Birthing in a Pandemic: Considerations if Your Support Person Cannot Attend Your Birth

Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic can leave many folks and birth partners feeling a variety of emotions! Physical distancing restrictions in combination with new and evolving hospital policies may leave you with altered birth plans that are different than what you originally envisioned for your birth. Each hospital and/or practitioner will have different restrictions in place to protect the physical health & safety of patients and staff. Check with your practitioner to ensure fully accurate details regarding your specific situation. The following ideas may be applicable or appropriate for YOUR situation.

This resource has been compiled by three practitioners at Rebirth Wellness Centre located in London, Ontario; Keri Patterson (Full Spectrum Doula), Jaclyn Seebach (Physiotherapist) & Leanne Ford (Registered Social Worker & Psychotherapist). We hope that it will provide you with holistic practical strategies and ideas where you can take control before, during and after your birth. We hope it will increase hope and confidence around your upcoming birth experience, even if your partner can’t be present during the birth itself.

Ways to Prepare BEFORE Your Birth

• REST as much as you can.

• NOURISH with healthy food several times a day before labour/birth. Stay well hydrated.

• MOVE your body leading up to birth! Go for a walk, practice yoga, dance.

• GRIEVE what you envisioned for your birth. Make space for this loss.

• PREPARE your birth plan/preference (A, B, C…).

• EDUCATE yourself:

  • about hospital policies so you’re mentally prepared for what to expect (keep in mind these policies are constantly changing as the COVID-19 situation evolves).

  • Consider taking an online Child Birth Education Class to help you prepare.

• Make a labour/birth playlist and/or a recovery playlist!

• Compile a self-soothing kit for the hospital. Add things that engage all the senses (touch, taste, smell, sound, sight, movement and proprioception (comforting pressure). For example, soothing photos, hand cream, essential oils, calming music or something that symbolizes your partner (like an article of scented clothing). Note: some hospitals are not allowing patients to bring their items such as pillows/blankets - please check.

• Practice mindful breathing before/during birth (eg. box, triangle, nostril, diaphragmatic). Why is this important in the early stages of labour? It helps you get into the “happiness centre” of your brain, helps release oxytocin (the labour hormone), as well as allows your body to establish a productive labour pattern for when you enter active labour.

• Use visualization to create a “safe place” - return here during birth. If it is helpful, visualize your birth partner in this place with you (not recommended before or during birth if it makes you feel anxious or sad).

• Consider using positive pregnancy affirmation cards.

• Limit time spent interacting with people/media who make you feel anxious or sad.

• Lower expectations and practice radical acceptance of the situation & yourself. You cannot fail at this - there is no road map, no precedent. We’re all doing our best in this pandemic.

• Connect - talk about your feelings with your partner, someone you trust or a therapist ahead of time.

Ideas for DURING Labour & Delivery

Things YOU can take control over

• Use birth positions to encourage progress, optimal fetal position & for comfort/pain relief.

• Use breathing, slow & low-pitched noises and visualizations to help relax.

• Relax the jaw/shoulders/body to encourage labour progression and signal to your brain that it is a safe time to birth!

• Use positive mantras, phrases or affirmations like, “I am strong, I am safe.” I can do hard things.” “My body knows what to do.” “Soften open, release”, each wave/surge/contraction brings me closer to my baby.”

• To calm down quickly, apply cold (i.e. ice pack, bowl of cold water, Ziploc bag of water) to your face/eyes/cheeks for 30 seconds. This helps reduce intensity of emotion and slow your heart rate down.

• Honour the range of emotions you experience during your birth.

Ways to encourage connection if your partner is not permitted to attend the birth itself:

• Set up a laptop with Zoom, FaceTime or Facebook Messenger so your support person can be present virtually; let staff know where you would like this to be positioned during the birth.

• Tell staff ahead of time that you’d both like to be informed & included in all decisions.

• Pre-recordings of birth partner(s) voice on your phone: (e.g. encouragements), listen to recording before/during/after your birth.

• Carry a physical note from your support person on your body during birth.

• Repeat encouragements from your support person before/during/after birth in your mind.

• Create affirmations that can be hung in the hospital room before and after birth.

• Playing favourite music that is calming and meaningful to you.

• Favourite clothing or scents worn during labour

Considerations for Cesarean Birth

• In most cases, a phone is still allowed in the operating room and can be used to take pictures of your birth, to play music or to play voice recordings from your support person. Laptops might not be permitted.

