Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Dr. Rachael Elizabeth PT, DPT, WHC, PCES
Dr. Rachael Elizabeth
Dr. Meagan Merlo PT, DPT, PCES
Hello! My name is Dr. Meagan Merlo. I am a mom to 3 wonderful children and wife to my Prince Charming. After the birth of my first child, I immediately fell in love with all things pregnancy and birth. I decided then that I wanted my career to involve working with moms and babies. After some poor choices due to poor guidance from providers in the early postpartum phase with my second child, I developed prolapses. Being a super active individual and wanting to do all the fun running, jumping, climbing and exploring things with my kids, I dove into all the postpartum and pregnancy education I could find. These classes and some amazing mentors helped me to completely change the way I view the body, not just the postpartum and pregnant body. I started seeing improvements way quicker not only in the postpartum and pelvic floor cases, but the babies and orthopedic cases as well.
With the education and mentoring I received I was able to rehab myself to being completely asymptomatic. After my diagnosis we had decided we would not have more children for fear of worsening my prolapses, however, I gained the confidence through all my education to carry and deliver another child. I had learned so much about the body in delivery and prepared physically and mentally that it was the fastest and most beautiful delivery.
Motherhood is the most beautiful journey, one full of so many ups and downs. I firmly believe that becoming a mother does not automatically mean you have to wear pads for trampoline jumping or refer to Dad for all the fun activities. My goal is to help you achieve all the goals you are looking to achieve whether it be a non-medicated birth, returning to running, playing hopscotch with your children, or simply being able to lift and carry your babies without pain or leaking. My goal is to empower you to care for yourself and your babies with confidence and grace.
Dr. Erin Richards PT, DPT
Hello! I am Dr. Erin Richards and I’m a mother of two wonderful and wild children. I love to travel, hike, cross stitch, and spend time with my family. My career in Physical Therapy began with a little advice from my father. Of course, I then looked at every other healthcare career before I had to admit he was right. Working with people and helping educate them on how best to move their bodies to avoid, or recover from, an injury has truly been a joy and privilege.
While my career focusing on women’s health began somewhat unexpectedly, it has since become my passion. Soon after I had my first born, my workplace conveniently held a training session on the pelvic floor. I learned so much about my own body in one session and it left me wondering why nobody had told me these things before! I have been fortunate to have had two uncomplicated pregnancies, both unmedicated while in a hospital setting. I was able to achieve this with the support of both my husband and a midwife.
After I had my second child, when I was about 18 months postpartum, we took a trip with lots of walking, lifting and carrying of babies/toddlers. I began to notice pelvic floor pain and heaviness that I had never experienced before. I thought I was in the safe zone, being so far out from birth, but I realized that I never took the time to properly strengthen myself for high levels of activity after my daughter’s birth. This encouraged me to continue my education, that I might use it to benefit myself and all of my future patients, through all stages of their postpartum journey. It is never too late to address issues like leakage, pelvic pain and heaviness – trust me, I know!
My career focus has shifted largely toward pregnant and postpartum care because my goal is to help women feel stronger and more comfortable in their postpartum bodies. The ‘bounce back’ is different for each person and I love hearing each mama’s unique birth story, while helping them work towards their individual goals.
Balancing work and home life as a mom has been challenging, but I have learned the importance of taking time for yourself, especially after having a baby. It is important to take time to heal and I love that I get to be part of the team to help support moms in this journey.
The Path to Wellness
I help mamas discover that the process of becoming and being a mother doesn’t have to be scary. Instead, pregnancy, giving birth and postpartum life can be customized to align with what they envision all stages of motherhood to be like.
So many mamas and mamas-to-be feel afraid of the unknown and wonder if they are going to be able to handle pregnancy, labor and delivery, and recovery. They are often led to believe they must rely on the health professionals on their team to tell them the right ways to stay healthy and happy in the process. But, what I know and believe is that mamas have so many tools and skills in their own power that can bring a healthy labor, delivery, and recovery for both mama and baby.
For 2 decades I’ve become a mom to 5 kids via multiple birth methods and settings, and I’ve also built a thriving women’s health physical therapy and coaching practice. In that process, I have learned first hand that each mom’s journey from pregnancy to recovery is unique and can be full of joy and excitement, rather than fear.
The Path to Wellness
I help mamas discover that the process of becoming and being a mother doesn’t have to be scary. Instead, pregnancy, giving birth and postpartum life can be customized to align with what they envision all stages of motherhood to be like.
So many mamas and mamas-to-be feel afraid of the unknown and wonder if they are going to be able to handle pregnancy, labor and delivery, and recovery. They are often led to believe they must rely on the health professionals on their team to tell them the right ways to stay healthy and happy in the process. But, what I know and believe is that mamas have so many tools and skills in their own power that can bring a healthy labor, delivery, and recovery for both mama and baby.
For 2 decades I’ve become a mom to 5 kids via multiple birth methods and settings, and I’ve also built a thriving women’s health physical therapy and coaching practice. In that process, I have learned first hand that each mom’s journey from pregnancy to recovery is unique and can be full of joy and excitement, rather than fear.
Contact Me
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Copyright 2024 Rachael Elizabeth LLC | Legal
1460 Walton Blvd Suite 224 Rochester Hills MI 48306
248-274-6338
Designed by Marketing TEA
Copyright 2024 Rachael Elizabeth LLC | Legal
1460 Walton Blvd Suite 224 Rochester Hills MI 48306
248-274-6338