Are You Pushing Wrong? What Your Pelvic Floor REALLY Needs for Birth with Dr. Sara Reardon

What if the way you’re told to push during birth isn’t actually the whole story? And what if leaking, pelvic pain, painful sex, or feeling like your body just never fully recovered after having a baby aren’t things you simply have to live with?

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Sara Reardon, aka The Vagina Whisperer — a board-certified pelvic floor therapist with 20 years of experience — to talk about the part of your body that plays a HUGE role in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery, but doesn’t get nearly enough attention. We’re talking about how your pelvic floor changes during pregnancy, how to breathe and push more effectively, what actually happens to your pelvic floor during birth, and why the standard “6 weeks and you’re cleared” checkup may not tell the whole story.

Whether you're pregnant and preparing for birth, newly postpartum, or years past your last baby, this conversation will help you understand your body in a whole new way — and recognize when something isn’t just something you’re supposed to “put up with.”

Here are some highlights from the episode:

• What actually counts as "not normal" — and why no amount of leaking is something you just have to live with
• Why your pelvic floor changes no matter how you give birth — vaginal OR C-section
• The signs that tell you it's time to get pelvic floor support
• What to focus on in each trimester — strengthening early, birth prep later
• The truth about exercising during pregnancy (and why the old advice was wrong)
• How to actually push your baby out — and why your breath matters so much
• Why "6 weeks and you're cleared" doesn't cut it, and what real recovery timelines look like
• The connection between breastfeeding, low estrogen, and pelvic floor healing that most moms are never told
• Why it's never too late to get help — 3 months, 3 years, or 3 decades postpartum
• Sara's biggest takeaway for every mama on putting herself back on the list

🎁 Sara made all of you a FREE childbirth prep guide with her top 8 pelvic floor tips for birth — how to push, how to breathe, positions, stretches, and recovery tips nobody talks about. Grab it at www.myessentialbirth.com/pft

This episode is for information and education, not medical advice. Always work with a provider you trust for your pregnancy and birth.

Connect with Sara:

✅ Free Pelvic Floor Prep Guide: https://www.myessentialbirth.com/PFT

📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/the.vagina.whisperer

🌐 Website: thevaginawhisperer.com

📖 Her book: Floored: A Woman's Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage

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Let's Connect!

Three exercises to help prepare you for your BEST birth: https://www.myessentialbirth.com/3-exercises
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