• Set up a physical space in the operating room for your partner’s virtual presence.

• Ask one of the nurses to take photos with your cellphone of your birth experience.

• If allowed, keep a note or symbolic item/piece of clothing from your partner.

• Consider implementing “Gentle or Family Centred Cesarean” practices. For example, dimming unnecessary lights to create a more calming environment (if you find bright lights overwhelming), play music that is calming for you, discuss the risks/benefits of immediate skin to skin or breastfeeding in the operating room.

Ideas for AFTER your birth

How to Process your Birth Experience

• Talk about your birth experience.

• Honour and validate the experience/feelings of your birth partner.

• Celebrate and/or grieve as needed/wanted - This can be done in a variety of ways including the use of ‘Ceremonies’ to celebrate or to release loss.

• Consider joining a postnatal group online to connect with others new parents.

• Consider working with a Registered Social Worker/Psychotherapist if your birth experience felt traumatic.

Help during the Postpartum Phase

• Many healthcare practitioners continue to offer online virtual appointments or in-person appointments for emergent cases. Please contact your Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, Postpartum Doula or Mental Health Practitioner for more details on their specific services if you are experiencing pain, issues with function postpartum, trouble breastfeeding/bottle feeding, significant anxiety or sadness, difficulty bonding with your baby, having upsetting thoughts that won’t leave your mind or you are worried you might hurt yourself or your baby.

• Let friends and family know that their support is still important and valued but will look a little different during this time. Support can be offered by:

• Porch/Apartment Drop-offs: Groceries, meals, baked goods, newborn care items, and “postpartum kits” (e.g. mesh underwear, peri bottle, sitz healing bath salts, tea, breast pads, and water bottle).

• Encouraging check-in texts, emails or short phone calls.

• Giving space for the parent(s) to debrief, ask questions, and chat with a supportive
  loved one.

Additional Resources

1. COVID-19 & Pregnancy
2. How to respond effectively to Corona Crisis by Dr. Russ Harris
3. Video “FACE COVID”
4. Pandemic Pregnancy Guide - IG: @pandemicpregnancyguide
5. Rebirth Wellness Centre in London, ON - IG: @rebirthwellness and @rebirth.hydepark
6. Follow on Instagram: @jaclynseebachpt @leanneford.mswrsw @groundeddoulaservices

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© L E A N N E F O R D , M S W , R S W ; K E R I P A T T E R S O N , F U L L S P E C T R U M D O U L A ; J A C L Y N S E E B A C H , P T ( 2 0 2 0 )

Coughing and Prolapse: 3 Tips to Avoid Aggravating Symptoms

Well, it’s that time of year again - colds, coughs and wishing you didn’t have a prolapse!

What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP)?

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is a condition in which one or more of the pelvic organs descend into the vaginal canal or rectum.1  Symptoms are often described as feelings of heaviness, dragging, bulging or pressure in the perineum/vagina.2 Women sometimes describe the feeling of a tampon being halfway inserted into the vagina or that something is falling out of their body.  There can also be a visible protrusion of tissue from the vaginal or rectal canals. Prolapse can impact urinary, bowel and sexual function.2  There are different types of prolapse and different levels of severity.  For the purposes of this article, we won’t get into that here.  What I will mention, however, is that the amount of tissue bulge is not necessarily related to the severity of symptoms that a person may experience.3,4 This means that some women with only a minor anatomical bulge can feel completely limited in their day-to-day function while other women who have a larger bulge may not experience any symptoms at all.4

Regardless of where you fall on the continuum of symptoms or severity, it is a common complaint to have symptoms show up or get aggravated when a cold strikes. Coughing is an activity that has been shown to create the largest maximal internal pressure, even more than (for some women!) running or lifting/carrying 40lbs.7,8

Many women naturally adopt strategies to help counter this pressure and the subsequent aggravation. They may do things like squeeze the inner thighs together or, using a hand, manually brace at the perineum or vaginal opening.

Here are some additional tips to help keep symptoms from getting too aggravated when you’re coughing on a regular basis:

1. Practice good hand hygiene to prevent from getting sick in the first place. Oh wait! Hard stop. If you’re a parent (or grandparent), I forgot that no amount of pristine health practices can counter a sick toddler sneezing directly into your mouth…. All you can do is your best.

Now for some practical tips. 

When you feel a cough coming on:

1. “Grow tall” through the spine while keeping your chin gently tucked. As you do this, you should feel your insides (including the pelvic organs) lift upwards.  Do your best to maintain this as you cough.  Symptoms should be noticeably less aggravated. 

