Considerations for Postpartum Recovery With Scoliosis With Dr. Mary Grimberg
As a pelvic health therapist, Dr. Mary Grimberg works in tandem with general orthopedic physical therapy. Specifically, she works with the pelvic floor, which is a set of muscles shaped like a hammock that holds all of the pelvic organs, including the uterus and rectum.
With three layers comprising this muscle structure, Mary examines how the pelvic floor works on its own and along with your diaphragm. Together, these muscle structures work in unison. As the diaphragm contracts, the pelvic floor relaxes, and vice versa.
While most people think of pelvic floor therapy as just Kegels… it’s very much not! In fact, this covers a wide range of exercises you can do to strengthen the pelvic floors, both before and after birth.
Breastfeeding with Scoliosis
Beyond the internal issues, lots of new mothers with scoliosis are worried about breastfeeding. Here’s what Mary suggests you do:
Breastfeed from both sides
Make sure you’re in a comfortable position (without hunching)
Have the baby’s face and feet facing you
Of course, we’re not going to be perfect. There are times when you’re not going to be in an optimal position for breastfeeding. But what Mary tells patients to do is to start with what you can. Try and sit up as straight as possible while using pillows as support.
On top of that, most moms feed their baby with their head and feet facing up — but it’s actually healthier for both mom and baby if the baby is facing you.
Wearing Your Baby
So many of us with scoliosis have a hip glide — which might seem like the perfect shelf to hold the baby on! However, that’s just going to cause more asymmetry.
Now, it might be totally unrealistic to try and carry baby equally on both sides. Moms don’t have time to think about which side they’re carrying baby on! Try to be aware of it while you can. But you can also do strengthening and stability exercises to help with your day-to-day ability.
Train up the other side to balance out your hips. Be careful about how strong you are from side to side!
This also goes for carrying your baby’s car seat. And those things can be heavy! The reality with this situation is that it’s all about practice and training.
Focus on balance and training each side to be equally strong. This way, when you’re carrying a 20-pound car seat for two hours, your body will be both prepared and balanced.
Inner Repair
With pregnancy, there’s no getting around the fact that, for 9 months, your muscles are stretched and extended in ways they’ve never been before. So you’re not going to just bounce back and be able to look or feel the same as you did before your pregnancy.
The biggest thing here is to give yourself time. Every body and situation is going to be completely different. But the good news?
It’s never all or nothing.
Yes, some things might be more difficult to do after pregnancy, and potentially forever. Maybe you can’t do a crunch the way you used to. Instead of trying to force yourself back into the old exercises you used to do pre-baby, pull back and gradually progress. Modify your crunches and planks. Take time off of running. Work on simple exercises that support your future fitness goals.
For example, if you want to get back to running 3 miles a day, it’s not going to happen instantly. And trying to run right off the bat is not a safe way to recover.
Instead, do small exercises to practice your balance, then your muscle strength, etc. and work your way back up to running.
Painful Intercourse After Birth
Painful intercourse can be a symptom of scoliosis, and it can also happen after birth.
Pelvic pain after penetrative sex is extremely multi-faceted. And is it all due to birth? Not always!
Lack of Foreplay
First and foremost, so much of our media is geared toward men… which means we automatically ignore the part the clitoris plays in sex and readiness. If your clitoris doesn’t receive any stimulation or foreplay prior to sex, there are a whole slew of inner changes your muscles don’t actually go through, including lengthening and relaxing. This can lead to pain with penetration.
It’s kind of like trying to put a tampon in when you’re not on your period — ouch!
Vaginal Dryness
You’ll know if your pain is due to vaginal dryness if you feel like there is burning or micro-abrasions. Sometimes, this can happen with breastfeeding, cancer treatment, birth control, and peri-menopause.
If it’s a lubrication issue, there’s plenty you can do! There are lubricant applicators that function like a tampon — you basically fill it with lubricant, insert it, and push the lubricant into your vagina. This works so much better than a surface lubricant, which often doesn’t combat vaginal dryness.
There are also hyaluronic acid tablets, called Reverie, you can insert throughout the day to help with overall dryness.
Lastly, you can talk to your OBGYN about getting on estrogen.
Tearing During Childbirth
If you think of the vagina like a clock, with the clitoris at 12 o’clock and the anus at 6, most women will tear somewhere around the 5-7 o’clock. Sometimes, when this area scars, sexual penetration can hurt when you first start to move the scar tissue.
Sexual Trauma
Unfortunately, sexual trauma can also lead to pain during sex. Unlike some of the others listed here, this one will need the aid of not only a doctor or pelvic floor therapist, but a psychologist or psychiatrist as well.
Stress
Oh yeah. What happens when we’re stressed? We contract our muscles. And as you can imagine… contracted muscles don’t lead to easy penetration.
Luckily, each one of these can be treated through therapy, physical therapy, and medical intervention when necessary.
Learn more about pelvic health and postpartum recovery from Dr. Mary
A big thanks to Mary for sharing her wisdom and expertise in all things pelvic health. As you prepare to give birth with scoliosis, keep in mind all of the considerations for after baby comes, too. This will help you recover faster and with much less pain, which is always the goal!
Mary is so passionate about the pelvic floor and our bodies, and it really showed through in our conversation! If you’d like to learn more about her, she will be releasing a book in 2023, and has resources on her Instagram and website!
