Makin' Trouble at the PHU

Mark and I are taking prenatal classes through the Peel Public Health Unit. We are both really enjoying the classes as the teacher is really great. The classes are two hours long, once a week, for seven weeks.

A few weeks ago the instructor explained that recent research indicated that pregnant women shouldn't do kegel exercises because they might cause preterm labour. Now, everything you read, every maternity health care provider, websites, etc. all encourage pregnant women to do kegal exercises throughout their pregnancy to strengthen pelvic muscles. Not to mention the fact that these are the muscles we use to 'hold it'... pregnant women NEVER need to pee, right?

I took a look online and couldn't find any research to support the 'no kegels' rule. At the next class (at the break) I asked the instructor for the curriculum research reference. Last night our instructor reported back. Apparently, my question went all the way to the top of the Public Health Unit system. It turns out that the nurses who work on the prenatal class curriculum went to a conference and heard a researcher discuss her findings... of one study. Apparently the study didn't assert much AND the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada position is that pregnant women should be encouraged to do kegel exercises in pregnancy. So, now the PHU prenatal curriculum is being changed back to 'kegel's good'... all because of me. I know... I'm bad ass.

My next project will be to get Brampton Civic Hospital to stop charging women $20 per birth for a package of supplies (diapers, Vaseline, alcohol, peri-pads, etc). More on that later...