper back? Are you keeping up with your water intake, and taking bathroom breaks regularly to try avoiding urinary tract infections or constipation? It is easy to forget the little things in the postpartum phase.”