Ep 27: Understanding Pelvic Floor Health with Dr. Heather Jeffcoat
The secret’s out: peeing your pants after birth does not have to be your new state of normal. Yes, you read that correctly. I was just as surprised as you to learn that physical therapy can be the answer, and my guest, Heather Jeffcoat, is the expert.
Heather Jeffcoat is the owner of Femina Physical Therapy with 3 Los Angeles locations. She is pilates-certified and a certified fascial stretch therapist. She is active in the pelvic health community, sitting on the board of the International Pelvic Pain Society. And most recently voted in as the President-Elect term of 2021-2022 for the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Pelvic Health. She is frequently featured in media including Cosmo, Popsugar, Bustle, Lifehacker, Livestrong, US News & World Reports, Sirius XM, ABC, Health, Women’s Health and many more. She is also the author of Sex Without Pain: A Self Treatment Guide to the Sex Life You Deserve, which empowers women to treat the physical component of their sexual pain that has oftentimes been dismissed by their providers time and time again.
During this episode, Heather exploits myths about vaginal pain and the benefits of pelvic health. This is very important because she stated 9 out of 10 women have pain during sex after birth. There is no doubt that pelvic floor physical therapists are the best kept secret in medicine for moms.
In this episode we discuss:
- Normalized postpartum issues that really aren’t normal
- How pelvic floor examinations are done by physical therapists
- Pain during sex after childbirth
- The four functions of the pelvic floor
- Symptoms treated by pelvic floor physical therapists
Connect with Dr. Jeffcoat:
- FeminaPT.com
- Instagram: @feminapt
- Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tiktok: @theladypartspt
- Book: sexwithoutpainbook.com (receive 20% off with code DIARY20)
Podcast Resources:
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More about Mommy Diary: The Podcast
Mommy Diary: The Podcast is a space for women to tell their raw and honest stories of motherhood. Host, Angela Kim, is a creative, lifestyle blogger, and also a mom of four.
Feeling restricted by the squares of IG, Angela is on a mission to shed light on vulnerable topics such as postpartum depression, marriage struggles, self-care, healing and finding a balance between having a career and raising children. She’s been through it all, and this podcast is here to help you feel supported along your personal journey and see that you’re not alone.