The Blog

Musings on Health and Wellness
Product Review: the FLEX Menstrual Disc

Product Review: the FLEX Menstrual Disc

Why the FLEX menstrual disc? As part of my continued journey of trying as many menstrual products as possible, I am reviewing the FLEX menstrual disc. I realize that there is likely no perfect product for everyone. So my goal with these reviews is to give a real,...

Bleeding on the Pill

Bleeding on the Pill

Can you have a period while on the pill? The answer, in short, is yes and no. Did that not clarify things for you? Oh, sorry. I should start off by saying that the subject of bleeding while on the pill has been confusing for women since the invention of the birth...

Product Review: Reusable Menstrual Pads

Product Review: Reusable Menstrual Pads

Why Try Reusable Menstrual Pads? I chose to look into reusable menstrual pads for a number of different reasons. First, they are more earth-friendly than the disposable ones that I had used for most of my life. Second, they are a cheaper alternative to disposable,...

Product Review: SIJ Compression Belt

Product Review: SIJ Compression Belt

Why? A sacroiliac joint compression belt goes by many names. They are also often called SIJ belts, pregnancy belts, or pregnancy support belts. Basically put, they are a stretchy, fabric band that is strapped around your pelvis to offer support to the hips and...

Product Review: The Diva Cup

Product Review: The Diva Cup

Why a menstrual cup? I have been plagued by the ongoing search for the best menstrual products available for the past few years. As with most young women, I hit puberty and just immediately began using the menstrual products that my mom and my sisters were using. For...

I Became a Yoga Teacher and Got a Lot Worse at Yoga

I Became a Yoga Teacher and Got a Lot Worse at Yoga

I know that sounds like a clickbait title. Like I am trying to mislead you with a confusing statement that I am obviously going to twist in some way. But that statement is absolutely how I felt for the first few months as a yoga teacher. Why does yoga suddenly seem so...

PAINWeek in Vegas – My Highlights

PAINWeek in Vegas – My Highlights

To start, I would like to thank the group at Entropy Physiotherapy and the EPIC Scholarship for the amazing opportunity to attend PAINWeek 2018. What a week! I had the pleasure of spending five days in Las Vegas learning about pain and its clinical management in a...

8 Tips I Learned From Carrying My Baby

8 Tips I Learned From Carrying My Baby

One of the unexpected physical woes of first-time motherhood for me was dealing with the aches and pains associated with carrying my baby. To be sure, I had carried many other babies in my life up until that point. But this was the first time that I was carrying...

Vaginismus

Vaginismus

Most people will cringe at the topic of today’s blog. And the main reason is probably because it has the dreaded “v-word” in it. It seems, using anatomical words can throw us for a loop. We feel like we have been caught talking dirty in some way. But far too few...

Postpartum Self-Care

Postpartum Self-Care

There are so many things that seem like the “biggest” priority to a new mother. Am I complying with safe sleeping habits for baby? Am I producing enough milk? How much coffee is too much coffee? What is my baby’s poop telling me about his/her health? Is my baby’s head...

Postpartum Anxiety

Postpartum Anxiety

Here is my ode to all of the moms that helped me through postpartum anxiety. Because, let me tell you, it was no joke. And I wouldn’t have made it through with a happy and healthy family life if it weren’t for my support team. First, to my mom: Who gave me guidance...

Preparing the Pelvis for Labor and Delivery

Preparing the Pelvis for Labor and Delivery

Many women don’t realize until they are in labor that it is quite an athletic feat. In the movies, it is portrayed as a simple test of willpower and tolerance to pain. But in reality, any women that has gone through it can attest that childbirth is actually quite a...

Why Every Woman Should Have Fertility Awareness

Why Every Woman Should Have Fertility Awareness

Most women feel completely mystified by the inner-workings of their menstrual cycle. I spoke more about what is normal and abnormal in a menstrual cycle on another blog. The majority of women have also never heard of fertility awareness, AKA fertility awareness-based...

The Secret World of Pelvic Pain

The Secret World of Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain is often a world of secrets and subtleties. It can be confusing and alarming. Or it can be totally normalized. Pelvic pain can be disregarded by healthcare professionals or minimized by family, friends, and partners. It is deciding to not go out for a run...

The Connection Between Breath and the Pelvic Floor

The Connection Between Breath and the Pelvic Floor

Bandhas In yogic philosophy, our bodies have bandhas, or locks. We each have three of them, and one master lock for engaging all of them at once. In yoga, these locks are places of movement in the body that can be held or tightened to affect our...

What’s the Core?

What’s the Core?

Here is my summary of most people's experience with "the core." You can easily find versions of this meme all over the internet. And isn’t it just spot on? Most people have a very hard time engaging their “core,” because they don’t know what the heck the core even is!...