2. Add a pelvic floor contraction before you cough.   While this is not always possible (those coughs can sneak up fast!), it can provide some additional support from below and help keep things from feeling overly “bulgy”. 

If you are coughing primarily as a way to clear phlegm and mucus from the lungs (i.e. this won’t work well for a dry cough):

3. Try an Airway Clearance Technique called “Huffing”.5  Although this technique is traditionally used to help individuals with cardio-respiratory conditions (i.e. cystic fibrosis) or postoperative patients (e.g. heart surgery, abdominal surgery), I find it can be applied well to this coughing scenario. The idea is that you loosen any phlegm/mucus before you cough so that less effort and pressure is required to clear it from the lungs.  This can sometimes translate to less noticeable pelvic symptoms.

Here’s how this Airway Clearance Technique might look:

1. Take a deep breath through the nose, allow the abs/ribcage to expand. 

2. Hold the inhaled breath for a count of 3.

3. Perform either a slow/forceful exhale OR a quick/forceful exhale,  expelling as much air from your lungs as possible.  

4. Repeat this 3-5x.

Note:  if you have time, it’s often suggested you do ~3 cycles of the slow Huff followed by ~3 cycles of the quick Huff in order to more effectively work the mucus from deeper in the lungs upwards into larger airways. Try cycling through this pattern if you need a little more work to get things loosened. Also note that, this technique can stimulate a cough before you’re ready - that’s ok…just go with it.    

Keep in mind these tips are really just quick solutions for managing symptoms “in the moment” and are not intended to replace thorough assessment and treatment ideas specific to your situation. The ultimate goal is that you prepare your body to handle aggravating activities (such as coughing) more robustly. Pelvic physiotherapy is effective in impacting both symptoms and anatomical changes associated with prolapse.6 For a more substantial, long-term solution, let’s connect!  

May the winter months be kind to both you and your prolapse.

Jaclyn Seebach, PT

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References:

1. C.B. Iglesia, K.R. Smithling. Pelvic Organ Prolapse. Am Fam Physician. 2017; 96(3):179-185.

2. S.E. Machin, S. Mukhopadhyay. Pelvic organ prolapse: review of the aetiology, presentation, diagnosis and management. Menopause Int. 2011;17(4):132-6. doi: 10.1258/mi.2011.011108.

3. D. Ulrich, R. Guzman Rojas, H. P. Dietz, K. Mann and G. Trutnovsky. Use of a visual analog scale for evaluation of bother from pelvic organ prolapse. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2014; 43: 693–697 DOI: 10.1002/uog.13222.

4. Swift SE, Tate SB, Nicholas J. Correlation of symptoms with degree of pelvic organ support in a general population of women: what is pelvic organ prolapse? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003; 189: 372–377; discussion 377–379.

5. E. Westerdahl, C. Osadnik, M. Emtner. Airway clearance techniques for patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Physical therapy practice in Sweden. Chron Respir Dis. 2019 Jan-Dec;16:1479973119855868. doi: 10.1177/1479973119855868.

6. S. Hagen, D. Stark. Conservative prevention and management of pelvic organ prolapse in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Dec 7;(12):CD003882. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003882.pub4.

7. WS. Cobb et al. Normal Intra-abdominal Pressure in Healthy Adults. Journal of Surgical Research, Volume 129, Issue 2, 231 - 235.

8. Shaw JM, Hamad NM, Coleman TJ, et al. Intra-abdominal pressures during activity in women using an intra-vaginal pressure transducer. J Sports Sci. 2014;32(12):1176–1185. doi:10.1080/02640414.2014.889845.

Breast/Bottle-Feeding Positions After Cesarean Birth

Tips for Minimizing Feeding-Related Pain After A Cesarean Birth

So, Cesarean birth was the way you got to meet your precious baby!  It may or may not have been the journey you expected.  The pain afterwards may also not have been what you expected.  Regardless, here you are, things hurt like hell and you’ve got to feed your baby.   Below are a few suggestions that I hope will make things more comfortable for you as you nourish your little one after having undergone a Cesarean birth.  These tips apply to women who are breast-feeding OR bottle-feeding.  

1) Have baby brought to you.

As much as possible, have someone bring baby to you when it’s time for them to be nourished!  This could be a partner, family member, neighbour, friend or postpartum doula. Early on in your recovery, limit how often you are up & down, in & out of bed as well as lifting & lowering baby from the bassinet/crib.  Trust me, your body will thank you in those first few days after surgery!   

