Prenatal physiotherapy: reimbursement, when to start?

Little known, prenatal physiotherapy makes it possible to prepare physically and mentally for childbirth.What are the fundamentals of this practice?Who is she talking to ?What are its benefits?Answers with Mathilde Elind, physiotherapist specializing in perinatality.

What is prenatal physiotherapy?

"Physiotherapists are led to treat patients from birth to death.Women, men, children, athletes, sedentary people...Their field of skills is very large.For their part, the midwives are really focused on the woman and more particularly on the pregnant woman.These two professions therefore share common skills.Preparation for birth in physiotherapy makes it possible to prepare the body for childbirth, in the manner of physical preparation for a sports competition.The difference with a classic preparation is that we can go further in the prevention of pain, stretching, massages, preparation of the basin but also the learning of breath for work and push ", explainsMathilde Elind.

What is prenatal physiotherapy?

Birth preparation in physiotherapy has three components:

Physical preparation

It is used to prevent pain, promote the opening of the basin, avoid water retention which tends to promote the difficulties of opening the perineum and the pelvic floor for the passage of the baby, maintaining the flexibility and the tone of the perineum, but also keep an adapted physical activity throughout pregnancy in order to keep a functional abdominal strap and sufficient respiratory capacity for childbirth.

Mental preparation for childbirth

The objective is to give the future mother information, knowledge, teach her to relax, manage her stress, to better manage the intensity and pain of contractions.

Emotional preparation

Thanks to visualization, the future mother is preparing for the baby's arrival by imagining what she would feel if she felt her smell, if she took him in her arms, touched him, felt her heat...This allows the woman to be conditioned on the arrival of her baby.The better she will be prepared, the better she will manage the contractions and perceive them as something beneficial that brings her closer to her baby.

When to start prenatal physiotherapy?

Prenatal physiotherapy can be started at any time to relieve pain and preserve suitable physical activity throughout pregnancy.There is no point in starting too early because they are tools that future mothers will need for childbirth.Nor should you go about it too late because there are many points to approach."The only one that is highly codified and framed is the preparation of the perineum, which should only start from 34 weeks of amenorrhea because it is estimated that by the way, stimulating the perineum in womenHaving predispositions could trigger delivery, "says the physiotherapist specializing in perinatal.

What refund and support?

Physiotherapy, whatever the reason, is covered by health insurance throughout pregnancy.The attending physician can put the usual title on the prescription for physiotherapy treatment.

In what cases in which prenatal physiotherapy?

Prenatal physiotherapy is recommended for all pregnant women, even those who have a programmed cesarean, whether we want a physiological childbirth or a classic childbirth with epidural, because this will promote the progress of childbirth by giving maximum knowledgeWomen's.Indeed, the preparation of the perineum makes it possible to reduce the risk of incontinence, tear and episiotomy.Respiratory preparation offers women the possibility of knowing exactly what she should do to push at the time of childbirth, this makes it possible to know how to engage her abdominals to correctly direct the pressures and avoid the descents of organs in the longer term."Finally, physical activity will prevent pain.All activities in the water are suitable since there is no impact: you can jump, run, dance, make aquabike.For women who are not used to playing sports, prenatal yoga, quieter, is advised.The delivery is greatly helped by mobility: the baby will make 7 movements to be born, the woman will be all the more comfortable by moving and using the gravity to give birth.The physiotherapist being the movement specialist, this reassures, he is one of the specialists essential to this preparation ", specifies our interlocutor.

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