In this episode I sit down with a client of mine named Elaine and her midwife, Vanessa. Elaine came to see me during her pregnancy with the goal to be proactive by knowing how to support her changing body during pregnancy, prepare for her birth and understand ways to recover successfully.
I will never forget hearing her pride when telling me how she was able to apply everything she learned to her birth. 
Vanessa discusses how Elaine’s body awareness and mind/body connection helped her get through her long 2nd stage of labour without requiring interventions. 

Our goal for this episode is to:
Bring awareness to how women can play an active roll in their birth experience

Elaine Sauve is newly postpartum and a first time mom to her beautiful daughter Aislyn.  She is an osteopathic practitioner and loves working with moms & babies herself. 

Vanessa Samur is registered midwife at Malachite Midwives in Kelowna, BC Canada.  She is passionate about reproductive health and about providing respectful, evidence-based care that supports clients and families to make informed choices about their care. She lives on a farm with her partner and two boys, Levon and Auggie.

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

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In this episode I sit down with Tamarah Nerreter, a fellow pelvic health physio and mom to 4, all born via c-section. 

Our goals were to help expecting moms understand:

• Cesearan birth isn’t “the easy way out”
• Cesearn birth is not “less of a birth”
• You have a right to choose your birth
• There are several ways you can prepare physically and mentally for a c-section. 
• Going into birth feeling prepared and with a plan in place for postpartum recovery can have great benefits. 
• Some tips and tricks that you may not have heard about

C-section Readiness and Recovery Webinar created by Tamarah and myself:

C-section Readiness and Recovery Webinar

Tamarah Nerreter, a physiotherapist since 2007 has a multitude of certifications in the areas of women’s health, perinatal care, diastasis, pediatric incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain and the list goes on. She believes in a holistic, whole body approach, empowering the individual through education, treatment and exercise. She practices at her own clinic, Bodynamics Physiotherapy in Vancouver/Delta BC Canada. 

You can find more from Tamarah here:

Website: https://www.bodynamicspt.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodynamicspt/

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

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Here is a sneak peak of what we discuss in this episode:

• What is Hypnobirthing?
• Do I lose control of myself?
• Can I use Hypnobirthing in a hospital setting?
• What role does my partner play?
• How do I learn the techniques?

Our goal for this episode is to:
Help you feel informed about your options for birth preparation.

Stephanie Mundle is a certified Hypnobirthing® childbirth educator, a registered professional counsellor, a birth doula and a mom of three. Her core belief is “ your body, your baby, your birth” She believes each birthing individual and their family deserve the opportunity to be heard, to be presented with evidence based information and to ultimately have the pregnancy and birth experience they desire. 

Links to contact Stephanie:

email:  [email protected]
Website: www.wovenbirthservices.ca

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

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Awareness of perineal massage is on the rise. In this episode, I sit down with Meghan MacKenzie, a registered midwife from Community Midwives in Kelowna BC to discuss:

• What the research says about perineal massage
• The goals of perineal massage
• How I teach perineal massage (as a physiotherapist)
• The benefits of learning more about your perineum
• Ways that your care provider can help you relax your perineum during birth
• The benefits of perineal massage postpartum

Our goal for this episode is to:
Help you feel informed about your options for birth preparation.

Meghan is a Registered Midwife with Community Midwives Kelowna and has been working with women and families in the Okanagan area for the past 5 years.  She loves supporting women and families through their pregnancy and birth journeys and feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside some amazing inter-professional colleagues here in Kelowna.

How to contact Meghan:
Website: www.communitymidwiveskelowna.com
Instagram: @communitymidwiveskelowna
Facebook: Community Midwives Kelowna

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

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Here is a sneak peak of the topics we covered in this episode:

• Each person’s decision to have tummy tuck surgery is their own. We are sharing our own story and decision making process
• The mix of emotions and stigma surrounding the abdominoplasty AKA “tummy tuck”
• Choosing the right surgeon for you is very important
• Preparation before 
• Recovery timeline

Our goal for this episode is to:

Discuss our personal experience from the eyes of a personal trainer (Lisa) and myself (physiotherapist).

Lisa Ryan is a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer and a Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Coach. She works with clients that are pregnant, postpartum, experiencing chronic pain, and/or recovering from abdominal surgeries. 

Find Lisa’s free downloadable resources here:

Tummy Tuck Recovery
First 3 steps to navigating surgery and what questions to ask here

Website: www.lisa-ryan.com

Instagram: @lisa.marie.ryan

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

Follow me on:

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Here is a sneak peak of the questions we answer in this episode:

• What is diastasis rectus abdominis?
• Who does it affect?
• Why does the space between the abdominal muscles increase during pregnancy?
• What happens to that stretch after baby is born?
• Where should women start with postpartum recovery to address diastasis?
• What is the goal of ‘diastasis recovery’?
• Does the gap matter as much as we think it does?
• When is physical therapy NOT enough to address diastasis?

Our goal for this episode is to:

Help you better understand diastasis, know how to address it and most importantly, feel less nervous. 