2)  Stay on top of your pain medication. Keep your pain levels in check.

If breast-feeding or pumping, many women are nervous about taking pain medication for fear that it will get passed on to baby through the breast milk. Please note that most pain medications are safe to take while breastfeeding.  Conservatively stated, less than 1% of NSAIDS transfer to baby (when taken orally…as most of you will be doing). This remains well below any dosage that would be prescribed for your child.1  

“Orally administered NSAIDs are excreted into breast milk in low concentrations. Ibuprofen has a short half-life with a relative infant dose that ranges from 0.6% in colostrum to less than 0.38% in mature milk, equivalent to approximately 0.2% of the pediatric dose. Given the very low concentrations in breast milk, ibuprofen use is acceptable and the likely preferred first-line agent for postpartum pain.”

— American College of Obstetricians and Gynegologists, 2018

Initially, many women require more help for pain relieve. Opiods (such as codeine or tramadol) may be used in the first couple of days in combination with other medications. Opiods can be a useful tool for treating what we call “breakthrough pain”, severe pain that shows up even when on other pain medications. However, in order to implement them in the safest way we know, it is recommended that you be on this form of medication for a short amount of time only (no longer than 4 days) and that baby is monitored for signs of sedation. Infant sedation may show up as being difficult to wake for feedings, as having difficulty feeding or showing signs of limpness. Keep in mind that this happens in only ~2% of infants.3

Something else to consider, however, is that staying on top of medications can also impact breastfeeding in a more helpful way. Did you know that pain can inhibit the release of oxytocin, a hormone important for encouraging milk flow?2  So, staying on top of pain medication can have a positive impact on milk flow.2

If you are still adamant that you don’t want to take pain meds, at the very least, make sure you don’t overdo things!  Yes, I’m looking at you “productive”, driven and antsy momma!  Gentle movement and short walks within your pain tolerance can be helpful in mitigating pain, releasing endorphins (one of your body’s natural, internal pain fighters) and increasing circulation to help with healing.2 However, if you over-do things pain will most likely increase. You should never be more sore than ~3-4/10 pain for longer than 30-45 minutes after completing approved forms of exercise.

I am by no means a medication master. Please speak to your doctor or pharmacist for more thorough and individualized advice or if you have questions/concerns about pain control postpartum.

3)  Try different feeding positions

Whether you are bottle-feeding or breast-feeding your precious babe, the following positions can be helpful to limit aggravation of the healing tissue.  If you have an active baby, these positions will also limit the probability of getting kicked in the guts and that awful feeling that your incision is going to burst open at any moment (been there, felt that!).  Keep in mind that some of these positions might not feel great to you - that’s ok!  Stick only with the ones that are helpful!  

a) Sitting upright with a nursing pillow:  The pillow helps brace the incision site and protects from squirming feet and legs.  If you have a long torso, you may require a second pillow to elevate baby up to the breast - resist the temptation to slouch and bring the breast down to baby! Slouching down can put uncomfortable pressure at the incision site.

b) Sitting upright - Football hold: This positions baby off to the side of your body.  Their head is cradled in your hand and their body is elevated with pillows to a comfortable height at the breast. Again, don’t slouch!

c) Side-lying: Once it feels comfortable to lay on your side, you can nurse with baby accessing either the bottom or the top breast.

Laid-back: Hold baby in a cradle or cross-cradle position up away from the incision site.  Use a pillow over the incision for further protection.  For babies with an established latch, you can also try placing the baby vertical along your torso (instead of across it) - for this position you’ll want to watch feet and knee kicks to the lower abs (pillow!).   Letting baby nurse in this laid-back position may allow both of you to make use of many different nursing reflexes. It also takes the work and discomfort out of holding yourself in an upright position for hours of the day.  While in hospital, simply elevate the head of the bed.   At home, use pillows to prop yourself up.  This article from La Leche has a great summary if you wish to know more about the benefits of this particular position: https://lllusa.org/lie-back-and-relax-a-look-at-laid-back-breastfeeding/.

4) Be patient with yourself 

If you are breastfeeding, keep in mind that having a Cesarean birth may make it more difficult to establish breastfeeding, impact milk supply and throw off an infant’s receptivity to breastfeeding.4  

If breastfeeding is your goal, know that it’s not something you’re doing wrong. Give yourself a little bit more time knowing that the biological processes that get naturally set off through vaginal birth may not have been stimulated in the same way with a Cesarean birth.  Stick with it and get professional assistance from a Registered Lactation Consultant or Breastfeeding Counsellor if you are struggling. 

