Dr. Maddie PT

Can you prevent a diastasis re**us during pregnancy?

No, you can’t. It is an adaptation of the body to make room for the growing baby. But with pelvic floor therapy you can learn to support your abdominal wall and reduce stress through it. This can assist with rehabbing during postpartum.

Like it? SHARE with a pregnant mama. Have questions? DM me!

Thinking about starting a family? The number 1 tip to get started is to track your cycle. It is the 5th vital sign in women and can give you insight into hormone imbalances, gynecologic disease or infection.

It is recommended that you track for at least 3 cycles and discuss your results with your doctor at your next visit.

SAVE to know what to track! Have a question? DM me!

Thank you to Layla for choosing me to be her mom and for Chad being an amazing partner and father.

Happy Mother’s Day to:
✨Those who are mothers
✨Those who have lost mothers
✨Those with multiple mothers
✨Mothers with strained child relationships
✨Those with difficult mother relationships
✨Those who are single mothers
✨Mothers who have lost their child(ten)
✨Those yearning to be mothers
✨Those who are unable to be mothers

I see you and I’m sending all my love to you ❤️

This week is Infertility Awareness Week.

If you know someone struggling with fertility, reach out. Let them know you are thinking of them and are available if they need anything 🫶

Women should be informed of all of the risks they are signing up for with having a baby as well as all the ways they can reduce their risk. Choosing to have an epidural is a choice every woman has the right to make.

So if you are concerned about perineal trauma and are looking for ways to reduce your risk of tearing consider an epidural and use “J” breathing or panting to help deliver baby.

Like it? SHARE it! Have questions? DM me!

Looking for the evidence? DOI: 10.1111/ajo.13263

New month means intro time! Hi to all the new faces. My name is Dr. Maddie and I am a pelvic floor physical therapist who specializes in pregnancy and postpartum rehab.

I honestly didn’t go into physical therapy school thinking this would be my passion. We only had one day on women’s health and while it sounded interesting, it also sounded like a lot of continuing education.

Fast forward to 5 years ago when I officially dived head first into pelvic health because I wasn’t 100% satisfied with my job. And now I have truly found my passion.

I enjoy helping pregnant mamas have minimal pain during their pregnancy and educating them on how to have the most positive birth experience with minimal pelvic floor trauma. I also love helping them rehab their bodies after delivery to get them back to the activities they love without pain, pelvic pressure, or leakage. And I am educating myself more on how physical therapy can assist with fertility.

If you every have questions please feel free to DM me! And if you want more pelvic floor info, sign up for my weekly newsletter with the link in bio.

I am so happy you are here!

🤍 Dr Maddie

Today on podcast she talked about this amazing screen. It will give you insight into whether or not you have pelvic floor dysfunciton.

If you said “YES” to 3 or more of any of the 10 statements pelvic floor therapy is for you!

The body doesn’t forget. If you experienced birth trauma it is so important to process through that experience. Avoiding it may decrease your body’s ability to fully recover from pregnancy and delivery 🤍

You are not alone. You are so loved. Look for the safe spaces to heal 🤍

New month = Intro time! Welcome to all the new people, thank you for joining me on this Instagram journey.

My name is Dr. Maddie and I’m a pelvic floor physical therapist in Sacramento, CA. I have been practicing PT for 8 years and 5 years ago I started working with people who had women’s health complaints.

I specialize in pregnancy and postpartum rehab. I help women feel empowered with their pregnancy and delivery experience. And feel confident in their bodies to return to their pre-pregnancy activities.

I am not currently seeing patients with my home health practice, but I am always happy to answer a question in a DM! If you love what you see join my newsletter that goes out weekly where I dive a littler deeper into common complaints during pregnancy and postpartum. The link is in my bio!

🤍 Dr. Maddie

It is never too late to heal from having a baby.

Sometimes we get so caught up in what’s going on all around us that we forget to take a look in the mirror. Whether you have time now or in the future, at some point it is time to fill your own cup.

It is not normal to leak urine, have bowel issues, or pain with seggs just because you had a baby. Advocate for yourself and know that there is help whenever you are ready for it.

It is so important not to “just wing it” when it comes to delivering your baby. Going in with that mindset may leave you with disappointment if you had something else envisioned. Instead educate yourself on all the options so you know what to expect if your doctor brings up an epidural, an episiotomy, instrumental assisted vaginal delivery, Cesarean (just to name a few).

You have choices and you have rights. The more you know the more likely you’ll have a positive birth experience.

Did you advocate for something in particular during your birth?

Pelvic organ prolapse is not a death sentence. There are so many things that can help! These 3 tips are a great place to start to see if they help you 🤍

On this day of love let’s show ourselves some self love. If you are pregnant, postpartum, trying to become pregnant, premenopausal etc our bodies do amazing things for us. They are going to grow and evolve to meet whatever we demand of it.

It always amazes me how our bodies are made up of the tiniest cells that just keep going. And how those little cells can create a baby from another group of cells.

I am so grateful to this body and try to give it grace on the days it doesn’t meet my expectations and honor it when it does.

