Relaxin' and relaxin

I love summer in Idaho! There is nothing like relaxin' with your family and friends in the mountains, along the river and at the lake.

But the kind of relaxin I'm talking about is the hormone released at about 19 weeks into your pregnancy and which stays in your body till at least six months after you stop breastfeeding. For some of us that had our babies close together that means we had years of relaxin in our bodies as we had one and then the next in succession of babies.

The hormone relaxin causes the ligaments in your body to soften and therefore this is why your joints become more mobile and everything begins to stretch out. This hormone directly affects your pelvic girdle as ligaments provide stability there for you to have power in your core. Early on in your pregnancy the abdominal muscles like the transverse abdominis (TA), your back muscles and your pelvic floor are able to compensate for the ligament laxity but as the load increases in the last trimester the TA will develop a recti diastasis (RD). According to recent research, 100 percent of all women will develop a (RA) in the last trimester and it appears the hormone relaxin is a major reason regardless how fit a women is in her overall health.

If the abdominal muscles are not retrained after birth there can be a lot of changes that occur in the position of all of your organs, such as your bladder, bowels and uterus. It literally can be causing us to push these organs inferiorly right out the pelvic floor with each breath we take. Then add on our quick return to traditional sit-ups etc and this suddenly becomes a recipe for disaster. This can be very discouraging for our ladies who have taken care of their bodies all their life and suddenly have a poochy belly and hips that are loosey-goosey, along with a leaky bladder, bowels that are odd in their behavior pattern and sex that is not quite as enjoyable as it once was for them.

The good thing is that a women's health physical therapist c-an help. There is a complex relationship that exists but it can be easily re-established with training for the balance of the abdominals, back extensors and pelvic floor. Don't rush this progression of training and be too aggressive, too fast. Your body will restore itself, but forcing this too fast can create more problems.

Please come in for your pre-natal care plan and your postpartum re-training. Wellness is knowing the right things to do at the right time for optimal health when you have some relaxin hanging around.

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Sheree DiBiase, PT, is the owner of Lake City Physical Therapy and she and her staff are committed to caring for our pregnant women to avoid long-term health issues due to pregnancy related problems. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and your body deserves the best so it can stay beautiful as well. Reach us in our Coeur d'Alene office (208) 667-1988, Hayden office (208) 762-2100 and in the Spokane Valley at (509) 891-2623.