Recommended Podcasts:
Bits of Me – A podcast about women’s bodies, all the things we should know about them, and all the stories behind them.
Why Mums Don’t Jump – Honest chat about incontinence, prolapse and pelvic pain. Not a trampoline in sight. Helen Ledwick meets other mums who are struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction and hears from the health professionals who live and breathe pelvic floors.
The Stoma Swimmer – Gill Castle lives with a stoma as a result of childbirth injury. This inspiring podcast tells her story of PTSD and recovery, and her quest to become the first person with a stoma to swim across the Channel.
The Honest Postnatal Podcast – Postnatal recovery can be a hard time for many mums, especially after a 3rd or 4th degree tear. Join ‘Natalie’ postnatal specialist and mum of 2 as she asks mums to open up and share their honest postpartum stories. This is the podcast for you if you’re struggling during this postnatal period and would like to feel less alone and need a dose of hope.
At Your Cervix – A podcast dedicated to pelvic health issues such as incontinence, pelvic pain or sexual dysfunction affecting both men and women. Shrouded in stigma, these issues are often poorly understood and considered embarrassing or taboo resulting in a delay accessing help. Gráinne Donnelly and Emma Brockwell are two pelvic health physiotherapists on a mission to myth bust, empower and educate the public and health and fitness professionals about pelvic health.
Recommended Books:
The Day My Vagina Broke by Stephanie Thompson
The Day My Vagina Broke tells the story of Stephanie Thompson’s journey to motherhood, and of medical professionals who dismissed her fears and concerns. The author writes openly about her traumatic birth, and the ongoing physical, emotional and physiological impacts of her injuries. But it is also a story of hope, courage and heart that explores ways to adjust and live with a new reality, and to finally find a way to begin to heal. It’s essential reading for all mothers and the professionals charged with caring for them.
Why Did No One Tell Me? by Emma Brockwell
For too long, women have been told that debilitating conditions following pregnancy are normal, to be expected, and something to just put up with. Emma Brockwell is on a mission to change this. Having been through two difficult pregnancies herself, Emma combines her expertise as a specialist women’s health physiotherapist with personal experience to create a warm, honest, informative and essential handbook to help pregnant women and new mums take control and care for their changing bodies. Find out how to:
– Protect your pelvic floor
– Heal effectively from birth – both vaginal deliveries and caesarean sections
– Tackle common and treatable post-birth problems
– Exercise safely after birth
Every woman has the right to be informed and this empowering guide gives you all the tools you need to look after your amazing body throughout motherhood.
When Luce Brett became incontinent at the age of 30, after the birth of her first son, she felt her life had ended. She also felt scared, upset, embarrassed and shocked. How the hell had she ended up there, the youngest woman in the waiting room at the incontinence clinic?
Luce Brett is a writer and health advocate who lives in the UK. She started writing about women’s health, bodies and taboo after the birth of her second baby. Like many women born in an analogue age her sex and body education was a combined effort – she learned about her nether regions from magazines, other peoples’ big sisters and Tampax leaflets. This meant she wasn’t brilliantly prepared for the realities of childbirth.
Passionate about feminism, healthcare, and smashing the stigma around women’s bodies she has spoken about her condition, and also the wider impact of taboo in women’s healthcare, and become a respected spokesperson on the issue of incontinence that affects around 1 in 3 women in the UK.
Why Mums Don’t Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo by Helen Ledwick
When Helen Ledwick discovered she had a prolapse after the birth of her second child, she was devastated, not just by the constant discomfort but also by the pervasive shame she felt and the lack of available information and support. When she learned that one in three women have pelvic floor disorders, she was horrified…and determined to do something about it.
Following on from the success of her taboo-busting podcast of the same name, in this warm, factual and anecdote-rich look at a taboo subject, Helen shares her story along with those of many other women. From postpartum care to incontinence, with expert advice on returning to sport, the impact on sex and intimacy, and having another baby after pelvic floor injury, Why Mums Don’t Jump is a groundbreaking book that will have readers laughing, crying and cringing as finally women come together to break the stigma around pelvic floor issues.
