“After the birth of my son, I developed bladder prolapse. That’s when I discovered pelvic floor physiotherapy. In addition to a hands-on treatment, Anniken taught me how and when to effectively do Kegel exercises, and how to correct my posture and alignment, which had a big impact on my recovery. Everything went back to normal within a few months.   … until my 2nd pregnancy, less than a year after my son was born! This time, the prolapse symptoms started about 4 months into the pregnancy. By starting pelvic floor physiotherapy early, I was able to rectify the prolapse through a program of easy stretches which took me about 15-20 min each day. After a couple of months it was improved and I felt no pain or discomfort for the remainder of the pregnancy. My recovery from my 2nd labour was also much faster than my 1st, thanks to all the “prepping” work.”

- pregnant with prolapse

Being a first-time expectant mom I had heard plenty of stories from friends about struggling with “dribbles” postpartum. I knew that I didn’t want this but had no idea what I should be doing to prevent it.  When a friend mentioned the workshop for optimizing birth and birth recovery with Anniken I was eager to attend.  Through the 1.5h session I learnt easy everyday movements that could help not only prevent dribbles but also contribute to a more comfortable labour.  I left feeling empowered in my new understanding of contributing factors to post pregnancy incontinence and in my ability to take action to prevent this.  I also left with an understanding of when to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist and what I could expect from this.  I have recommended this workshop to all my pregnant friends.

- birth prep workshop attendee

I was very active up to and through my pregnancy.  I did all the things I read about to prepare, kegels, squats, yoga, stretching. When baby came, I felt good but over the next couple months, between breastfeeding and lifting, I started leaking while running, jumping and even sneezing.

As I am very active and I didn’t want to wear (and fill!) a pad for the rest of my life. I thought that leaking was only because of kegels so I went to Physio thinking I needed to up my training game. Instead, Anniken treated my ribs, neck and upper back due to some alignment issues and I saw huge improvements immediately (I mean walking out of the clinic!).  We spent a few months tweaking it such that even when I run for an hour or jump in fitness classes, I don’t feel at risk of leaking.

- very fit & active new mum

After a year post partum with my first I felt like something wasn’t right. I scheduled an appointment with Anniken and learned that I had prolapse. It was prolapse of the bladder and the rectum. It was stage 2 so not physically noticeable to me, but the dull ache and uncomfortable feelings it gave me had a huge impact on my lifestyle and my well being. I couldn’t workout, lift my toddler or even do some day to day tasks without feeling a dull ache. I was very active and fit before having my baby so I was devastated. Also, I wanted another baby but couldn’t imagine what that would mean for my poor pelvic floor. Through correcting my posture, learning to breath correctly, changing my bathroom habits, and doing 15 minutes of exercises and stretches daily I almost completely reversed my symptoms. I got to a place were I was feeling so good that I decided to have another baby. Throughout my pregnancy I did exercises and stretches daily, focused on meditation and breathing to keep my muscles relaxed and functioning properly. I had a very successful, home birth. My pelvic floor was temporarily weak of course but with the support from Anniken I was able to get my pelvic floor back to the place it was prior to having my second baby. I will always have to pay attention and take care of myself using the advice I have gained from physiotherapy–but I now have the tools and knowledge to keep my pelvic floor as healthy as possible. Thanks to Physiotherapy and Anniken specifically I have a much brighter outlook on my lifestyle for the future.

- Mom of 2, 36 years old, prolapse