Melissa Szymankiewicz, D.C.
The Case for Postpartum Being a Collaborative Approach
EPISODE: 1 | DATE: August 4, 2020
Episode Goal: This marks the first official episode of The Mom Feed and I cannot thank you enough for being here. We kicked off our first episode with Melissa Szymankiewicz, a chiropractor with a background in sports medicine who specializes in postpartum care. This interview is for anyone who is wanting to get pregnant, who is pregnant, or who is in their first 6-12 months postpartum.
So many moments of motherhood make you feel like you’ve failed
Key Takeaways
- Moms can benefit from chiropractic support during pregnancy and postpartum.
- Moms don’t get seen by a doc until 6 weeks postpartum, and that apt. Is only to tell you if you can A) exercise again and B) have sex again and C) (not mentioned) talk about protection because you can still get pregnant even while breastfeeding even though your period isn’t back yet). But women need support from zero days postpartum to easily 12-16 weeks and beyond. There are resources for beyond 12 weeks, but nothing for 0-12/16 weeks. Melissa addresses this.
- How isolating being a new mom can be, and how important it is to find friends with a shared experience (not all moms experience motherhood the same way – find your tribe!).
- The first 6 months of postpartum is like being in quarantine.
- So many moments of motherhood make you feel like you’ve failed.
- Difference between finding someone to commiserate with and someone to complain with. Find the person to commiserate with.
- We’re made to feel like failures because of all the information we get (my baby is supposed to do x, y, and z, bla bla bla).
- Postpartum is forever.
- What you eat and how you exercise BEFORE you get pregnant and WHILE you’re pregnancy directly affects the health of your baby.
- You might want to consider having a doula or midwife because they give more in depth information on pregnancy, labor and postpartum.
- How important it is to have a postpartum plan for how life will run (i.e. laying down for 2 weeks, how will you eat? Who will take care of those responsibilities? etc.) Will you have a labor doula or postpartum doula (she recommends both)?
- POSTPARTUM CARE IS A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH because we’re all limited by our body of knowledge.
- After you have a baby, it’s ok to not be ok about it. Just make sure you reach out for help. Get the resources you need (PT, chiropractor, acupuncture, etc.)
About Melissa Szymankiewicz
Dr. Melissa Szymankiewicz, D.C. is a chiropractor specializing in postpartum healing, newborn integration, and family bonding.
Raised in Colorado, Melissa has a deep love for the mountains, but is proud to call Southern California her home. Melissa originally became a chiropractor due to her passion for sports, and she loved helping athletes of all abilities and patients of all backgrounds recover from injury or stay injury free. She also worked on the set of Star Wars Episode VII to help production go smoothly.
It wasn’t until the birth of her first son that she realized how much support is needed for all parents navigating the parenthood transition. From tongue ties to breastfeeding, baby’s first foods, and sleep, there are a lot of ways in which we can support the family transition. Luckily, during the time she was going through her postpartum experience, she was introduced to BirthFit and found that this movement is working towards the same goals she had. After she participated in the BirthFit PostPartum series led by BirthFit SouthBay, she knew this was where her true passion was.
Melissa is currently a BirthFit Professional, certified in Webster technique, has taken numerous ICPA Pediatric Seminars, and is working towards her certification through the ICPA.
As part of her support program for new parents, she offers in-home appointments to help the parents navigate the transition transition by providing resources, screening for birth trauma, treating birth injuries, and assessing the baby for issues that may interfere with breastfeeding and development. She also teaches in person and distance postpartum classes to help with the mental, physical and emotional return to daily living.
Thank you so much for listening!
CONTACT INFO:
Instagram: @Dr.Melissa.chiro
Website: drmelissachiro.com
Email: melissachiro@gmail.com
Thank you so much for listening!
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