Today we’d like to introduce you to Merci Ortenzi Treaster.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Merci. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
One of my moms is an OB/GYN and my other mom is a chiropractor, so I like to say…out popped me, a pelvic health physical therapist. Growing up in a healthcare world, anatomical terms were part our daily conversation. I remember my mom going through the female reproductive system in my 3rd-grade class during a career day event. All the other children’s eyes were big and scared and I just thought it was a normal day. How was I supposed to know that other moms did not teach their children anatomical terms like vulva, vagina, clitoris, urethra, etc. Other kids called their privates “hooha, no no, foo foo, bum, china..” while I could recite all of the stages of your menstrual cycle at age 12. I always knew the field of health would be in my future, pelvic floor and all!
It was in the car one day that my OBGYN mother and I discussed the lack of women’s health during the postpartum period. As a physician, she knew how to keep the mother “medically safe” but when it came to the musculoskeletal side, she had no clue how to help them. Daily she heard complaints of pelvic pressure, pain with intercourse, urinary leakage, bowel leakage and she knew about medications and surgical interventions that could help but never knew there could be help outside of the medical realm. That is where I come in. I did research and found that in other countries pelvic health physical therapy is the norm. It is protocol before and after you have a baby.
The Pelvis Pro began as an Instagram account as a way to deliver fun and educational pelvic health information to the public. It quickly grew as a place to present prenatal tips as I started my pregnancy and postpartum journey. People reached out to me weekly asking questions regarding pelvic health and exercises that could be done and when to begin postpartum. At this time I was working full time as a pelvic health physical therapist at another practice. It all changed once my son came into my life.
After becoming a mother myself, just ten short months ago, I learned more than ever how important it was to have a pelvic health physical therapist as a partner during recovery (you can read about my labor and delivery/postpartum journey on my blog posts). I worked very hard alongside my pelvic health therapist to get to the place where I am today. I also learned that working full time was going to not be a good fit for me and my family. Simply put, I wanted the best of both worlds, spending time with my son and working! That is when The Pelvis Pro became business! I decided to partner with an amazing business owner/entrepreneur/chiropractic genius, Danielle Drobbin and start, The Pelvis Pro, out of her practice, Midtown Family Wellness.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
So far…it has been a smooth road. With the help of my moms (both business owners), I was able to utilize their expertise on the business side of things as I focused on the pelvic health side. The most difficult part has been managing a baby and a business. I have always been an employee, doing the behind the scenes administrative part has been a new challenge but luckily I have an amazing husband that will do bath time while I am catching up on emails.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Pelvis Pro – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a pelvic health physical therapist. Pelvic health physical therapy is a subspecialty of physical therapy. I specialize in treating women preconception, during pregnancy, and postpartum. My mission is to deliver the best quality of care during all phases of womanhood while providing every woman with an individualized program that integrates the most current evidence-based physical therapy treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction. I treat women with any kind of pelvic floor dysfunction ranging from incontinence to pelvic pain and everything in between. I treat one on one for an hour. This allows be look at posture, gait, basic body movements, and assess the pelvic region. My treatment option vary from manual therapy, education, breathing techniques, proper core training, trigger point dry needling, and creating exercise programs. I see a lot of new moms and I want to assess how they are carrying child, feeding, etc. so I love when they bring their baby in to look at all of these movements. Pelvic floor issues are very common, but common does not mean normal. If you ask a mom if they leak urine when they cough, they will most likely say yes. Many women have no idea that there is help for these common issues. Even worse, they are not told by their healthcare providers. My goal is to make pelvic health physical therapy a protocol for all women during and post pregnancy. I hear way to often “I wish I would have known about this sooner…”
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I have not even thought about the future much since this is all so new. But, I guess if I am dreaming eventually, I could have my own small space. Right now in my life though, (with a 10-month-old), I am enjoying the freedom of seeing clients a few days a week and spending quality time with my son and family. If you would have asked me three years ago if I would be a small business owner I would have said “no way” but now I am loving the challenge and looking forward to what the future brings!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1259 Monroe Drive Northeast, Atlanta, GA, 30306
- Website: www.thepelvispro.com
- Phone: 404-810-9099
- Email: info@thepelvispro.com
- Instagram: @thepelvispro
- Facebook: @thepelvispro
Image Credit:
Chandler Covert with Covert Photography (itscovert.com)
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