Prenatal and Postpartum Wellness: Insights from Ashton Kirks, PTA
At Elite Postpartum Doulas, we are thrilled to collaborate with Ashton Kirks, PTA, whose holistic and compassionate approach to prenatal and postpartum care has made her a trusted resource in the field. Ashton’s work blends her professional expertise as a physical therapist assistant with her personal experience as a mother of two, providing comprehensive care that supports women through the challenging transitions of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery.
We believe Ashton’s unique approach will greatly benefit the families we serve, and we are excited to share her story, her philosophy of care, and her invaluable expertise with our community. Let’s explore Ashton’s journey and how she supports mothers at every stage of their wellness journey.
How Motherhood Shapes Care
As a mother herself, Ashton Kirks knows firsthand the physical and emotional demands of pregnancy and postpartum life. This personal experience has deeply influenced how she structures care for her patients. “Being a mother myself has given me a realistic expectation of what a woman is capable of during her motherhood journey,” Ashton explains. She understands that pregnancy is a time of fluctuating energy and unpredictable symptoms, and postpartum recovery can bring both physical exhaustion and mental fog.
For Ashton, these challenges have underscored the importance of setting realistic and achievable goals for her patients. “I endeavor to structure my patient’s care into manageable steps and achievable milestones,” she says. Rather than pushing for aggressive progress, Ashton focuses on consistency. “Consistency, not aggression, is the key to enduring success,” she emphasizes.
Ashton’s care model is also rooted in the understanding that women often put themselves last during motherhood. “I know firsthand how difficult it is to focus on yourself when so many are asking so much of you,” she reflects. However, Ashton is quick to remind her patients that investing in their well-being is critical: “It is so important to invest in your own physical, emotional, and mental health.”
This approach sets the foundation for how Ashton supports women during one of the most transformative times in their lives. Her ability to empathize with their experiences not only helps her build trust but also creates a safe space where women feel heard and supported.
A Holistic Approach to Long-Term Health
At Waterland Performance, Ashton and her team prioritize whole-body wellness, with a strong focus on long-term health results rather than short-term fixes. This holistic philosophy shapes every treatment plan they create. “The physical strength of your body is only one piece to your well-being,” Ashton explains. “We are careful to consider someone’s entire person to ensure they’re getting the care they need, even if it’s not with us.”
In her practice, Ashton believes that true wellness goes beyond just physical fitness. Many women experience physical discomfort, emotional challenges, and mental strain during and after pregnancy. Addressing these issues in isolation is not enough to promote long-term health. “Some clinics are only concerned with fulfilling their small checklist and considering it a job well done,” she says. But in her view, a woman who is physically fit but struggling with breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, or anxiety is not truly well.
To achieve holistic wellness, Ashton collaborates with other health and wellness professionals. This collaboration ensures that every woman who comes to her clinic gets the personalized care they need, even if that care extends beyond physical therapy. “It is so important to work in conjunction with other professionals to ensure that every person gets what they need to pursue wholeness,” she stresses.
Ashton’s holistic approach allows her to address not just the physical symptoms of pregnancy and postpartum but the broader needs of women, ensuring that her patients receive the support they need to feel well-rounded and whole.
Addressing Common Pregnancy and Postpartum Issues
Pregnancy and postpartum come with a host of physical challenges, from diastasis recti and pelvic pain to back pain and joint discomfort. For Ashton, addressing these issues requires a dual focus: helping women maintain strength during pregnancy and supporting their recovery after birth.
“During pregnancy, it is important to maintain strength as well as condition for birth and postpartum,” Ashton explains. She works with women throughout pregnancy to help them stay strong and conditioned for the demands of pregnancy and birth. Maintaining strength during pregnancy can significantly reduce common complaints like pelvic floor pain, round ligament pain, low back pain, and fatigue.
Postpartum recovery requires a different approach. Ashton’s goal is to help women reactivate their nervous system and core muscles to support their recovery. “For diastasis recti, we help strengthen the weakened abdominal muscles and educate women on how to properly engage their core during functional tasks,” she says. This not only helps reduce pain and the severity of diastasis recti but also helps bring those separated muscles back together.
The transition from pregnancy to postpartum is a delicate time for many women, both physically and emotionally. Ashton’s compassionate, step-by-step approach ensures that her patients are supported throughout the process, helping them regain their strength and improve their overall wellness as they adjust to life after birth.
Supporting Women in Their Prenatal and Postpartum Journeys
Despite the importance of prenatal and postpartum care, Ashton believes that therapies for pregnant and postpartum women are underrepresented in American healthcare. “I believe that the journey of pregnancy and motherhood is largely seen as a ‘normal part of nature’ and therefore largely left to its own devices unless medical risks are present,” Ashton says.