Some simple things you can try to limit these potential impacts are to breastfeed as soon as possible after your Cesarean (ideally within the first hour) and have lots of skin-to-skin contact with your baby. Assuming your infant doesn’t require immediate medical attention, many surgeons are allowing this to happen right in the operating room. If you haven’t yet had your Cesarean and are reading this as a way to prepare, be sure to let your healthcare provider know if this is something you’d like to have happen.

Hope you find these tips helpful in your recovery!  For more information or to book a spot in our Cesarean Birth Recovery Workshop check out rebirthwellness.ca. 

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References

1. Sachs, H. C., & DRUGS, C. O. (2013). The Transfer of Drugs and Therapeutics Into Human Breast Milk: An Update on Selected Topics. Paediatrics. do: 10.1542/peds.2013-1985, [https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/3/776]. Accessed online July 24, 2019.

2. “Breastfeeding After Cesarean Delivery.” HealthyChildren.Org, [https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/breastfeeding/Pages/Breastfeeding-After-Cesarean-Delivery.aspx.] Accessed online July 24, 2019.

3. Postpartum pain management. ACOG Committee Opinion. No. 742. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol 2018; 132. DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002683. Epub 2018 May 18. [ https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Postpartum-Pain-Management?IsMobileSet=false]. Accessed online July 24, 2019.

4. Hobbs, AJ, Mannion, CA, McDonald SW, Brockway, M, Tough, SC. (2016). The impact of cesarean section on breastfeeding initiation, duration, and difficulties in the first four months postpartum. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 16: 90.

Birth & Bowel Movements: Tips for that first BM after childbirth

Bowel movements?!?  Really?!?  You want to talk about bowel movements?  

Yes. Yes, I do.  

This was one thing I certainly never expected to be an issue postpartum and it definitely was NOT something I cared to research when I was having kids.  I was so focused on getting the baby out, I didn’t think much about after the fact!  One would expect that a bowel movement would be nothing in comparison to pushing an 8 pound baby out of your body, right?!? Well…

Many women don’t anticipate constipation being an issue after delivery, especially if you’ve never had issues before.  However, a multitude of factors can throw things off and leave you feeling all “backed-up”.  Medications, prolonged sedentary positions and/or an altered diet are just a couple of potential culprits. Regardless of the reason(s), it makes for a less than ideal experience when the time comes to void those bowels.  Your healthcare provider will most likely be asking you and keeping track of how this process is going during your hospital stay.  However, if you continue to have trouble in this department after giving birth, don’t be afraid to ask for help so they can set you up with a variety of resources like stool softeners and enemas to help move things along.  

In addition to the nutritional factors that we all know we should do (i.e. drink lots of water, eat lots of high fibre foods), there are some additional tips you can do should you find yourself in the situation of dreading postpartum bowel movements.  

1. Knees higher than hips - Those fancy hospital commodes are handy so you don’t have to lower yourself down so far, but sitting high doesn’t do much for optimizing the position of the rectum when trying to void those bowels. Grab a stool or improvise with a garbage can (preferably empty!) tipped on its side. Place your feet up on something secure so your knees are higher than your hips and legs are supported and relaxed. This can help align things more optimally for faecal evacuation and it gives the pelvic floor opportunity to relax in a slightly more “open” position.

2. Position some more - Lean forward and rest elbows on knees. This allows for further relaxation. Let the tailbone untuck slightly to allow for easier passage of stool through this area.

3. C-Section? Splint your lower abdomen - If you’ve had a C-section, place a towel or your hands gently but with firm pressure over the incision site. Try not to block your belly from expanding forward completely however, as this movement can further help the muscles surrounding the anus to relax. I know feels like things will burst wide open if you strain too hard, but keep in mind that the surgeon stitches you up with the goal of keeping you closed. If they thought the forces generated by pooping were going to be a hazard to healing, they would tell you not to poop for 6 weeks until things were all healed up. Plus, after reading this blog, you now have some strategies to minimize that horrible feeling of pain/pressure/pulling at the incision site!

