lauren baker 10/15/26 lauren baker 10/15/26

I Went To My First Women's Health Physical Therapy Appointment, Here's What Happened

Originally published: October 23, 2018 | Updated October 15, 2026

Pelvic floor physical therapy can be a sensitive subject. Here is my experience with my first pelvic floor physical therapy appointment for pelvic floor tightness and urinary incontinence that I couldn’t blame on having babies, because I haven’t had any.

The Day of My Appointment

I felt nauseous all day after writing my first blog post about my upcoming women’s health physical therapy appointment on Monday evening. It was at 5:30 pm, so that left approximately ten(ish) hours of feeling seen, vulnerable, and afraid.

I’m learning it’s not just the fact that my sexual and private organs need help I can’t give them on my own that causes the discomfort. It’s mixed with some weird form of SHAME.

I put that word in all caps because it’s a violent word in the feminine language. Shame is something that I have continued to lean into, and feel like all of us women benefit from getting curious about shame. I highly recommend the work of Brené Brown, because she talks about shame in such a gentle, non-triggering way.

I’m no stranger to trying to avoid discomfort. In fact, I’m the girl who, when watching a rom-com where the lead character is about to do something you KNOW is going to ruin her relationship, life, or friendship, actually has to turn the TV off for a minute and gather herself (or cover her eyes for prolonged periods of time if watching with someone else).

So when it comes to personal experiences and my own shame gremlins, I’m not that adept at shining light on them. It’s why I procrastinated writing the first blog post, and why I’ve had this blog for two years and am just now sharing my story.

Yet I’m winning the war, even if each day is a battle toward uncovering the more authentic version of myself. Against it all, I’m making a choice to be seen in words, pictures, and stories.

Back to the day of my appointment: I was a hot mess all day at work. I texted one of my best PT friends all day; she also happens to be a women’s health therapist and encouraged me to make an appointment at the beginning of this year (but of course, I put it off…)

At work, I had to pry myself out of the bathroom when I really wanted to stay in there for hours, safe within four walls, unable to be seen.

All day, I tried to make eye contact and smile, although I didn’t have it in me most of the time. Those shame gremlins tried hard to control me, but I was still going to that appointment.

I listened to The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown on audiobook and shed a few tears driving from school to school as my job as a school based pediatric physical therapist, trying to borrow some bravery from Brené in the quiet moments by myself.

Those tears lifted the heavy weight I had been carrying and didn’t know how to get rid of.

The Appointment

My appointment came at 5:30pm, and I only got semi-lost once (because ya know my nervous system was on over-drive). Once I got to the clinic, I met Amanda, and immediately noticed that she was warm and confident and explained everything to me upfront before any clothes were removed.

She gave me the power to control the evaluation, which I didn’t know I could have and desperately needed.

When given the option, I opted for both the external and internal exam because I wanted as much information as possible, and I was already there right? Might as well go all in.

The external exam was similar to any ortho physical therapy experience, she tested my hip/core strength, the mobility of my joints, and looked at the muscles in my body as a whole to see if anything else wasn’t working well that could be contributing my symptoms.

By the time we got to the internal exam, I was comfortable and no longer worried. I was actually more curious than anything about what she was finding. Amanda talked me through everything she was doing and to be honest it was more gentle than any gyno exam I have ever had. It was slower, more thorough, and she noted everything she found.

What the Evaluation Found

In my case, one of the muscles that helps the urethra contract isn’t firing at all, which causes the others to do all the work. The deep layers of my pelvic floor have at least three knots in them. They felt slightly uncomfortable to be pushed on, but Amanda pushed of them only briefly to gather information, so it didn’t cause any lingering pain.

I have a really hard time relaxing my pelvic floor, which prior to this appointment I didn’t even know was a thing. My muscles stay at about a ‘third floor’ level instead of ‘ground-floor’ level, which should be the normal position of a relaxed pelvic floor.

This means the muscles can’t relax and then can’t function/move through their full range, which results in problems in the pelvic floor (tightness: discomfort with some sexual positions, urinary urgency, urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, constipation, etc).

My tailbone and sacrum could use some good joint stretching since they don’t move that well (yep, your joints in all parts of your body can get too tight, too), which further adds to my tightness.

My bladder doesn’t move side to side in equal amounts, showing that it’s bound down in some areas, which we can fix (yay!).

