Navigating Hypermobility and Perinatal Health with Megan Beach Gomes
Zebra Talks: Living Your Best Bendy LifeShow Notes
In this episode of the Zebra Talks podcast, host Libby Hinsley interviews Megan Beach Gomes, a specialized pelvic health physical therapist focusing on pelvic pain and perinatal care. She discusses her journey into specializing in pelvic health and the importance of physical therapy for pregnant and postpartum individuals, especially those dealing with hypermobility. Gomes highlights the key role of the hormone relaxin during pregnancy and its effects on the body's mobility, the challenges hypermobile individuals may face during and after pregnancy, and provides practical advice and exercises to help manage symptoms. Gomes emphasizes the need for comprehensive care, including pelvic support belts, specific exercises, and how to deal with issues such as diastasis recti postpartum. She also touches on finding specialized help through resources like the EDS Society, the importance of patient advocacy, and options like telehealth for individuals with limited access to specialized care. Highlights of this episode include: - Welcome to Zebra Talks: Introducing Megan Beach Gomes- Journey into Pelvic Health: Megan's Story- Understanding Hypermobility in Pregnancy- Managing Pregnancy Symptoms for the Hypermobile- Navigating Labor and Delivery with Hypermobility- Preparation and Advocacy for Hypermobile Pregnant Persons- Pregnancy Wellness Tips for the Hypermobile- Ergonomic Supports for Comfortable Sitting- Exercise Tips for Pregnancy with Increased Laxity- Hip Hinge: The Ultimate Exercise for Pregnancy- Managing Pelvic Girdle Pain with Simple Adjustments- Postpartum Considerations for the Bendy Population- Navigating Postpartum Recovery: Scar Care and Core Support- Addressing Diastasis Recti in Postpartum Recovery- Preventing and Managing Mommy Thumb Postpartum- Finding Specialized Perinatal Physical Therapy
More from Zebra Talks: Living Your Best Bendy Life
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley welcomes Jennifer Parkinson, a certified functional nutrition practitioner and founder of EDS Nutritionist, who supports people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, MCAS, and POTS.
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley welcomes physical therapist Dr. Laura Glazebrook to discuss scoliosis, especially its overlap with hypermobility. Laura shares her own history of rapidly progressing scoliosis, undergoing a spinal fusion at age 11, and later realizing she likely falls on the hypermobility spectrum.
Dr. Libby Hinsley welcomes menopause specialist and nurse practitioner Vanessa Weiland, founder of Phases Clinic and creator of Bendy Menopause, who also has hypermobile EDS and MCAS.
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley interviews Abbey Phillipson, a classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) advocate and Paralympic strength and conditioning coach at the University of Michigan. Abbey shares her experience with early signs, diagnosis via genetics (COL5A1), and serious complications of Classical EDS.
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley interviews pelvic floor physical therapist and author Dr. Amy Stein, founder of Beyond Basics Physical Therapy. Stein discusses the strong overlap she sees between hypermobility and pelvic floor dysfunction (estimating about 70% of her patients), including patterns of pelvic floor gripping used for stability, pelvic pain, prolapse, hernias, constipation/IBS symptoms, possible pelvic congestion, and bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction across all genders.