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Bump, Birth & Beyond at The Pelvic Health Physio
Join the clinic during any stage of pregnancy or postpartum.
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BUMP
Weeks 12-32
-Antenatal Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
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-Pain during pregnancy
- Pregnancy Reformer Pilates
Weeks 32+
-Birth Preparation Physio Sessions (recommended from 28 weeks)
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BEYOND
Weeks 3+ postpartum
-Pelvic Floor screening
-Abdominal separation
-Mums & Bubs Reformer
Pregnancy and The Pelvic Floor
During pregnancy, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body increase significantly. These hormones play a vital role in preparing the body for childbirth by relaxing the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic area. This relaxation allows the baby to pass through the birth canal more easily. However, this same process can also put a woman at risk for pelvic floor disorders and changes in bladder/bowel function.
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the pelvic organs, including the bladder, uterus, and bowel. These muscles work together to keep these organs in place and prevent them from falling down into the vaginal area. When the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic area have more mobility during pregnancy, the pelvic organs may not be supported as well. Hence, pelvic concerns such as urinary incontinence, faecal incontinence and prolapse can be apparent during pregnancy. Whilst this can be common, please note this is not the “norm” and should be treated by a Women’s Health Physio in pregnancy to help minimise the risk of experiencing these symptoms postpartum.
To maintain pelvic floor health during pregnancy, it is important to maintain regular exercise and stay active. There is research to suggest that regular exercise can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension and preeclampsia during pregnancy. Regular movement is also important for maintaining pelvic floor strength and also promoting good bowel movements.
Your Women's Health Physio will provide you with a thorough assessment of pelvic health and ensure that you are working within safe exercise guidelines for during pregnancy.
Postnatal Recovery & Safe return to exercise
Postnatal assessments are recommended between 3-4 weeks following a vaginal delivery, and 4-5 weeks following a c-section delivery. However, it is never too late to have a Pelvic Health and abdominal assessment after giving birth. The reason why we encourage early assessments is that research indicates the role a Pelvic Floor Physio can play in assisting recovery and also screening for any pelvic health concerns early on, to address.
Generally, the first few weeks after delivering will be a gentle recovery, however this can vary for each female so it is best to have a tailored assessments to determine what your recovery should entail. At 4-6 months, most of us will be able to return to slightly higher level of impact activity, however, prior to commencing this we need to ensure pelvic floor health is at the appropriate level to reduce the risk of any pelvic floor dysfunction occurring at a later date.
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At our postnatal assessments with your Women's Health Physio, we will take you through a thorough pelvic floor examination to screen bladder, bowel function and risk of prolapse. We will also assess abdominal separation to gain an understanding as to how well the abdominal muscles are healing. The measures we go through will provide us with information as to how your body is overall recovering, and to determine what the safe load for daily living or exercise, should be based on your individual body. We cannot recommend enough seeing a Women's Health Professional prior to returning to exercise. We look forward to helping guide you through a safe recovery and working towards all of your health goals throughout this postpartum journey.