Breastfeeding and Posture

Breastfeeding and Posture

Breastfeeding is a time of significant changes to a woman’s body, including your posture. And I know what you are probably thinking. Can my body seriously handle any more changes after just gaining and losing 30 pounds, massively shifting my center of gravity, oh and...

Pregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle Pain

Pregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle Pain

There are many aches and pains that may surface during pregnancy. And, while fleeting pains can occur as a warning signal from your body that you may be overdoing it, pain that limits your sleep or function is not normal. Let me repeat. It is NOT NORMAL to have pelvic...

Is it Normal? – The Menstrual Cycle

Is it Normal? – The Menstrual Cycle

To most women, there is so much unknown information about what makes up a normal and healthy menstrual cycle. For so long, it has only been spoken about in hushed tones and whispers in locker rooms. (Except, of course, when the elementary schools sit us down as 4th...

Pelvic Health Physical Therapy – More Than Just Kegels!

Pelvic Health Physical Therapy – More Than Just Kegels!

It is oh so common to hear that people are hesitant to go to pelvic health physical therapy. Here are some frequent concerns: “It seems like it would be awkward.” “Is it going to hurt like it does at the gynecologist’s office?” “I already know how to do kegels. What...

The Intra-Abdominal Pressure System

The Intra-Abdominal Pressure System

The pressure system inside of your abdomen, called the intra-abdominal pressure system, is truly amazing. It is a huge factor in your ability to lift heavy things, breathe comfortably, move through a variety of postures easily, and even hold in urine or a bowel...

Diastasis Rectus Abdominis

Diastasis Rectus Abdominis

What is it? A diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA), sometimes simply called a diastasis, is a common condition that pregnant and postpartum women may encounter. It is a separation of the rectus abdominis, AKA the “six-pack muscles,” at the front of the belly. These...

Product Review: Baby Trend Expedition Travel System

Product Review: Baby Trend Expedition Travel System

Why a travel system? There are a lot of options out there on the “stroller” market for getting your baby from point A to point B. This includes: umbrella strollers (simple fold-out strollers with no bells or whistles great for packing on the go); car seat carriers...

Product Review: Yoga Wheel for Posture

Product Review: Yoga Wheel for Posture

What is a yoga wheel? A yoga wheel is a new prop on the market for assisting your yoga practice. It can make it more challenging or more gentle, in theory. Although there are different sizes, most are about 12 inches in diameter and made of rigid plastic and covered...

Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). It is a diagnosis that few people in the general public would be familiar with by name. But it is actually very common. Some studies suggest that up to 50% of women may be diagnosed with POP upon vaginal examination. Not many women...

Top 10 Travel Essentials for Pregnancy

Top 10 Travel Essentials for Pregnancy

Traveling while pregnant can be very intimidating. Where is the closest bathroom for when the little one decides to kick me in the bladder? Will I actually blow up like a puffy balloon from sitting on an airplane for too long? How many people can I accidentally hit...

Postpartum Bowel Movements – Everyone Poops

Postpartum Bowel Movements – Everyone Poops

Every woman that has had a new baby can attest that there seems to be literally nothing that remains the same after that delivery. You are sleep deprived, your belly is shrinking as your breasts shrink and grow by the hour, and your thoughts are constantly on your...

Postpartum Pelvic Floor – Perineal Tearing

Postpartum Pelvic Floor – Perineal Tearing

I first heard of perineal tearing as a teenager when a family member had her first baby. We could not go back to see her right away, my mom softly whispered to me, because she was being stitched up. I thought to myself as I looked around at everyone’s rather solid...

Postpartum Pelvic Floor – Inflammation

Postpartum Pelvic Floor – Inflammation

In the final part of my series of three posts on the postpartum pelvic floor, I want to write about inflammation. In the words of the women who suggested this topic to me, “YOUR LADY PARTS WILL BE SWOLLEN LIKE A MARINATED GRAPE!” If that puts things too delicately for...

Postpartum Stress Incontinence

Postpartum Stress Incontinence

One of the most common complaints I hear from women postpartum is that they are struggling with incontinence, or uncontrolled urinary leakage. While there are multiple types, the most frequently diagnosed for women after childbirth is stress urinary incontinence....

My Body Will Never Be The Same – Stretch Marks

My Body Will Never Be The Same – Stretch Marks

  My body will never be the same. It is an obvious reality that has taken me some time to appreciate fully. I realize it in unique ways nearly every day now. Today, it was because I noticed that the stretch marks (the same that I referenced here upon their...

Prenatal Fitness – Why I Work Out

Prenatal Fitness – Why I Work Out

For the most part, I have loved my pregnancy journey. I have committed to doing at least a 30-minute workout each day and tracking my progress to try to gain weight slowly and in a healthy fashion. After all, prenatal fitness is a huge indicator of health of the baby....