If you are here, chances are good that you share my passion and dedication towards meeting the needs of mothers. Perhaps you are seeking care for yourself or searching for support for a loved one.
Nelson Mandela said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." I could not agree more. But this begs the question, what about those mothering the children? The mother, being so central in the growth and development of a child, needs and deserves to be supported.
I am a mom of three, physical therapist, and certified traditional postpartum doula based on traditional Moroccan medicine, and I would be honored to help.
With love,
Rana Lowenthal, PT, DPT, PCES
Greetings!
My Story
This calling has now evolved, with the realization that our full life experience shapes the mothers that we wish to be and the mothers that we become. Now, as a mother of three, I am passionate about serving your needs.
Seven years ago, I found myself in a free-standing birth center on a peaceful winter day in Maine, holding my first-born son. The labor and delivery progressed without complications. The policy at the birth center was to go home four to six hours post delivery. I went home and felt great. On day one postpartum, I went for a walk in the freezing cold with my newborn baby. After less than a week postpartum, I was lifting my baby in his car seat, despite offers to be helped. I was so proud of myself and yet so unaware.
During my six-week postpartum checkup, reality sunk in.
I had stitches that were not fully healed and a pelvic organ prolapse. Bowel movements were excruciating and breastfeeding was not going well. I was hardly producing any breastmilk, forcing me to supplement with formula on day three. I had recurrent thrush. I stubbornly held on to painful breastfeeding until my supply dwindled to nothing at ten months.
I realized the important lesson that just because my body can do something, it doesn’t mean that it should. We always hear the phrase, "listen to your body," but sometimes the body doesn't let you know something was too much until after you’ve already done it, especially when slowing down and listening is not part of our culture.
I had been a Physical Therapist for about six years at this point, and I made the commitment to further my training in pelvic health, with the goal of merging modern with traditional practice.
Fast forward nearly three years and two miscarriages later (a story for another time). I was on a babymoon, very pregnant with my daughter, and a serendipitous series of events led me towards a webinar held by a Moroccan woman, who goes by Layla B., related to traditional Moroccan postpartum practices. Before I knew it, I found myself spending money I didn’t really have, in a leap of faith, which ended with a certification as a Traditional Postpartum Birthworker based in Traditional Moroccan Postpartum Medicine.
Professional Experience
I graduated with a doctorate in Physical Therapy from Columbia University in 2013. After about seven years of experience in a variety of settings, including inpatient rehab, skilled nursing rehab, in-hospital acute care, and outpatient clinics, spanning three states, I began my specialty training in pelvic floor physical therapy. Through the Herman and Wallace Institute, I learned to perform general assessment of the pelvic floor muscles and treatment of several common pelvic health related conditions including pelvic pain, overactive bladder, incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. More recently, in 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to learn from Lynn Schulte from the Institute for Birth Healing during her in-person hands on course; Holistic Treatment of the Postpartum Body. Now, three children and ten years of experience as a physical therapist later, I am so excited to be addressing the needs of mothers, while staying true and committed to my own motherhood.
We are in this together!
Traditional cultures all over the world have practices focused on warmly and lovingly supporting the new mother, based on the idea that there is a sacred period after giving birth, (often around forty days) where the mother’s wellbeing is considered first and foremost. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to attend an online postpartum summit, highlighting postpartum ideas and practices from all around the world. I began learning from the wonderful Layla B., a Moroccan entrepreneur focused on reviving, reclaiming, and restoring traditional Moroccan postpartum practices. I completed this training over the course of the next two years, and was granted certification as a Traditional Postpartum Birthworker based in traditional Moroccan postpartum medicine. I am so excited to share this sacred knowledge and it would be my honor to serve you and be a part of your village.
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Traditional Postpartum Birthworker
