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Yuka Polovina, PhD, MPH

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Mama on the Mend

All about postpartum women, minutes to years after giving birth. Keeping it real and body positive.

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Dissertation

“Playing the Games: Diasporic Identity, Athletic Entrepreneurialism, and Elodie Li Yuk Lo’s Journey to the Olympics”

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...because I LOVE to talk about my postpartum experience with incontinence...kidding. I don’t love talking about it, but I do think it’s important that we share our postpartum experiences (the good, the bad, and smelly). And More important, share how we recovered!! (Photo around 6 months PP still with issues) - Thanks @bodyconnectdc for helping me share this story and for your support through my recovery!! - 😍💕🤰🏻🤱🏻🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💃🏻🤸🏻‍♀️ STORY IN BIO - What was your postpartum recovery like? What kind of help did you get? Any tips for new mamas? - #mamaonthemend #postpartum #postpartumrecovery #postpartumrehab #pelvicphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloordysfunction #incontinence #fourthtrimester #fourthtrimesterbody #healing
Happy galentine’s day everyone 💕😍 . . #galentinesday #mamaonthemend
MUTU System is on sale this week. I preach a lot about going to pelvic PT and being proactive about postpartum healing, but I know that seeing specialists isn't always easy or accessible. I'm glad for online programs like MUTU System that helps bridge that gap for some mamas. -- I've been trying out the program myself for the past month. It complements my sessions with my PTs and keeps me on routine to do my pelvic floor and core strengthening EVERYDAY. I actually do my MUTU exercises more consistently than my PT exercises (but there's a lot of overlap so I don't feel too bad about not getting to my PT homework). -- So far I feel good about getting in my pelvic floor and core work on a daily basis (something I struggled with before). I noticed I do household activities with better posture and mechanics (like coming up from squatting position, lifting laundry basket, while Kegeling). I'm just getting into the strengthening portion of the program so more updates to come... -- The program is on sale this week. Check out their website link in bio. (Not a sponsored post, though I'm an affiliate.) GET 25% OFF MUTU SYSTEM TODAY THROUGH TO FRIDAY - USE CODE LOVE25 #mamaonthemend #postpartumhealing #postpartumhealth #postpartumrecovery #motherhood #fourthtrimester #postpartum #mutusystem #mutumama #postpartumexercise #postpartumfitnessplan #exerciseafterbaby
IMO definitely one of the scarier pelvic floor issues I worried about. Knowing more about actually made me less scared though. Thanks @pregnantchicken for putting this info out there!! #Repost @pregnantchicken with @make_repost ・・・ We have a new post on the site about pelvic organ prolapse. 😬 So, our pelvic organs can fall into our vaginal canal and even peek out of our vaginas after childbirth. (I know, the treats that come with creating a person are never ending.) 🤣👍 Talking about POP is an important discussion – especially with female relatives since it can run in the family. “Hey Auntie Barb, can we grab a coffee some time so I can ask you about the strength of your pelvic floor?" 😁 Even without a known family history of prolapse women who’ve had prolonged deliveries, multiple vaginal births, or assisted births with forceps or vacuum are at increased risk. In fact, about a quarter of US women suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction, which includes prolapse. If you want to check out the symptoms and treatments for this condition, you can find the link in my profile. Big shout out to @mama.on.the.mend for writing this post and shedding some light on this important topic. Although, from the poll in my stories, it looks like the majority of you had heard of this. Dang. You guys are so smart. 💕
