Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Knight.
Hi Sarah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
First of all thank you for featuring my story in Voyage Minnesota. I am a Minnesota native and always hope to represent our state well. I finished my doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Minnesota in 2006 and knew at the time that I had an interest in pelvic health, walking with people through their pregnancies, birth and beyond. I have also always loved orthopedic, looking at the whole body and how interconnected everything is. I started my career at an outpatient orthopedic clinic treating general orthopedics while advancing my education in pelvic health. When I left the clinic in 2015 I was treating female, male and pediatric pelvic floor dysfunction. During my time there I decided to pursue further knowledge around the actual birth process as a way to provide better education on birth to my patients. At the time I had no intension on becoming a doula but through the Childbirth Education training process my eyes were opened to a whole other level of knowledge that could help my patients have a more positive birth experience. I did my doula training in 2016 and started supporting families through the birth process shortly after that. In 2017, seeing the need for more time to listen to my patients and truly take a holistic approach to their evaluation and treatment than the large clinic models are able to offer I started my private practice, Vita New Life. I currently serve birthing families through my work as a doula and I treat patients as a PT at my studio in Hopkins. I also offer in-home PT visits for patients birth to 16 weeks postpartum. I continue my passion for education by teaching a course on the core and pelvic floor to other birth workers and mentor pre-PT students through their observations requirements.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This road has been far from smooth! It has had more twists and turns than I can count. My plan out of school was to spend my entire career at the clinic I started at. I had been observing there since high school and was certain it was the place for me. Then about 8 years out of school I was feeling burnt out as many PT’s do. I was ready to go back to school for a different career all together. I was interested in education and thought teaching childbirth education would be my next step. I stepped away from the outpatient clinic and spent 4 years working for a Home Care agency treating the geriatric population. This was rewarding, flexible, and gave me time to figure out what was next. I think that can be one of the struggles for many is knowing that we are not happy down a current path but not feeling ready or sure of how to change the course. During this time, I took my doula training realizing I really liked the birth process more than I ever expected. I continued in home care while slowly taking on some doula clients. I noticed how much I had to offer my doula clients with my PT background in pelvic health and how much being a doula could benefit my patients if I ever returned to pelvic health. This was the start of feeling called back into the pelvic health field and eventually what gave me the courage to take the leap of faith and start my private practice. That too has been a journey because at the time I did not know anyone else in the Minneapolis area in pelvic health starting their cash based practice. I had to do a lot of research and learning on my own from those in other states and quite honestly some trial and error. I had no previous business education so to say the learning curve was steep would be an understatement. Although this road has not always been straight, I acknowledge that without the twists and turns I would not be doing this work today. I would not have this job that doesn’t feel like work.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Therapeutic physical therapy celebrates huge successes in getting women back into the activities they love, pain-free (& leak-free too). At VitaNewLife, we help women get off the roller coaster of prenatal & postpartum symptoms. Patients receive the validation and care required to treat the underlying cause. They will never be given a one-size fits all approach to unique struggles.
I truly believe that my work as a doula has made me a better PT. It has given me insight into the whole spectrum from pregnancy to birth. My hands-on approach enables me to get to ‘the why’ systems aren’t optimally functioning. Whether I’m working with a patient or doula client, they are in a safe place where they’ll be met with compassion. Patients’ therapeutic and holistic treatments will build back their strength and function. I’m so motivated by seeing the huge smiles of my clients as they come in and share their wins:
- A positive birth experience.
- Running without leaking.
- Pain-free intimacy.
- Resuming everyday activities they once took for granted.
As a mother of four, physical therapist, childbirth educator, and doula, I understand the importance of a positive pregnancy, birth experience, and postpartum care. I want my clients to be able to experience healthy parenthood where they are unburdened by pain or lack of motion. I’ve successfully treated everything from acute sports injuries to complicated pelvic floor dysfunctions, incontinence, pelvic pain, and the general aches and pains associated with pregnancy. I am continually grateful for the opportunities that patients and clients give me to walk with them through this special time in their lives. I am humbled by their courage to reach out and address their pelvic floor needs trusting me with their care. They are all truly the reason I do what I do.
What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Pelvic health and the utilization of doulas to support families during birth and postpartum are only in their infancy stages. Pelvic health is not a new specialty, but social media has increased education in our field exponentially over the last 5 years. I think this industry will continue the growth trajectory. I have hopes for shifts that would allow every birthing person access to and to be educated on the importance of and opportunity for pelvic health both during the prenatal time and again in postpartum time. This change to include pelvic health as a standard of care for postpartum people will greatly affect females’ long-term quality of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vitanewlife.com
- Instagram: @vitanewlife
- Facebook: @vitanewlife
Image Credits
Head shots done by Holly Ohman Photography @HOhmanPhotography