Munira is a Pre- and Post-Natal Physiotherapist situated in Canada with a passion for helping those with diastasis rectus abdominis. After years of frustration in landing inconsistent results with her clients, she began to challenge the conventional method to managing DRA. She realized that part of the inconsistent results came down to how DRA was being conceptualized. With several tweaks to her approach, she started practicing with a different set of principles and this translated into improved outcomes. She is now passionately committed to transferring this knowledge to both professionals and patients so they can finally make sense of the steps to take when navigating this condition.

How to contact Munira:
Free Guide can be found here: https://www.munirahudanipt.com/

Couse For Professionals: https://bit.ly/3pSymoA 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/munirahudanipt/

YouTube- The Diastasis Rectus Abdominis Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYPrSNWcjFNP3EpukjWQZ6w

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery with considerations for diastasis: https://mommyberries.com

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This episode is for all you pregnant moms who are experiencing low back pain, pelvic pain and SI joint pain. 
If you search google for answers, you will find terms like:

• Pubic symphysis dysfunction
• SI joint instability
• Pelvic floor laxity

The problem with these terms is that they sound scary and make it expecting moms feel nervous to exercise or even move. 
My guest this episode is Anna Marie Gierach, a perinatal chiropractor at Alta Vie in Kelowna BC.

Our goal for this episode is to help you:

• better understand why it is common for pregnant and postpartum women to have these aches and pains
• take away the fear
• create a plan that works for you

Anna Marie Gierach is a Kelowna mamma and kiddo chiropractor with a focus in pre-conception, pregnancy, post-natal and pediatric care of infants and young kiddos. Clinically, she blends her intuitive capacity to connect with people, chiropractic techniques, soft tissue therapies, and movement-based rehab to help families through these life transitions and stages.

Here are some of my pregnancy support belts and bands:

Mom-Ez support belt for pregnancy (I recommend this for moms feeling SI joint pain, pubic symphysis pain)
Angel Care support band ( I recommend this one when pain isn’t as much the issue, but you have the feeling of needing support for your heavy belly)

Links to contact Anna Marie:

Alta Vie’s website: https://altaviehealth.com/
To book with Anna Marie: https://altaviehealth.janeapp.com/#/staff_member/11
Follow Alta Vie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altaviehealth/?hl=en

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

Follow me on:

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Facebook

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Pelvic floor physical therapy is not such a secret any more but there is still mystery around why it may be beneficial during pregnancy. 

In this episode, I sat down with a fellow pelvic health physical therapist, Corinne Wade from Kare Physiotherapy to discuss the many benefits to starting before baby comes:

Pain - “ I am experiencing symptoms that affect my day to day movements or exercise”

Proactive - “I want to support my body during pregnancy, prepare for birth and have a postpartum recovery plan”

Previous experience - “I did this once before and I want to improve my experience this time”

Our goal for this episode is to give you a taste of how we can support you and then leave it up to you to decide if this sounds like it would be the right fit for you. 

Corinne Wade is a registered physiotherapist with 25 years' experience in pelvic floor physiotherapy.  She has worked in both the USA and Canada.  She is the proud owner of her own Pelvic Health clinic in Kelowna, BC called Kare Physiotherapy,   She treats conditions such as urinary/fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain and sexual health issues for all genders.  Corinne is passionate about mythbusting and breaking the taboos around topics such as poo, pee and sex!

How to find Corinne:

Kare Physiotherapy, in Kelowna, BC

Follow Corinne Instagram

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

Follow me on:

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Support the show

When asked what they know about their pelvic floor, most clients would say “umm I don’t know… kegels?” 

I wanted to kick off this podcast the same way I start with most of my clients. I put a call out in my instagram community for 2 women who had never seen a pelvic health physical therapist and who felt clueless about their pelvic floor. 

Join them in this episode to see how much you can gain from some simple verbal instructions. 

Thank you to my guests: 

Sarah from Regina Saskatchewan who is expecting her first baby and curious to know how the pelvic floor relates to birth 

 and 

Lauren from Kelowna British Columbia who is 4 months postpartum and wanting to return to exercise, but feeling she cannot trust her body. 

Key Points:

• A bit about me
• Why is the pelvic floor so mysterious?
• Introduce Sarah and Lauren who both feel clueless about their pelvic floor
• Walk through exercise to help you understand where your pelvic floor and how to feel a proper kegel and relaxation
• Why is this relevant?
• What’s next?

Thanks for joining me! Here is where you can find more:

my online course to walk you through pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery: https://mommyberries.com

Follow me on:

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Support the show

Pregnant and overwhelmed with information and how to apply it to yourself?  Looking to have an empowered birth experience?  New mom and disappointed by the lack of guidance to help you recover?  Wanting to learn about how to nurture the only body you will ever have?  This podcast is FOR you!  I'm a mom of two, an entrepreneur and a physical therapist.  As a mom I have experienced the lack of support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.  This is what lead me to further my education and develop a special interest in helping women.  In this podcast I am going to talk to a wide range of health care practitioners who work specifically with women to bring you evidence based information that you can put into practice immediately.  I am excited to see the changes we can bring.  

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