Baby Bod: Groundbreaking Program for Pregnant and Postpartum Women by Marianne Ryan, PT, OCS. 2015. ISBN 978-0989035-1-0-1. Soft cover, 370 pages, $20.
This book advertised as a "groundbreaking program" for pregnant and postpartum women received the "parent tested, and parent approved winner of the ptpa.com award" (Parent Tested Parent Approved). The book is written by a physical therapist (PT) with more than 30 years' experience, mother of 2.
The intent of the book is to draw in the many complexities of a woman's body before and after childbirth while reassuring, explaining, and providing sensible and evidence-informed advice. The author, a women's health and OCS PT with more than 30 years' experience, is passionate about helping women prepare for childbirth and body restoration post-delivery. She has a blog on women's health at http://www.BabyBodBook.com and some commercial products she advertises in the book.
The book is for women at different stages on the birth continuum: the pregnant mom, the new mom, and the experienced mom. The author suggests starting with the chapter that fits the reader and then go onto chapter 4 and read through the end. This can be frustrating to women who want to jump right into the exercises, but the reading lays a foundation for some good information on alignment check, breathing during labor and delivery, birthing positions, seeing a PT prior to delivery, and a brief overview of anatomy. Photographs help explain the definitions of the core, transversus abdominis, multifidus, and the pelvic floor muscles. However, only the superficial layer of the pelvic floor muscle group is included.
The book has 17 chapters divided into 5 sections: Baby Bod and You; Understanding Your New Body; Self-Care After Baby Is Born; the Exercise Program; and Baby Bod in Daily Life; and 3 appendixes that are worksheets, exercises charts, and how to find a PT. The worksheets include self-tests for core stability testing, jump testing for leakage-suggest waiting until 3 months postpartum, how to check for intra-abdominal pressure, how to check for diastasis recti, incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse symptoms. The exercise tracker programs are divided into preliminary and advanced and the worksheets can be copied, or download the baby bod exercise tracker app, making this an easy-to-use section for the reader.
The "Healing Timeline" chart in chapter 9 will be helpful to the new mom post-cesarean birth. I hope in the next edition that the author replaces "C-section" terms with "cesarean birth." There are some references included in most chapters, but this is not intended to be an evidence-based review of the literature. References to the "dreaded Mommy Tummy" are potentially demeaning after mothers have gone through the long process of creating, growing, and birthing a child. I am always skeptical about any book that promises to "turn flab to fab in 12 weeks flat," which is more as a sales promotion strategy, and emphasizing on how one should look after birth, not on how one should feel such as strong, able to heal, and enjoy her child.
There is a great deal of information packed into this book, and certainly the women's health PT's view of the pregnant and postpartum woman comes across. This book is valuable for pregnant and postpartum women want to take charge of their own exercise program and who do not have musculoskeletal conditions that require treatment.
Rebecca Stephenson, PT, DPT, MS, WCS
Understanding and Treating Incontinence-What Causes Urinary Incontinence and How to Regain Bladder Control by Sarah Haag. OPTP Publisher. 2019, soft cover, 60 pages, $16.95.
Dr Sarah Haag, a pelvic physical therapist (PT), has created a wonderful resource for patients with urinary incontinence (UI). This book is written as a conversation from the author to the patient, making it easy to read and comforting right from the first page. The book is divided into 4 sections: who is affected by UI, anatomy and physiology, pelvic floor muscle (PFM) exercises, and pelvic physical therapy and other treatments.
Section 1 reviews who is affected by UI and how he or she is affected. The author's writing style is empathetic and affirms many of the trouble patients with UI experience. Section 2 has a great description of normal bladder function, and this chapter alone will be a considerable benefit to many patients. Anatomy is also reviewed with pictures of the PFMs, the names may or may be necessary for the lay reader. Section 2 also covers the different types of UI, which is a little confusing, and I wish was tied into the balloon analogy a few pages earlier.
Section 3 has a very good description of PFM exercises, with a 1-page advertisement for a device sold by OPTP. I believe many patients will be able to begin PFM exercises with this information alone, although there are many suggestions to see a pelvic PT that are sprinkled throughout the book. Another section that is valuable for the lay reader is section 4, which reviews types of bladder irritants, describes water intake, and gives a sample bladder diary with instructions. Types of biofeedback and other treatments such as vaginal weights and electrical stimulation are included. A healthy dose of caution is given that all treatments have limitations. Section 4 also includes a lengthy and well-written review of what to expect when you see a pelvic PT. Dr Haag's down-to-earth sharing about internal PFM examinations should help patients feel less worried and more confident to see a pelvic PT.
Overall, this text is not intended to be an evidence-based review of the literature. It is clear the author is aware of current research and points out research in some areas of the book. There are a few references in the back, some of them quite old. A couple of groups are listed in the back as resources for patients to obtain more information and how to find a pelvic PT.
Many self-help books attempt to cover too many topics and include too much complexity, which this book does not do, thankfully. The book is informative, empowering, and in many places comforting. It provides a good mix and in just the right amount of detail. Some of the terms used in this text may be too advanced for some lay readers; the majority is written in easy-to-understand language with a fireside-chat feel. This book is a call to action, and I would recommend it for patients especially those who many never be able to see a pelvic PT or who are nervous or reluctant.
Beth Shelly, PT, DPT, WCS, BCB, PMD
Moline, Illinois