On this day of love I want you to give yourself some self love. It doesn’t need to be an elaborate thing. It can just be thinking of something you are grateful for with your body. If you’d like you can share it in the comments.

Happy Valentine’s Day
🤍 Dr. Maddie

Everyone’s birth experience is unique to them. No one should tell you how you are suppose to feel about your birth experience.

If your experience was negative, I encourage you to work with a mental health expert to help you process it. Along with physical therapy, it will help you heal mentally, emotionally, and physically.

SHARE with a mama that needs to hear this message. Have questions? DM me!

‼️1,000 Follows‼️

Thank you to every single one of you for helping me get to this milestone! To show how much I appreciate you joining this journey with me, I thought it was time for a giveaway.

One lucky winner will win a $100 gift card to Bao Bei Body.

To enter you must:
✨Follow me
✨Follow
✨Like this post
✨Tag 3 friends who you think would want to get in on this raffle!

The giveaway ends on February 13th at 8 PM Pacific Time.

The winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day!

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This promotion hosted by Dr. Maddie Irby is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.

What’s your favorite way to manage stress?

Hi friends! New month means intro time. I’ve got a lot of new faces since the beginning of the year and would love for you to get to know me 🤍

I am a pelvic floor physical therapist who specializes in pregnancy and postpartum. I’ve also started dabbling in fertility and how physical therapy can assist. I’ve been practicing for over 8 years (wow time flies!)

People always ask me why I chose to get into pelvic floor physical therapy because it’s such a niche specialty in the physical therapy world. Well in PT school we had 1 day on women’s health (yes you read that right, one day in an entire 3 years for 50% of the population. But also everyone has a pelvic floor…I see you male patients)

Anyways it really sparked an interest but I wasn’t 100% sure this was the path for me. So after school I dabbled around in the ortho world, neuro world, inpatient and outpatient. But nothing was giving me quite the passion I expected going into a field for helping people. So I reached out to a family friend to ask her about pelvic floor physical therapy. Her advice was to take the first level 1 class. And guess what? I was hooked after that!

I’m an open book so please feel free to DM me any questions you have!

So happy you are here.

❤️ Dr Maddie

Progress isn’t linear.

There will be set backs.

How well do you manage those set backs? Do you let them define you or do you pick yourself up and get back to the task at hand?

Pregnancy is a perfect time to start shifting your mindset from training for a specific aesthetic to training for function. What do you need right now?

This mindset shift can help set you up for postpartum, especially early postpartum. During that time you are rehabbing your body. You are training for function. What do you need to do to lay the foundation so you can return to the activities you know and love?

This is athletic maturity. You are focusing on growth and long term health.

What are some of your favorite types of exercise that you couldn’t wait to get back into after having your baby? COMMENT it below!

“Comparison is the thief of joy” -Theodore Roosevelt

This is your reminder to please be patient with yourself in those first 6 weeks after having a baby. Remember that just because your brain feels ready doesn’t mean your body is.

What were some of your go to protein snacks or meals during pregnancy?

2023 was quite the year for me! Really getting into the groove of being a mom, working full time and not to mention launching my Instagram account!

Thank you everyone for joining me on the journey. You’ll never know how much it means to me. I’ve highlighted some of the past year and I hope you enjoy them. Can’t wait for what’s in store for 2024 😉

1. Smiley trip to Donner Lake
2. Super Bowl at Dylan’s Beach
3. Launching my IG account
4. Layla having no fear with swimming
5. Smiley trip to Chicago to visit with Chads family and see my beautiful cousin get married!
6. Layla meeting Patrick Mahomes in Tahoe
7. Annual camping trip to Sugar Pine Reservoir
8. Annual Jireh Golf Tournament
9. Mom and Dad go to Vegas
10. First Polar Plunge

❤️ Dr Maddie

Pelvic floor contractions aka kegels are not always the answer to every single pelvic floor dysfunction.

The pelvic floor muscles are kind of like a trampoline and need to respond to various pressures that are generated in the abdomen. Sometimes the muscles are weak and need more strength to support increased pressure in the abdomen. But sometimes they are too tight and actually need flexibility to respond appropriately. Or maybe they’re uncoordinated and you have the strength but don’t have good timing.

A pelvic floor is so much more than a Kegel. Do you have questions? DM me!

You can reduce your risk for perineal trauma during a vaginal delivery.

Would anyone be interested in a push prep course? COMMENT “Push Prep”

If there is enough interest I will put it together for you!

‼️ A strong pelvic floor doesn’t mean easier delivery

Were you told to do Kegels to prep for delivery? COMMENT 👇

The six week “all clear” is based off of normal tissue healing (6-8 weeks). But pregnancy and delivery is so much more than just an injury.

During the forty-ish weeks of pregnancy your body is undergoing massive musculoskeletal changes including:
✨Weight gain
✨Postural changes
✨Hormone shifts
✨Cardiac output

‼️This post isn’t to scare you with returning to activity. Instead it is to inform you of the normal recovery times for pregnancy and delivery. The more mama’s who advocate for better postpartum care the better. ❤️Talk to your doctor about mental health, rehabbing your body, and nutrition. These should all be standard referrals for postpartum.

You deserve so much more than “all clear”.