The First Trimester
The first trimester
By: Marin Cole
Usually we don’t see too many pregnant mamas during their first trimester because, well, they usually aren’t experiencing too many symptoms that would bring them to Physical Therapy. That being said, let's talk about a few things that we see people later on that may be stemming from issues that begin during the first trimester!
Leaking urine. This is something that we see so many moms for during pregnancy and especially postpartum. There are a number of reasons why women start to lose control of their bladder during pregnancy, including greater pressure on the bladder from a growing uterus and growing baby, change in posture, frequent vomiting, and having greater urinary urgency and not being able to make it to the bathroom. Urinary urgency is a sign early on in pregnancy because of increased blood flow to the pelvis, while this is actually very common and quite normal, it is something worth discussing. When we start feeling urinary urgency and we start going “just in case” we actually start to retrain our bladder, hence 10 years later and you’re still peeing every 30 minutes. So while urinating more frequently during pregnancy is completely normal, do not let your bladder take over your life, and if you think it is starting to, see a pelvic floor physical therapist! The other causes of incontinence that I mentioned have more to do with pressure control, this is a huge issue in pregnancy and something we spend a lot of time addressing with our pregnant mamas. The way we stand and move can increase pressure on the muscles that are responsible for controlling our urine flow, and if you’re lucky enough to feel that constant pressure on your bladder, it is that much more important to have good mobility and control of your pelvic floor muscles! And the dreadful morning sickness… if you spent the first 10 weeks of your pregnancy running back and forth from the bathroom, your pelvic floor likely took a toll and addressing that earlier in pregnancy will help you later!
Is it just me or did that “round ligament pain” start earlier than you were expecting? The reason we start to feel pulling in the front of our abdomen so early is because our uterus starts growing even during those early months! Learning how to move our bodies in bed and getting up from the couch will help to support our growing bellies. The two most important concepts to start working on even at the start of pregnancy is breath work and learning how to engage your core! This is something that a pelvic floor physical therapist can help you with early on in pregnancy and then teach you how to progress or modify exercises throughout your pregnancy.
Moral of the story, pregnancy is an amazing experience that women go through, but it is also something that changes you physically from the very start. We as physical therapists want you to have the tools that you’ll need over the next 9 months to stay pain free, active, confident, and safe as your little one grows!