I’m not a big fan of #challenges. Most of them feel like I'm forcing/guilt-ing myself to do something "good" for my health (like eating copious amounts of raw kale, 30 days straight) ...then feeling bad when I fail the challenge, or worse, not enjoying myself during the challenge. That's just my hang up with challenges, but perhaps it sounds familiar. When it comes to postpartum health and rehab, I'm especially weary. We have enough going on in our lives, and so many #challenges focus on body aesthetics. ...and you know how I feel about postpartum "body pics." . . But now I must confess... . . I've been doing a challenge for the past 3 days: the #PelvicFloorChallenge as featured on the BBC Woman's Hour. @mutusystem just launched this 30 day challenge over the weekend. It's a free high quality video you can follow each day for just 6 minutes. . . They had me at FREE and SIX MINUTES! . . Calling it a "challenge" for the pelvic floor is a bit of a misnomer. The video is a simple step-by-step guide to helping women reconnect with and get to know those muscles again. I like that it focuses on engaging and relaxing those important core muscles through movement. (In other words, you're not sitting there counting Kegels.) . . Whether you're 8 weeks postpartum or over 30 years postpartum, this challenge is for all women. Hope you can join me :):) LINK TO FREE CHALLENGE VIDEO IN BIO! . . #mamaonthemend #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloorchallenge #pelvicfloorexercises #kegels #postpartum #selflove #mutusystem #mutumama
Can u guess what “V” word first came to mind? It wasn’t “very” 😆 #pelvichealth #postpartum #postpartumhealth #targetclearance #mamaonthemend
Oh, the tired in my eyes (circa 2015) When I reflect on my postpartum time, there were many factors (physical and emotional) that made it inevitably challenging. But in hindsight, there were things I wish I knew to help ease that transition from pregnant to motherhood. I put together a humble list of ten things I wish I knew. (See link in bio) What would you add to it? What would you change? � � #mamaonthemend #postpartumhealing #postpartumhealth #postpartumrecovery #motherhood #fourthtrimester #postpartum � � https://mamaonthemend.com/blog/2016/6/15/how-postpartum-planning-is-an-act-of-self-care
It still amazes me how people feel the right to ask about a woman’s fertility, plans for motherhood, or her body/womb. I hated the questions “when are you going to have kids?” My husband and I couldn’t get pregnant for four years. It was both physically and emotionally painful!! Thanks @longestshortesttime for bringing this issue to light in the media!! #Repost @longestshortesttime with @make_repost ・・・ While Margot Robbie has been doing press for her latest movie, Mary Queen of Scots, she's been asked a lot about playing Elizabeth I, who never produced an heir. Some journalists are using this historical fact to ask Robbie, when she’s going to have a child. According to Vogue, "Robbie doesn’t appreciate strangers asking after the status of her womb. “It made me really angry,” she told Radio Times recently. “How dare some old guy dictate what I can and can’t do when it comes to motherhood or my own body?” "Sadly, Robbie says this isn’t the first time she’s been pressed on when she will produce an heir of her own. “I got married and the first question in almost every interview is ‘Babies? When are you having one?’ I’m so angry that there’s this social contract. You’re married, now have a baby. Don’t presume. I’ll do what I’m going to do.”" Vogue adds, "Asking a woman when she’s planning to have kids also has the potential to be very painful: How is anyone to know if Robbie, or any woman asked about their reproductive status, isn’t struggling with infertility, actively and unsuccessfully to get pregnant, and/or recovering from a miscarriage? This a private world of hurt that is absolutely nobody’s business. Alternately, Robbie may not want children at all, which she has an equal right to keep to herself." "And finally, it’s a lazy question. Let’s not pretend any journalist should be at a loss for conversation topics when sitting down with Robbie. She’s about to play Barbie in a live-action film about the iconic doll. She’s Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood alongside Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, for goodness sake. Ask her more, guys."
Just what I needed to hear today. My mantra for the year! Thanks universe and @yogitea #selfcare #selflove #mamaonthemend #motherhood
