• $167

Childbirth & Vaginismus: Key Considerations for Midwives

You've encountered her before: the woman who is terrified of birth, extremely anxious about vaginal exams, has significant pain/sensitivity to touch, & has no trust in her body's ability to birth. This webinar will share the evidence on birth and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorders, and will equip you to work more effectively with these clients - all from a pelvic health, trauma-informed, biopsychosocial lens.  

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Why This Training?

Vaginismus and other persistent genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorders (GPPPD) do not vanish simply because someone gets pregnant.  In fact, pregnancy and childbirth can sometimes worsen the lived experienced of women with GPPPD.  And sometimes it presents an opportunity for improvement.

As compassionate healthcare providers and birth professionals, we want childbirth to be positive, safe, and trauma-free  for the individuals and families whom we serve.  This is why it's so important to approach the pregnant GPPPD patient with knowledge, sensitivity, and skill.

As a midwife, how can you convey knowledge about vaginismus in a way that will strengthen your therapeutic alliance and build trust?  How can you avoid further sensitizing your persistent pain patients or heightening their experience of pain?  What strategies can you implement to prepare your patients with vaginismus to face childbirth with greater confidence and less fear?   

Format:

During this live virtual training you will acquire a greater knowledge of vaginismus and leave understanding the current evidence for managing vaginismus in the perinatal population.  

Together we will go over all the key things you must consider when working with pregnant patients who have vaginismus  - all from a pelvic health, evidence based, trauma-informed, biopsychosocial framework.  

This training is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded colleagues across the country and to grow in pelvic health knowledge together. We will allocate plenty of time for discussion and Q & A.  

We hope you are as excited about this training as we are.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will we be covering?

You will be learning about:
  • Vaginismus - what it is, causes, symptoms, differential diagnoses, prevalence, stats
  • Your pregnant patients with vaginismus - their lived experiences, the impact on their life, their emotions and cognitions about childbirth
  • The neuroscience of pain -  the role of the brain, central nervous system, limbic system in perpetuating (and also overcoming) vaginismus
  • Various approaches to managing vaginismus in labour and delivery 
  • What is in the research literature and the strength of evidence for current management strategies
  • Labour and delivery options for expecting families to consider and the pros and cons of each option
  • The role of prenatal pelvic floor physiotherapy in preparing patients who have vaginismus for vaginal delivery 
  • Actionable steps you can implement in your midwifery practice immediately 
  • Q & A  

Why the focus on vaginismus?

Women with genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorders, such as vaginismus, can and do become pregnant.  Becoming pregnant is often a significant achievement in and of itself; and once that has happened, many women with vaginismus begin to contemplate the next milestone - actually giving birth.  Cognitions about vaginal birth tend to produce a much higher level of anxiety in those living with persistent vulvo-vaginal pain than for those without.

In our clinical practice, we have observed a connection between pre-existing pelvic pain conditions and negative birth experiences or outcomes.  The research evidence suggests that there is a link as well.  We will get into it more during the online training.

At The Mama's Physio, one of our goals is to help women birth with body competency and emotional resilience  - and to come out of it as intact as possible (physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually). We think most midwives and birth professionals would agree. 

When it comes to pelvic pain/sexual pain conditions and childbirth, more research and more work needs to be done.  There is a gap in knowledge for many perinatal healthcare providers who work with pelvic pain patients, particularly those suffering from vaginismus.  This live virtual training is just one way we hope to help bridge that knowledge gap and to improve the birthing experiences of many families in our communities. 

Will we be discussing other pelvic pain conditions?

While much of what we cover can be applied to other pregnant persistent pelvic pain conditions (such as endometriosis, vulvodynia, or dyspareunia), we will keep the focus of our conversation on the patient with vaginismus since our time is limited.  The broad principles you learn can certainly be applied to your patients with other pelvic pain/penetration conditions.

Do I have to be a midwife to sign up for this training?

Although this training is geared towards midwives and their specific model of practice, the information and resources presented will be very useful for all professionals or practitioners in the birthing world.  So if you are an OB, family doctor, labour and delivery nurse, doula, or other perinatal health practitioner, you are absolutely invited to register.  It will enrich the learning experience for us all. 

Who will be facilitating this training?

Ibukun Afolabi is a pelvic floor and perinatal physiotherapist with a keen interest in the intersection of birth, sexuality, and persistent pelvic pain disorders.  Over the course of her career, she has helped many women overcome vaginismus and have positive birth experiences, even with vaginismus.

Having experienced exceptional care from midwives for all five of her homebirths, she is a big believer in the midwifery model of care for normal pregnancy and childbirth.

Read more about Ibukun here. 

Are any other resources available?

Absolutely!  You will get webinar notes that you can refer to in the future. 

You are also able to purchase a comprehensive resource package  (50% discount offered only during checkout). It includes:

  • A Vaginismus Toolkit for Midwives including: 

    • Educational handouts you can give to expectant families about vaginismus and birth

    • A framework for conducting vaginal exams (which can be practiced with your patient prior to onset of labour)

    • Validated psychosocial inventories you can use with your patients, along with the scoring and interpretation guide

    • Tip sheet and checklist for sensitively addressing vaginismus with your pregnant patients that will help build rapport and trust

  • A complete reference list

  • Key journal articles (downloadable PDFs) referred to in the training

If you want to discuss a challenging clinical scenario, you also have the opportunity to book a 1:1 session with Ibukun.

  • $167

Care for your pregnant patients with competence and compassion.

For a woman living with a genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder, her approach to childbirth will be coloured by her experience with pelvic or sexual pain. Her mind, heart, and body will need some major TLC in order to birth without trauma. This is where you get to shine! It's time to get the training you need to confidently work with your pregnant patients navigating vaginismus or other types of persistent pelvic pain.

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Experts in Holistic Pelvic & Perinatal Health

We're passionate pelvic floor and orthopaedic physiotherapists, perinatal and birth professionals, women's health and wellness coaches, exercise specialists, evidence-informed educators, engaging speakers, community leaders, and proud mamas. 

Our raison d'etre is to see you function and flourish in your health and well being - especially during your pregnancy, birth, and postnatal seasons of life. 

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