Five Ways to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy

By Mariannne Ryan PT, OCS
Clinical Director MRPT Physical Therapy

“Whether having children is in your 10-year plan or you’ve decided now is the time to start trying, it’s never too early to begin preparing your body for pregnancy. Ensure your body is ready to carry a baby by addressing before pregnancy any pain or problems associated with posture or weakness. Unfortunately, these issues can worsen during pregnancy and cause pain and dysfunction.”

Here are 5 tips to prepare your body for pregnancy:

1. Strengthen your pelvic muscles.
2. Prepare for “baby belly” by focusing on your core.
3. Take a breath!
4. Begin a regular fitness routine.
5. Practice good posture.

For more information http://momitforward.com/five-ways-to-prepare-your-body-for-pregnancy

On The Radio…Women’s Health

By Marianne Ryan PT, OCS
Clinical Director MRPT Physical Therapy

Earlier this week both Lila Abbate and I were guests on Karen Litzy’s weekly radio show “Healthy, Wealthy and Smart” on the Talking Alternatives network.

We spent about 1 hour discussing our “niche specializations” within Women’s Health Physical Therapy.

You can listen to the interview here 
I discussed physical therapy treatment for Prenatal / Postpartum issues and Lila told us how she uses physical therapy to treat GI / Bowel dysfunctions.

We both had a blast and enjoyed spreading the word on how physical therapists are the “go-to” medical professionals for musculoskeletal problems.
A recording of the show is also available on the Talking Alternatives website and is also available as a Podcast on iTunes.
Click here to listen to the broadcast. Or click here to get the iTunes Podcast

How big is your baby?

I was using some manual physical therapy on a lovely patient earlier today who was very excited about her recent visit with her obstetrician. She was told that her baby was now about the size of a lemon.
So, Moma how big is your baby at the moment?
The size of a Poppy Seed? a Prune? or an Avocado?

Here is a great size cart from the Bump. Click Here

PS Tell us if you ever heard of a jackfruit?

Cocoa Butter Prevents Stretch Marks: Really?

Pregnant women all around the globe aptly apply cocoa butter all over their bodies during pregnancy to prevent developing stretch marks on their tummies, breasts and thighs.

WELL, LADIES, STUDIES SHOW YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME…

A very large study performed by dermatologists and obstetricians was published in 2008. It followed 175 women and found that after months of slathering gobs of cocoa butter still developed stretch marks. Some women even developed acne from too much cream. (ref. 1) On the brighter side, an alternative cream containing vitamin E was found to be more effective in the war against developing stretch marks. So if you want to prevent stretch marks, try using a cream with ALPHA TOCOPHEROL (a form of vitamin E) instead of cocoa butter based creams. (ref. 2)

Note: Before using any creams during pregnancy please discuss it with your midwife or doctor.

Ref: 1. BJOG. 2008 Aug;115(9):1138-42.,Cocoa butter lotion for prevention of striae gravidarum: a double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled trial., Osman H, Usta IM, Rubeiz N, Abu-Rustum R, Charara I, Nassar AH., Department of Health Behaviour and Education, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.

2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(2):CD000066., Creams for preventing stretch marks in pregnancy., Young GL, Jewell D.,
Barn Croft Surgery, Temple Sowerby, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 1RZ.

Reduce Infant Crying at Night by 54%!

WEAR YOUR BABY

Why does wearing  your baby while performing house hold chores or running errands for 3 hours a day have extra added benefits? = The power of touch

To read the entire article from Mothering.com CLICK HERE