This hands-off approach can leave many women without the support they need to navigate pregnancy and postpartum. “Either we treat pregnant women as if they are fragile and cannot do anything strenuous, or we expect their bodies to adapt by themselves without additional education or assistance,” she explains. Neither of these extremes benefits the mother or the baby, and Ashton believes that more needs to be done to support women throughout these periods.
Postpartum, the focus shifts almost entirely to the baby, often at the expense of the mother’s health. “The mother’s health is an afterthought at best,” Ashton says. This lack of emphasis on maternal health has long-term consequences, leading to physical dysfunctions and mental health issues that could have been avoided with better support. “We can do much better at supporting mothers during this journey,” she insists.
At Waterland Performance, Ashton works to change this dynamic by prioritizing the health and well-being of mothers just as much as their babies. Her treatments are designed not only to help women feel better physically but to empower them to take control of their own health and well-being, both during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.
Physical Fitness for Pregnancy and Postpartum Wellness
Physical fitness plays a crucial role in preventing common pregnancy-related complaints, such as back pain, joint pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction. Ashton’s therapy sessions incorporate strength training and mobility work to help women maintain their physical health during pregnancy and recover more easily postpartum.
“Strength and mobility cannot be overemphasized,” Ashton explains. During prenatal sessions, she helps her patients build a consistent and manageable approach to strength training, even if they have had no prior experience with formal exercise. “We create stability and strength throughout the body with special attention to the core, pelvic floor, and back to support the demands of the growing baby.”
In addition to strength training, Ashton spends significant time educating her clients on body awareness, posture, and movement mechanics. By teaching women the correct ways to move, she helps prevent new dysfunctions from occurring and mitigates the severity of existing issues.
Postpartum recovery is often a time of great uncertainty for new mothers. Even women who were physically active before pregnancy can find themselves struggling to regain their strength and navigate their new bodies. “If you’ve just given birth, there are so many things about how your body feels and functions that may be new to you,” Ashton explains. Her approach to postpartum recovery focuses on helping women reconnect with their bodies and build strength in a way that supports their new roles as mothers.
“We as moms are constantly told that dysfunctions like incontinence, back pain, shoulder pain, poor core activation, and poor posture are all just part of being a mom,” Ashton says. “But just because it’s common doesn’t mean that it’s okay. We can do better.” Ashton’s mission is to help women understand that they don’t have to live with pain or dysfunction simply because they are mothers. With the right support, they can feel strong, confident, and in control of their bodies.
The Private Pay Advantage
At Waterland Performance, Ashton and her team operate under a private pay model, which allows them to offer more personalized care than practices bound by insurance guidelines. “Cash-based or out-of-network physical therapy offers more personalized care and flexibility,” Ashton explains. Without the constraints of insurance reimbursements, she can take the time to truly listen to her patients and develop individualized care plans tailored to their unique needs.
“In this setting, we can provide highly personalized sessions relying on the professional judgment of our clinicians,” Ashton says. This means she can address any issues that arise without needing new referrals, which typically results in faster progress and more patient-centered care.
For Ashton, the private pay model also offers the flexibility to take her time with each patient, synthesizing their full history with her extensive knowledge to find solutions that work. “This means we are confident we will find solutions even for patients who have experienced ‘failed PT’ elsewhere before,” she says.
Balancing Motherhood and Career
As a mother of two and a practicing PTA, Ashton understands the challenge of balancing personal and professional responsibilities. “I am so fortunate to work as Erik Waterland’s assistant. I set my own hours and at the moment only work two days a week,” she says.
This flexible schedule allows Ashton to be present in her children’s lives while still pursuing her passion for physical therapy. She is grateful for the opportunity to balance both roles, and she hopes that her daughters will grow up understanding the importance of self-care and dedication. “My girls are also growing up seeing their mother passionate about what she does and learning the importance of taking care of their health and bodies,” she says. “And that is priceless.”
Welcoming Ashton Kirks to Elite Postpartum Doulas
We are excited to welcome Ashton Kirks, PTA, to our network here at Elite Postpartum Doulas. Her expertise in prenatal and postpartum physical wellness is a valuable addition to our team. As part of our commitment to providing comprehensive care, we’ve included Ashton in our welcome packet as a trusted resource for parents seeking expert support during their motherhood journey. Ashton’s holistic approach ensures that the families we serve have access to high-quality physical therapy, allowing them to focus on their recovery and overall well-being during this crucial time. We are thrilled to refer our parents to her in their time of need.
Final Thoughts
Ashton Kirks’ approach to prenatal and postpartum care is grounded in both her professional expertise and personal experience as a mother. By emphasizing holistic wellness, individualized care, and the importance of physical fitness, she offers a comprehensive approach to supporting women through the challenges of pregnancy and beyond. Ashton’s dedication to treating the whole person, not just their physical symptoms, highlights the importance of prioritizing maternal health, both emotionally and physically. Through her work, Ashton empowers women to feel confident in their ability to navigate the motherhood journey with strength, resilience, and well-being.
For more information please visit Ashton and the team at waterlandperformance.com.
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