4. Relax - Way easier said than done especially if you’ve had any type of tearing, an episiotomy, a C-Section or are just dreading having to “push” one more time! Pelvic floor muscles relax and open more easily when you are not stressing about it or anticipating pain. How do you relax the pelvic floor specifically? One way is to use your breathing - inhale and simultaneously visualize opening the anus. Sometimes it works well for people to visualize widening the SITs bones away from each other as you inhale (the “SITs bones” are the two boney points you feel in your backside when sitting in a chair). This relaxing, opening or gentle drop sensation in the pelvic floor muscles should NOT feel like you are pushing downwards or forcing things open. It’s simply a response to the breath. If you’re having trouble getting this down, get help from a pelvic physiotherapist who can walk you through this more completely.

5. Don’t clench your jaw - Also, if you’re having trouble relaxing the pelvic floor, check and make sure you aren’t clenching your teeth. Strangely enough, keeping your jaw relaxed can help the pelvic floor relax to. Ready for some more weird and wonderful suggestions?? I’m just warming up!

6. “Moo”, “Grr”, “Hiss” or pretend to “Blow through a very small straw” - Ummm, WHAT?!??! If you didn’t already think I was crazy, I realize I just tipped the scale. Please, bear with me (no pun intended!). Using your breath or vocalizations on the exhale can help modulate intra-abdominal pressure and act as an effective tool for assisting with a less strenuous bowel movement. It can help you avoid the Valsalva Maneuvre (breath holding) that can increase downward pressure on the pelvic floor and/or the outward pressure on the C-Section incision site (if you have one). Try all four sounds out - see which one feels like it opens the anus the most. Generally speaking, half of these vocalizations will feel like they make you tighten at the anus, and the other half will create an opening effect. However, which one is most effective will vary from person to person. When you find one that feels like it creates the greatest opening effect (eg. “Moo”), use that as your go-to vocalization when on the toilet. If you are having trouble finding one that works, make sure you try again using a low-pitched voice versus a high-pitched voice. In attempts to try and redeem myself, I’m going to throw in here that you don’t actually have to make the sound so they can hear you at the nurses’ station (although that would be entertaining!). Simply causing that air movement with a whispered “Moo” can be just as helpful.

Strange tips, I know, but these simple things can make a HUGE difference in keeping that first bowel movement or two after delivery a much less torturous experience.

You’re welcome.

Until next time,

Jaclyn Seebach, PT ~ Certified Pelvic Health Physiotherapist

*If you have ongoing struggles with constipation, please connect with a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist (like me!) who can help you navigate these issues more completely. Being backed up is no fun for anyone. In addition, you can also connect with a healthcare provider such as a registered dietician, physician or naturopath who can more appropriately address any medical or nutritional factors - this will also be helpful and Jaclyn can’t help you with those.

Get To Know Jaclyn

Well, hello there!

Since we are going to be sharing and discussing some pretty personal topics here, I figure it’s only fair that you get to know me a little better.

11 personal things about me you may find interesting:

1) I have four kids - one boy and three girls. They’re fun and amazing and not because of anything I’ve ever done to get them that way. They just are.

2) I live on a farm outside of London, ON with my husband and kids.

3) …And on this farm we have 2 dogs…a Chocolate Lab, Zuuk, and his partner in crime, Lady, who is a Golden Retriever. We also have a donkey named “Donkey” (she’s amazing) , one milking cow named Bessie and 2 pigs, Pumpkin and Glen.

4) I find washing dishes by hand very therapeutic. If you invite me to your house for dinner, I will probably wash your dishes.

5) I rarely buy clothes at full price - why would you buy a sweater for $80 when you could get the same sweater on sale a couple of months later? I don’t know.

6) I LOVE real, delicious food. I love cooking food. I love eating food. I love trying new recipes. I readily admit that I have a full blown Pinterest addiction when it comes to recipes.

7) I enjoy any beautiful, creative, unique musical masterpiece that sparks my soul - doesn’t matter the genre.

8) My favourite musical instrument is the cello which is weird because I play the violin…

9) I ADORE my job as a physiotherapist and never imagined I would be so excited to get up and go to work every day.

10) My dad taught me how to walk in heels. If you knew my dad, this probably would not come as a surprise - he’s an amazing man of many talents. Unfortunately, I don’t often wear heels. I’m more of a ballet flat kind of girl.

11) I just got a cellphone last year. Before that I shared a phone with my husband. Yes, I realize it is 2019.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will continue to connect with me on this platform. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Let me know if there are topics you want to hear more about or questions you have about pelvic health or physiotherapy in general. There is no such thing as a ridiculous or overly personal question in my line of work.

Until next time,

Jaclyn