In fact, all my issues are “fixable,” if you will, with some work on my part and some manual therapy and education from Amanda.

My Homework

I was given a piriformis stretch and an obturator internus stretch (both done sitting), since those muscles work in coordination with my pelvic floor. I’m doing them twice a day for 30 seconds on each side.

My other homework is to do a pelvic floor contraction (kegel) when I feel the urge to go, and to pull my pants down slowly and with control. The goal is to turn the tide from my bladder controlling me to me controlling my bladder.

This increases my “bladder fullness tolerance level,” an imaginary line each person has, and it can be changed!

I’m also supposed to do a pelvic floor contraction if I feel the urge to go while I’m sleeping, because “anyone under 60 should not have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.” Saaaaay what? Mind blown. For those who want access to all the exercises I was given for bladder incontinence, Amanda has created a full online course around it called The Bladder Blueprint, which you can get access to here.

The First Night and the Morning After

Last night, I was able to hold off the urge to pee twice while sleeping, but by the third time I think I was more annoyed than anything and went. The stretches are simple and straightforward.

This morning, I feel freer and more hopeful than I have in a long time. Writing my story, while uncomfortable at first, is something I’m the most proud of.

I know that one appointment won’t fix everything, so I have a full plan of care (what us physical therapists call the healing journey), but Amanda was up front that I was looking at an average of 6 visits if things move quickly or up to 12 visits if things move a little slower. I am okay if we go over 6 visits, because I don’t want to feel overwhelmed in this journey at all.

I ignored my symptoms for more than 12 weeks, so it would make total sense that it might take longer than 6 weeks to fix it. If it took longer than 12 weeks, which Amanda said is unlikely, it wouldn’t be that crazy to me, since the problem has been going on for at least a year.

More Than Healing a Few Muscles

This journey is sacred because it deals with shame, guilt, fear, and a lot of “I am not enough,” in the strangest way possible. It’s wild that a muscle in my body provides so much material for my emotional experience, often in the most negative of ways. It could be that society encourages all women to be really careful about sharing any experience with our bodies, but ladies—they’re just muscles.

It’s okay to be terrified, but it’s not okay to not get help if your muscles are causing problems. To be honest, I’m still figuring out how all the puzzle pieces come together…

What I do know is that spending the time to turn each puzzle piece over, look at it closely, put one down to pick up another, and try again until the picture becomes clearer is what makes this journey more about healing a person than it ever was about healing a few muscles.

About the Author

Dr. Lauren Baker holds her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Certification in Manual Therapy from The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She has built a thriving career while navigating the unique challenges as a military spouse, including serving as an adjunct professor in the DPT curriculum, owning multiple successful cash-based mobile pediatric physical therapy practices, and authoring multiple books on baby development and pediatric physical therapy for both parents and healthcare providers. She now focuses on empowering proactive parents through her books, website, and YouTube channel @drlaurenbaker.

lauren baker 10/15/26 lauren baker 10/15/26

How I Knew I Needed To See A Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist

Originally published: October 22, 2018 | Updated: October 15, 2026

I was personally terrified to go to my first pelvic floor physical therapy appointment, and I am a physical therapist. I wrote this article to share my experience so others wouldn’t feel the fear I felt. Or if they do feel the fear, to know it’s completely normal, but doesn’t have to stick around.

I Knew Better, and I Still Rationalized It

I’m a physical therapist, so when I started peeing my pants, I knew better. I knew it was called urinary urgency, and that having to do the potty dance so badly that you actually pee on yourself as you’re sitting down on the toilet isn’t how your urinary system is supposed to work.

Yet there’s this thing that happens, even to those who know better. We rationalize it. It was “only that one time,” or “I’m just really stressed right now; when things calm down it’ll go away.”

But it doesn’t, not always, and then we’re left with an even worse case of pelvic floor dysfunction than we had when it first started. If only we knew, or (in my case) were brave enough to ask for help.

The Day I Couldn’t Ignore It Anymore

I wrote a post on Facebook back in June after peeing my pants at my yearly coach conference. It was one of the worst episodes I’ve had, bad enough that I had to wrap my sweatshirt around my waist to make it look like I was just bringing back a super cool ’90s trend, not covering up the wet spot on my shorts.