After Birth: What Nobody Tells You – How to Recover Body and Mind by Jessica Hatcher-Moore
While there is a wealth of advice for new mums on caring for their babies the same is not true for postpartum health. Fulfilling this vital need, After Birth is the ultimate postnatal primer for women facing changes to their bodies after having a baby. Featuring a chapter on ‘Pelvic Floor, Incontinence, Prolapse and Pain’ and featuring the work of MASIC, this book also addresses issues great and small – from hair loss and stretch marks, to bladder and bowel leaks, painful sex, diastasis recti and mental health. Researcher and writer Jessica Hatcher-Moore brings together straight-talking advice on preparation for childbirth, healing, and recovery in the weeks, months and even years that follow. She also offers insights for partners, whose role is often overlooked at this critical time. Blending knowledge from the full spectrum of modern and traditional therapies with honest experiences from mothers, here is balanced advice with no agenda. Taking a broad look at what we can do for ourselves at home, and also when to seek expert help, After Birth will reassure, inform and empower women to reclaim their post-birth bodies.
Your Pelvic Floor by Kim Vopni
This is the first pelvic floor health book aimed at ALL women, including trans women, outlining the importance of understanding your pelvic floor and how it impacts on overall health, fitness and wellbeing for life – not just around pregnancy and childbirth. This book outlines symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, and shows you how to fix them.
- What is pelvic organ prolapse which 50% of women will experience and can it be prevented?
- Urinary incontinence is treatable with physio. Women on average suffer symptoms for 7 years before going to a healthcare professional which has a huge effect on mental health.
- Pelvic floor issues are often only talked about in relation to pregnancy and childbirth. This is not just a ”mum issue”: high impact exercise (running, HIIT, CrossFit) affect the pelvic floor. Young athletes/gymnasts who have never had children are highly likely to suffer from incontinence.
Women should not accept dysfunction as a ”normal part of being a woman”, but instead need to prioritize their pelvic floor health – this book shows that it is never too early and, crucially, never too late to do so.
Perhaps you had a difficult birth. Hopefully, you have a healthy baby. That, after all, is the most important thing. Or is it? So why are you struggling to move on? Why do you keep thinking about the birth or replaying it in your mind? Why do you feel guilty when other people say ‘at least you have a healthy baby’? In Birth Shock, perinatal clinical psychologist Mia Scotland explains clearly what can be harmful about birth, how birth trauma can affect mothers, fathers and health professionals, and why it seems to be on the rise.
If you are suffering from the effects of a difficult birth, even if the birth doesn’t sound bad to others, then this book is for you. Perhaps the birth was really bad and your baby isn’t okay. Perhaps you are a partner who feels traumatised, or you are a midwife or a doctor. In these pages you will find:
- a clear, concise, psychological explanation of what birth trauma actually is
- discussion of what causes birth trauma
- clear tips and advice on how to put yourself on the path to recovery
Birth Shock draws on what we know about trauma, PTSD and the nature of birth and maternity systems to show how you can take steps toward letting go of any guilt, self-blame or confusion that you may be feeling.
If you suffer from an agonizing and emotionally stressful pelvic floor disorder, including pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, prostatitis, incontinence, or discomfort during sex, urination, or bowel movements, it’s time to alleviate your symptoms and start healing–without drugs or surgery. Natural cures, in the form of exercise, nutrition, massage, and self-care therapy, focus on the underlying cause of your pain, heal your condition, and stop your pain forever.
This book gets to the root of your disorder with:
- A stretching, muscle-strengthening, and massage program you can do at home
- Guidelines on foods that will ease your discomfort
- Suggestions for stress- and pain-reducing home spa treatments
- Exercises for building core strength and enhancing sexual pleasure
You matter. Your body matters.
Pregnancy and birth may be everyday occurrences, but they are not easy, and the after-affects can be wide-ranging and sometimes difficult to live with. Taking care of your physical and mental health is paramount, not only because a healthy, happy you will be more able to cope with the demands of parenthood, but because you are still the whole human being you were before you conceived, and you deserve to recover and thrive. With proper care postnatally, we can strengthen and support our bodies to recover – and maintain optimal physical health for life.
This book aims to hold your hand and lift you up as you navigate your new body, giving you information to help you to relish motherhood, not just survive it. It deals comprehensively with the common bodily changes you may experience after birth, explaining what is normal and what may need attention.
Research and interviews with health experts are complemented by women’s experiences of how they overcame a range of physical challenges postpartum, including stories that often go untold. The book does not shy away from tackling the hardest aspects of postnatal recovery, but aims to be hopeful and genuinely helpful.