I'm really not a fan of posting bikini pics of myself online. It actually makes me feel very uncomfortable. Not because I think I look "bad" or "good" or whatever, but because it's just a lot of skin to show. It's a personal comfort thing. But I'm posting this pic to make a small point. I'll probably get a lot of flack for this post...oh well. So, this is me about 3 months postpartum. A LOT of people commented on my body, mostly about how "great" I looked or how quickly I "bounced back." I also got a lot of "no fair, I hate you, JK" comments. Everyone assumed I was fine because of how I looked. I did nothing intentionally. I just ate when hungry and fed my son when he was hungry. PEOPLE THINNESS DOESN'T EQUAL HEALTHINESS. My pelvic floor was a mess and I knew exactly where the closest bathroom was when I went to the beach this day. Very few people we concerned with my actual physical health because clearly my physique was back-ish. I felt excluded from a lot of these "real" postpartum images because I didn't have visible stitches or any stretch marks (again, nothing I did to prevent). The aesthetic of "realness" seemed kind of specific: stretchmarks, rolls, stitches/scars, etc. Those "before and after" pics didn't inspire me either. They weren't really about health in a holistic way. So, there's my rant. I think this postpartum "body positivity" movement needs to be about more than external physical aesthetics. Thoughts? What do you think of postpartum body pictures? Did you find inspiration or solace in them?...Check out my latest post about postpartum body pics:https://mamaonthemend.com/blog/this-is-how-i-feel-about-postpartum-body-pic#mamaonthemend #postpartum #postpartumhealth #postbabybody #postpartumbody #fitpregnancyjourney #postpartumjourney #motherhood #healthypregnancy #inspirepregnancy #3monthspostpartum #postpartumfitness #postpartumhealth #bodypositivity #bodypositivitymovement #stopbodyshaming #bodyimage #bodypos #bodyliberation
Some belated holiday cookies for my fave pelvic PTs @bodyconnectdc Sometimes you gotta bling out the vagina!! Thanks for the decorating help @billieleeps #vaginaart #vulvaart #holidaycookies #bodypositivity #mamaonthemend
From Toronto to Hawaii, and plenty places in between...with lots of struggles and triumphs along the way...many feelings were felt in 2018! Grateful for all the experiences and lessons, and super stoked for 2019!!! 🎉🥳🤩🏄🏻‍♀️🌈
SNOW! ❄️ ⛄️
First time at Lake Tahoe...not too shabby. #laketahoe #edgewoodtahoe #winterwonderland
Hoping for a snowy sprinkle for Christmas in Nevada ❄️ ⛄️ 🎄
Have you looked between your legs lately? I know, I'm asking a really personal question here. Truth is TONS of women have never fully looked at themselves or ever consider doing so during their postpartum time. This is obviously a very personal choice, but I'm a huge advocate for it. Turns out, more and more women's health professionals are integrating the mirror into their practice! . . Not only did I see that my perineum was intact and not a crazy stitched up mess I thought it might be, I felt more confident at my 6-week postpartum check up. I was able to tell my OBGYN exactly what didn't feel right and what I wanted him to check. . . Fully looking at myself also felt empowering and gave me another way to re-connect with my postpartum body. I had felt resentful for the physical pain I was experiencing, but looking at my vagina, vulva, and perineum I grew so appreciative and proud of what I had accomplished giving birth to my son. . . In the spirit of keeping it real and personal, I share yet another intimate story. (See link in bio.) . . . . . . . . . Have you ever considered taking a mirror "down there"? Did a health professional every recommend that? #mamaonthemend #postpartum #postpartumhealth #postpartumcare #postpartumbody #postpartumvagina #postpartumhealing #postpartumcheckup #OBGYN #pelvichealth #selfcare #selfdiscovery #pregnancy #childbirth #laboranddelivery #fourthtrimester #postpartumjourney #postpregnancy #takebackpostpartum @discovherhealth

About Yuka Polovina, PhD, MPH, CHES

Welcome to my website. I’m currently working on two projects. The first is my dissertation on a Chinese Mauritian Canadian woman who competed in beach volleyball at the 2012 Olympics. Her story is fascinating because she represents many issues that confound what we think about sports, the Olympics, immigration, and multiculturalism. This story isn’t another clichéd rags to riches or hard work always wins kind of account, typical in sports narratives. I’m starting off by simply asking, “How did a Chinese immigrant from Canada come to represent an African nation in the 2012 Olympic Games?” The second is a website for and about postpartum women, an under-recognized segment of our population. The goals are to provide resources on postpartum care and raise awareness on issues women face after giving birth. Both projects draw on my education and training, and are also deeply personal. I passionately work on the two almost everyday. Thanks for stopping by!

~Yuka

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