Postpartum Care
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Are you feeling overwhelmed? Look no further, support is here.
I believe the postpartum women is sadly underserved in our culture today. I love to be a resource for you to have the birth AND recovery you want and deserve. A single visit at 6 weeks postpartum is simply not enough after all the changes and work your body has gone through. To optimize the health of women and infants, postpartum care should be an ongoing process, not a single check-in.
Some say pregnancy is a marathon if that is the case the postpartum period is the second leg of the race. The “fourth trimester” is real, and new mamas need to take care of themselves as well as their families. Postpartum services and support should be tailored to each women's individual needs.
Why is Chiropractic Care Important Postpartum?
It has been shown that chiropractic adjustments quicken recovery time by assisting the body in normalizing pelvic and spinal biomechanics and can not only help you overcome the postural issues created in caring for your new baby but also to reduce muscular tension and misalignment that can occur so easily during childbirth.
Meeting with a chiropractor who specialized in perinatal care can provide you with the needed focused attention to heal more quickly and more completely, giving you the tailored care you deserve.
Whether you are suffering from pelvic, low back or hip pain, neck and upper back discomfort, core weakness and instability, pelvic floor weakness or incontinence, or some emotional support and compassion I am here to support and care for YOU.
Momcore – Diastasis Recti Rehabilitation Program
If you feel like you could use some help re-building strength and safely healing from the labor of birth, you’re not alone.
You may have noticed that following pregnancy you have looser joints and less muscular strength than you had before your pregnancy. This was important to make room for your baby, but it can also lead to instability in your core and pelvis.
There is a group of muscles that encircle the core that are primarily responsible for holding you up. These muscles act as a natural corset, and the function of these muscles is to hold you up. When this muscle is strong and active, it is your major postural muscle, holds your organs up and in, and provides stability for your spine. A weak or inactive core can lead to weakness, instability and pain, a bulging tummy, an increased risk of hernia, and contribute to issues involving the digestive track, menstrual cycle, and pelvic floor.
Momcore is the resource for new moms looking for support and care during this challenging time. This core rehab program is designed to be a progressive 6 session treatment that can easily be tailored to fit your individual needs.
In Praise of Momcore
"The progression of the [Momcore] program was very good. [We] started with awareness and triggering of the core and progressed to great strengthening exercises. Weekly sessions worked well for me- it also got me out of the house with the baby which for me is sometimes difficult to do on my own if I have nothing specific scheduled/planned so I think it was good socially/emotionally for me as well! I feel stronger and more aware of my core now. Dr. Jewell’s handouts were helpful."
-Momcore patient
Pelvic Floor Rehab
Your pelvic floor (PF) is the foundation of your core. It supports your pelvic organs, is the base for your core muscle contraction, and the energy source of your womb space.
The pelvic floor consists of a woven basket-like group of muscles that consists of 2 layers. Your deeper slow twitch fibers that are your endurance fibers used to support your organs and act as the base of your core throughout the day. As well as your more superficial layer of fast twitch fibers that are used for quick rapid contractions such as sneezing, jumping, lifting and going to the bathroom.
Muscles in the body such as our shoulders and back can hold tension and lack strength, our pelvic floor muscles are no different. With all of the advances in medicine, routine women’s health still only consists of an annual pap smear with no regular attention to their pelvic bowl. While many women have experienced pain or discomfort in the area either postpartum or for a multitude of other reasons, there is a widespread lack of awareness both culturally and for many women individually.
There are 2 types of pelvic floor dysfunction: hypertonicity and tension in the PF muscles or hypotonicity and weakness in the PF muscles.
Common signs of pelvic floor dysfunction are:
◆ Incontinence: An inability to get to the bathroom in time or involuntary leakage (usually with laughing, sneezing or jumping)
◆ Prolapse: a heaviness, bulging or increase pressure in the vaginal canal.
◆ Pelvic instability: pubic symphysis, tail bone or sacroiliac joint pain
◆ Constipation or difficulty in emptying bowels.
◆ Pain with sex or general disconnect.
◆ Deep low back pain, vaginal pain or rectum pain.
I use a holistic approach of treating these muscles based off your comfort level. Pelvic Floor work can be a vital resource in addressing pelvic discomfort. As you may guess, this work may bring up varied emotional responses, and this is considered normal for this work. Any concerns you have in regards to this work will always be addressed before we begin, and internal work will only be done if you are comfortable with it on each day of your visit. Treatment is carried out through gentle intravaginal massage technique combined with restorative breathing techniques, and internal queuing of strengthening exercises. If you are not comfortable with internal work, there is a myriad of work and verbal queuing that can be done externally and without touch to still affect great change. This process can be of benefit for all stages of a woman’s life, helping to reestablish strength and synergy in the pelvic musculature, increase blood flow to the pelvic organs, and help decrease problematic symptoms.
