12/12/2025
A fairly recent Time magazine article discussed how destigmatizing issues people experience postpartum can be helpful. Celebrities are talking about their birth experiences and outcomes, and people we follow on social media share the good, the bad, and the ugly.
However, as they report in the article, “As two psychologists specializing in women’s health, we’ve recently come to a surprising realization: maybe all this normalization has a dark side. In our culture’s noble attempt to encourage talking about postpartum pain and illness, we have inadvertently normalized the experience of postpartum pain and illness”.
ACOG now recommends that physical therapists be part of the healthcare team for postpartum care, emphasizing the importance of pelvic floor rehabilitation for issues like urinary incontinence, diastasis recti, and pain, and encourages early intervention for optimal recovery.
However, this recommendation was initiated in 2018 - it’s now 2025, and many OBGYNS still don’t routinely refer to pelvic floor PT for their pregnant or postpartum patients.
What can help?
Spread the word about pelvic floor PT/OT to everyone you know - friends, family, acquaintances, social media groups, medical and alternative health providers, etc....
Want to learn more about what I teach people to prepare for vaginal birth? Check out my blog post “How to Prepare for Vaginal Birth” (link in the bio) or follow me for more!
If you live in the Minneapolis, MN area and want to work with me, book a consult or contact me at www.bethanyhansenpt.com (link in the bio).
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