the three people you need on your birth team

The pelvic floor is responsible for supporting vital bodily functions such as urination, bowel movements, sexual activity, and pregnancy and delivery. It acts as a cornerstone, ensuring the stability of the bladder, intestines, and reproductive organs. However, despite its pivotal role, pelvic floor trauma during childbirth is alarmingly common and can lead to enduring symptoms such as incontinence and discomfort. 

It is estimated that 80-90% of women will have some sort of tear during a vaginal delivery. 58% of women who have had a vaginal delivery experience pelvic floor dysfunction. 

That's why prioritizing pelvic floor health, including collaborating with a birth doula, Webster Certified chiropractor and pelvic floor therapist during your pregnancy and beyond, is essential to safeguard your pelvic floor during delivery and for years to come. 

A Birth Doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to their client before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces nervous system stress, balances pelvic bones, muscles and ligaments and optimizes the mother’s pelvic function in pregnancy and birth. A webster certified chiropractor can help create more space in the pelvis to allow for optimal positioning of the baby

A Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist has a doctorate degree in physical therapy with advanced training in the pelvic floor. This means they have attended 3 years of graduate school and after graduate school, attended more courses to receive pelvic floor certifications. 

We asked birth and postpartum doula, Jill Magoffin, how a doula can help you reduce the risk of pelvic floor injury delivery. This is what she said: 

“As a doula, my role extends beyond providing emotional and physical support during labor and delivery. I'm here to help prevent trauma to the pelvic floor. In the birthing world, the traditional lithotomy position—lying on your back with legs up—has been the default choice. However, this position is often less than ideal for most birthing individuals. The concern with the lithotomy pose is its potential to compress the pelvis, hindering the smooth passage of the baby. This can lead to prolonged labor, increased interventions, and added stress on the baby's oxygen levels.”

I'm your birth bestie—trained to provide tender loving care and expertise throughout your pregnancy journey and beyond. I'm not a medical professional, but I'm dedicated to ensuring that your birthing experience is uniquely yours. Whether you're in the throes of labor or taking a moment to breathe, I'll be by your side, offering different labor positions and hands-on comfort measures. When it's time to push, I'll work with you to optimize your pushing technique for maximum efficiency.

But I don't work alone. My collaboration with pelvic floor therapists, chiropractors, and medical professionals is crucial. By closely coordinating with them, I gain valuable insights into the significance of pelvic floor health and therapy throughout the prenatal, labor, and postpartum phases. This collective knowledge informs our prenatal sessions and guides us through labor and delivery, ensuring that you receive the comprehensive support needed to maintain pelvic floor strength and function.

Together, we're committed to exploring comfortable positions that align with your preferences and needs. Sometimes, sticking with the lithotomy position might be suitable—it's all about what feels best for you and your baby.

Through our collaborative efforts, I ensure that you have the support and resources necessary to navigate childbirth with confidence and minimize the risk of pelvic floor trauma.”

Jill Magoffin

We asked Webster Certified Chiropractor, Rachel Sanders, how working with a Webster certified chiropractor can help 

Dr. Rachel Sanders

The Webster Technique is a specialized chiropractic technique that is specially for pregnant women that is performed by chiropractors. It is a safe and effective way to relieve pain during pregnancy and prepare the body for labor and delivery. The body is changing so rapidly during pregnancy and over 50% of pregnant women have some sort of low back pain. The Webster technique focuses on the areas that can cause pain during pregnancy including some of the joints, soft tissue structures and ligaments. We focus on the sacrum (tailbone), piriformis muscle that can mimic sciatica, hip flexor, pelvis (low back), pubic symphysis (crotch bone).   The Webster technique is designed to open up the pelvis and relieve tension to prepare the body for labor and delivery.  With opening up the pelvis there is less tension. Research shows that labor time with those who sought out chiropractic care can be reduced up to 31%. In conjunction with chiropractic care, I always recommend my patients to go see a pelvic floor physical therapist to learn the proper pushing technique and labor prep. I like to say it takes a village.

Finally, at Cappuccino Physical Therapy, our pelvic floor physical therapists, Dr. Rachael and Dr. Gigi, can help reduce the risk of pelvic floor injury through our comprehensive birth preparation program. This includes education on perineal massage during delivery, opening the different levels of the pelvis by demonstrating different labor and delivery positions for each stage of labor and finally, teaching breathing and pushing techniques. All of these have been proven to reduce the risk of tearing during delivery. To learn more about our birth prep program, check out this article here.

Dr. Rachael Cappuccino and Dr. Gigi Zara

By having a team of professionals who really understand the labor and delivery process, you can have a successful birthing experience with minimal injury to the pelvic floor. 

To learn more about Jill check out her website:, https://www.jillmagoffin.com/

To learn more about Dr. Rachel Sanders: https://synergychiropracticpt.com/team/dr-rachel-sanders/

And to learn more about Dr. Rachael and Dr. Gigi at Cappuccino Physical Therapy: cappuccinopt.com

References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3599825/