Kegels and Your Pelvic Floor with Kara Mortifoglio PT, DPT, WCS

How does the health of the pelvic floor impact birth?  It is so important to have a healthy pelvic floor in order to have a functional birth and a healthy body.  This is one of my favorite topics!  If you’ve been a listener of Yoga| Birth| Babies, you know that anytime I have an opportunity to talk about the pelvic floor, I will bring an expert on to do so.  Not only have I picked the brain of many experts on this topic, I have taken multiple certifications focused on pelvic floor health. Today we will talk about the function of the pelvic floor, how it impacts birth, how to prepare the pelvic floor for birth and ways to relax the pelvic floor.  We will also discuss Kegels and their role in pelvic floor balance.

To have this conversation, I have Kara Mortifoglio joining us today on Yoga| Birth| Babies. Kara is a pelvic health specialist, and co-owns a physical therapy practice in Manhattan, Long Island and Westchester.  She specializes in treating all pelvic floor disorders including pregnancy, postpartum, bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction.

Kara believes that as parents get closer to the birth of their baby, it’s really important to allow their bodies to rest.  Avoiding Kegels as well as vigorous activity can help the pelvic floor be relaxed for labor.  She points out that the more relaxed the pelvic floor is, often times the easier the delivery will be.  She thinks that less is more when preparing the pelvic floor for birth. Kara and I have a really great conversation, I think you are going to get a lot of useful information out of it! 

In this episode you will learn:

• About Kara and what led her towards pelvic floor physical therapy.

• About the pelvic floor and its function.

• How the pelvic floor impacts birth.

• How to help prepare the pelvic floor for birth.

• About pelvic floor strength in comparison to an overly contracted pelvic floor. 

• What Kegels are and when and how to use them.

• How pelvic floor strengthening is more than Kegels.

• What other muscles need to be strong so the pelvic floor doesn’t over work. 

• What someone should do if they are both overly contracted and weak.

• Ways to relax the pelvic floor.

• A piece of advice Kara would like to offer new and expectant parents.

• How to connect with Kara.

About Kara:

Kara is a pelvic health specialist, and co-owns a physical therapy practice in Manhattan, Long Island and Westchester.  She specializes in treating all pelvic floor disorders including pregnancy, postpartum, bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction. She follows a holistic approach to patient treatment, helping patients get back to what they love to do. It’s important that patients are comfortable speaking with Kara and that they know she is interested in listening to what they have to say.

Connect with Kara:

Website: www.solsticept.com

Instagram: @solsticephysio

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