After dealing with hyperemesis throughout pregnancy, Katie was so excited when her water broke unexpectedly at 37 weeks. After a birth center transfer, pitocin, epidural, and 41 hours of labor, Roman was finally born vaginally. His delivery was complicated by a shoulder dystocia, leaving Katie with several second degree tears. Roman had a week long NICU stay, and during that time, Katie and Roman had a difficult time breastfeeding. She was hoping this would improve when they got home; but the breastfeeding struggles and colicky infant was stressful and nobody was sleeping. Katie found that exclusive pumping gave her the resources to enjoy time with her newborn without the pressure of getting baby to latch. Katie describes some difficulties she has dealt with her pelvic floor postpartum and how she has found improvement working with a pelvic floor therapist.
Katie Barnes Bio
Katie lives with her husband, Bobby, son, Roman (3), and daughter, Elia (7 months) in Pittsburgh, PA. Katie works as a physician assistant, and Bobby works as a physical therapist. They spend a lot of their free time in the local community enjoying parks, children’s museums, breweries, and renovating their home. Connect with Katie on Instagram at thebarnesfamily_
Resources
- The HER Foundation
- Exclusive Pumping
- Taking Cara Babies on instagram and blog @takingcarababies
- The Formula Mom on instagram @theformulamom
- Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster
- Bringing up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Drunkerman
Ergobaby
This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Their commitment to providing parents with the foundation to thrive has launched the company into creating a broad range of award-winning products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably, and safely – where function and quality are not compromised. In 2020, they launched Everlove by Ergobaby, a first of its kind baby carrier buy back and resale program, a sustainability effort to support families and the planet. Check out Ergobaby’s Embrace in Soft Air Mesh and new Evolve 3-in-1 Bouncer that we discussed on the podcast!
A pelvic floor assessment, as well as a postpartum assessment, should be standard care for pregnant women, in my opinion! This would help so many women avoid so many problems, but unfortunately, our healthcare system has yet to prioritize this.