Day By Day with Doctor K

I am SO excited to announce a joint venture partnership between myself and Burn Boot Camp- Poway CA] 🎉💙 🎉

It is an extra special honor for me as I have been able to watch these fab franchise partners (, , and ) work their booties 🍑 off to create such an amazing community with not only 1 but now 2 locations!

I’m beyond thrilled to join this crew and to start spreading the PT love, education and guidance to your BURN community blue heart 💙🤓💪🏻

Please join us 4/2/22 @ 8-11am to celebrate Burn Boot Camp- Poway CA] ‘s RE-Grand Opening mentioned in the above post ☝🏻
where I will be offering FREE 15 minute consultations as well as 3 free PT sessions to 3 lucky raffle winners 🎟

Hope to see you there 🤗

My first ever doula clients and their baby girl Nellie 🧡



Repost ⬇️ :

Nellie Wynn Merriam 1/18/2022

Disclaimer: If you don’t like blood then don’t swipe!

On Tuesday morning I woke up about 4:45 am to some mild cramping. Never in a million years would I have thought, just 3 hours later, 8:36 am I’d be in our bathroom with Mike catching our baby.

You learn very quickly while pregnant you shouldn’t be attached to your birth plan. This was definitely not our plan but it’s the best possible outcome I could imagine for Nellie! A girl knows what she wants 🤗

Couldn’t have done this without and our amazing doula !

Mama 🤰🏽 we made it!
DONA doula training complete ✅
Feeling thankful and oh so full of knowledge 🧠 Excited to help some soon-to-be mamas in their pregnancy journey😁

LET’S TALK OPTIONS❕

Did you know that laboring/delivering doesn’t have to be done on your back???

In fact current research shows that delivering on your back (lithotomy position) can make it more challenging for the baby to descend through the pelvis AND increases your risk of TEARING! 🤯🤯🤯

Now with that being said there is of course a need for the lithotomy position in certain scenarios and you should always do what is deemed best medically for both you and your baby BUT if all is well ASK QUESTIONS!

Talk to your CARE TEAM and discuss your OPTIONS.

Maybe you want to SQUAT?
Maybe you want to sit slightly RECLINED?
Maybe you want your parter to help hold your leg in SIDE LYING?
Maybe you want to be on ALL FOURS?

It’s time we become more informed and advocate for ourselves. And it doesn’t hurt to find a care team that will have your back too 👩🏼‍⚕️👨🏽‍⚕️

Talk to your local pelvic health PT TODAY about options for birthing positions.

•Start to make a plan/preference
•PRACTICE those positions and see what’s most comfortable for you
•PRACTICE BEARING DOWN in those positions
•Bring your partner in for a session 👫🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏾Teach them how to help you so that you’re both as prepared as you can be for the big moment🤱🏽

Practice makes perfect!

Drop a ❕HELL YA❕below if this info was new to you!

- - - C-section - - -

🗣What is it?

A surgical procedure involving a cut to the lower abdomen including the skin, fascia, and uterus.

🗣Do they cut through the abdominals?

Not usually however they do make a cut ✂️ to the abdominal fascia which can often worsen a Diastasis Recti (DRA) and cause difficulty with abdominal recruitment down the road.

🗣Why do birthing persons sometimes need/want one?

A decision for a c-section is often made when the birth is considered medically high risk for baby or mama or if the baby’s head is to large 😬 or mama’s pelvis too small.

🗣How long do doctors recommend resting before full return to daily activities?

6-8 weeks. 🥴

🗣Do doctors recommend PT after c-sections?

Some do! 👏👏🏾👏🏻 BUT it is not the standard of care unfortunately. 😤

Sometimes you have to ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF. 🙋🏻‍♀️

A c-section is a serious surgery that requires adequate tissue healing with appropriate scar tissue mobility and the ability to hold tension in said tissue against heavy loads.

You’re going to be carrying around an ever-growing 4-limbed dumbbell 👶 24/7 for goodness sake!

Why shouldn’t you have the opportunity to heal and strengthen just like a post-operative knee does in an orthopedic setting?

