We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathleen Vigo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathleen below.

Kathleen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Over the course of your career, have you seen or experienced your field completely flip-flop or change course on something?

I worked at a hospital-based outpatient clinic for over a decade. The women knew how helpful and life-changing the therapy was, but there were so many barriers to consistent, expert care. First, the patients had to drive themselves to the clinic at a time that I had available, then sit in a waiting room for 30 minutes just to be brought back to a room with me for 45 minutes. This short time only allowed me to perform a quick assessment and hand them a paper with some exercises on it. Then we were limited by using their insurance directly, which meant that their insurance company was telling me how many visits I could do, as well as what treatment interventions I could perform. What a hot mess! So we found a solution to those problems in Painless Pregnancy. Now we go to her house at a time that works for her, we do a full, uninterrupted session so that we can get to the root of the problem. We are also out-of-network with every insurance company so that we can do exactly what the patient needs and nothing less. So now, our patients get better faster, stay better, and all within the comfort of their own home.

Kathleen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi, I’m Kat, the founder of Painless Pregnancy. As a first time mom, I had no idea what to expect in the way of managing my pregnancy. I went upstairs from my clinic where I worked, knowing there were two OB offices on that floor. I chose one of those two based off of appointment availability, and I did whatever that doctor suggested. This ultimately ended up with the decision to induce me at week 39, with the explanation that the baby was “measuring big”. This induction resulted in over 24 hours of labor, a 4th degree tear, and a whopping 7lb boy. Even though my baby was healthy, I was devastated and mortified at my own outcome. I spent days and weeks wondering if my body would ever heal fully, or if I would be capable of resuming my heavy-duty job as a physical therapist. Little did I know that this single life event would ignite a fire in me that led to the creation of a company that would change the face of postpartum care for all women. Today, moms have the option of receiving high-quality, expert care in the comfort of their own homes to prevent or treat all physical postpartum problems.

I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in the pregnant and postpartum woman. I graduated from the University of Florida in 2005 with a Bachelor’s of Health Science and in 2008 with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. I have extensive experience in orthopedic and neurological disorders for people of all ages. My true passion was born when I specialized in obstetrics in 2013 at Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville … FL. Since then, I have continued my specialty training with Lynn Schulte from Institute of Birth Healing, Herman and Wallace, the American Physical Therapy Association, and Isa Herrera of Pelvic Pain Relief. Combining the expertise of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy with Obstetrics has brought our clinical practice to the next level. My heart behind Painless Pregnancy is that every woman has the opportunity to be given holistic and conservative care to the highest degree.

I am also a daughter, a wife, a mother to two beautiful children, a sister to five amazing people, and a Christian. My intentions for this company stem from my favorite verse in Proverbs: “Commit your works to the Lord‚ and your plans will succeed.”

My favorite part of Painless Pregnancy is the fact that we provide expert care in the home. It is nearly impossible for a new mom to get out of the house, on time, consistently, to make it to an appointment. With all of those barriers, most women just give up, and only make appointments for the baby. Now, with our business model, we are able to come directly to her, so that she can receive physical therapy in her pajamas, while the baby naps, and she doesn’t have to be concerned about the toddler throwing a tantrum.

One of the main things I want women to know is that they don’t have to wait until they fall apart to reach out for care. We offer wellness services to pregnant and postpartum women, so that they can truly experience a painless pregnancy, and a graceful postpartum period.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the limitations of the insurance-based model. When you practice under insurance guidelines, you are taught to only serve people who are suffering or experiencing significant dysfunction, to discharge patients from care as soon as they are feeling better, and as soon as they demonstrate understanding of their exercises. With the wellness model, we partner with women who may or may not be having any problems during thier pregnancy. We train them, keep thier joints loose and aligned, their soft tissue supple, and thier muscles long and strong. We prevent all of the ailments that we used to solely treat. We walk through the entire journey with them, no matter how they feel, and they shine so much brighter as a result.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

The art of listening. When you truly listen to your patient/client, you can understand not only what their struggles are, but also what their solutions might be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.painless-pregnancy.com
• Instagram: painlesspregnancy
• Facebook: painlesspregnancy
• Youtube: painlesspregnancy

Image Credits
Paulina Splechta