Thankfully, I was wearing super thin fabric that dried fast, but realistically that isn’t always the case. Also, even when it dries, it’s still pee…on your clothes 😐.

The post came after one of the presenters challenged us coaches to get REALLY vulnerable. They asked, “What is something that you’re ashamed of, terrified of, or feel like no one will relate to? Write about that.”

I’m Not the Typical Face of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

I didn’t think anyone would relate to me. I’m not a mom, haven’t gone through childbirth [of any kind] or ever been pregnant. I’m not the common face of pelvic floor dysfunction.

I am an athlete, though, a high achiever, someone who is constantly on a type A overload and cannot rest or sit still for fear of her life literally falling apart if she doesn’t keep moving.

I’m that girl, the one who pushes emotions down, doesn’t ask for help, and feels like she can be “the strong one,” the “one who can do it all.” And it’s making me pee my pants.

At this point, I knew, I couldn’t continue to live like this [the mentality piece of never slowing down AND the continuing to pee my pants]. It was time to actually take action.

Finding Someone I Could Trust

After that facebook post, a classmate from PT school sent me a facebook message. He happened to live in Washington, too, and had previously worked with a pelvic floor PT at the military hospital who now owned her own business.

He was like, “Lauren, go see Amanda.” And you know, I really just needed that—the strong, honest, ‘take action now, you can’t afford to wait,’ mentality. I needed to borrow someone else’s concern for me, because I didn’t honestly have enough for myself in that moment.

The best part about a recommendation is that you can borrow the trust of someone else to get started. If you trust your friend or colleague like I trusted Brian, and he trusts Amanda, all of a sudden I feel WAY more comfortable ALSO trusting Amanda with such a vulnerable part of my body.

I am so proud of myself for making this appointment with Brian’s co-worker, but the real reason I made the appointment is that I trusted Brian and he trusted Amanda. I needed to borrow someone else’s trust, because right now, mine is lost in a sea of terror.

The Morning of My First Appointment

I have my first women’s health physical therapy appointment today. I’m writing this blog post before work because I avoided it all day yesterday (Sunday). In all honesty, this journey is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

I feel like my vulnerability is causing my fight-or-flight system to go into overdrive. And while the words flow out of my fingers like they’ve been reaching for this space to be told, my insides are stuck between trying to push tears out of my eyeballs and holding my breath.

I filled out the intake paperwork, which included the Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire. It was eye-openingly terrifying, because it points out all the places where your body isn’t working the way it should. But goodness, is it complete.

Going in, it felt like I had a tight pelvic floor (certain sexual positions weren’t always comfortable, tightness in my hips, difficulty contracting my Transverse Abdominus—your deep abs), but I thought it was only the front side (urinary).

After filling out the questionnaire, it seems like both sides (bladder AND bowel) might be involved, which is scary.

In the moments when I’m not terrified, my scientific PT brain is so curious to learn, listen, and ask all the questions, not just for myself but for friends who I know are experiencing much worse symptoms than me.

It’s Okay to Be Terrified

In the end, if you’re considering getting help with your pelvic floor dysfunction (urinary urgency, incontinence, pain with intercourse, organ prolapse, bowel prolapse, etc.), I want you to know it’s okay to be terrified.

Find someone you trust to help you, and if you don’t have anyone you trust, ask around until you find someone who trusts someone and go to them.

In the physical therapy world, Herman and Wallace, is the gold standard and certifies therapists as Certified Pelvic Rehab Practitioners (PRCP). You can find certified pelvic floor therapists through their search tool here if you need a place to start.

Anyone with a PRCP after their name, like Dr. Amanda Davis, PT, DPT, PRPC, will be certified (highest level of pelvic floor practitioner).

Talking, asking questions, and researching are all great steps toward making your own appointment.

Here’s some real talk: sometimes the moment before the first step is truly the scariest…but is also the most worthwhile, because without it you don’t get to the step where everything actually changes.

Curious about how the appointment actually went?

Update: Click here to read how my first pelvic floor physical therapy appointment went. (Spoiler: it was brilliantly peaceful and way better than any gyno appointment I’ve ever had!).

PS if you’d like to work with MY personal pelvic floor therapist (who is also now my online biz bestie, Amanda) check her website out here or visit her in person if you’re near Poulsbo, WA.