❕BTW a post-op ACL (ligament in the knee) reconstruction is always referred to PT and is usually seen 2x/week for 3-4 months MINIMUM❕

Are you shook? 😱 Because you should be.

🗣So what do we do?

EDUCATE AND ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF.

Women’s health PT’s are out here doing our best but let’s help each other spread the word 👍🏻

You don’t need to figure it out on your own.

You’re not expected to be “normal” and back to all activities, pain free (and without leakage 💦) in 6 weeks.

And you don’t need to do it alone.

WE HERE FOR YOU 🤗

pelvichealth

and the rest will follow ☺️

Let’s talk about B A L A N C E.

I workout, I eat right, I eat wrong, I spend an entire day on the 🛋 taking < 500 steps in a day (try it...it’s an accomplishment), I drink all the water💧, I drink all the mezcal 🥃 ... I sleep a lot, I don’t sleep enough.

I struggle with guilt for eating the wrong things. I struggle with guilt for being lazy☝🏻day out of the week. But you know what?

I LOVE sleep, I LOVE being lazy sometimes and I LOVE macaroni and 🧀 . Not a single serving but the WHOLE DAMN BOX.

We deserve to treat ourselves every once in a while and we don’t need to feel guilty about it.

Now let’s add to that. As stated above, I am for sure team treatyoself BUT I am also team healyoself.

As I continue to grow as a human and push further into my career as a PT👩🏼‍⚕️I learn more about what my body needs to make ME feel good.

Sometimes that can mean a long walk out in the fresh air, a solid gym sesh or a nice home cooked meal 🥘

Food has and always will be a passion of mine. But some foods just weren’t working for me anymore and I couldn’t figure out why.

I tried conventional medicine which resulted in a colonoscopy at age 21. And what did that colonoscopy show? NADA.

After feeling a bit discouraged I decided to look into Naturopathic Medicine 🌱

My doctor listened to every detail involving my past medical history and symptoms. I word vomited ALL OVER her. But she took it like a champ.

Fast forward 2 years, I am still working on my health journey and I am learning a TON.

Do I stick to the exact plan she’s given me 100% of the time? No. But I do my best.

I still love macaroni and cheese
I still give myself a cheat day
but DAMN do I feel good.

Moral of the story📖: If you’re feeling like you’ve got some health questions that aren’t quite being solved by Western medicine, consider talking to a Naturopath and take the next step on your own health journey.

Disclaimer ⚠️ : I am NOT discounting the benefits and ABSOLUTE need for Western medicine but consider trying a little of both worlds. When in doubt, do some research!

Ever wonder why you have to go to the bathroom so often during pregnancy? 🤔

Well here’s a lovely visual.

Did you know your uterus can grow to 40x it’s normal size during pregnancy?

AND as it grows it starts to press on your poor little bladder, hence, the frequent peeing? 😳

Swipe 👉🏻 to see everything labeled for a better understanding 🤓

Who loves their sleep? 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Pregnant mamas🤰that’s who.

So what to do when your belly is growing at a ridiculous rate and you’re in your 2nd/3rd trimester?🤰🏿

Find a position that’s comfortable for YOU and then make modifications as necessary.

Here’s what you need to know 👇🏻

The preferred and safest position as you continue to grow is LEFT side lying.

(like here🤗)

Why?

Laying on your back can cause a compression on the inferior vena cava (IVC). The IVC is a major vein that helps bring blood back up to your heart. If blood isn’t reaching your heart then less blood is reaching mama and baby. Symptoms can include shortness of breath as well as low blood pressure.

The next preferred position is RIGHT side lying.

Why left 👈🏻 over right 👉🏻?

Right side lying can cause kidney and liver compression (which is MINIMAL but important to note!).

Now with all that being said, if laying on your back is the only way you can fall asleep then DO IT (your sleep 😴 is EVERYTHING)

BUT maybe slide a little wedge 📐 under your upper back so you’re at an angle and then try shifting to your left side later on.

Long story short...get your sleep in girllllll but pay attention to your body. You’re growing a human in there! Let’s give it and you all the love {and blood} it needs 🤗

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