Prenatal and Postpartum Pelvic Floor Care
Learn how pelvic floor physiotherapy supports you through pregnancy and helps with recovery after childbirth.
Supporting You Through Pregnancy and Beyond
Pregnancy transforms your body in remarkable ways, and your pelvic floor is at the center of these changes. From the moment you see that positive test to the months after your baby arrives, these often-overlooked muscles work harder than ever. Understanding how to support them during this transformative time can make a meaningful difference in how you feel both now and in the years ahead.
Many women only think about their pelvic floor when problems arise, but proactive care during pregnancy can help prevent issues before they start and prepare your body for the demands of birth and recovery.
The Unique Demands Pregnancy Places on Your Pelvic Floor
As your baby grows, your pelvic floor faces increasing challenges. The weight of your growing uterus presses down on these muscles throughout the day. Hormonal changes affect tissue elasticity, making your ligaments more flexible but also more vulnerable. Your posture shifts to accommodate your changing center of gravity, altering how forces travel through your pelvis. And ultimately, your pelvic floor must prepare for the significant event of birth itself.
What Prenatal Pelvic Floor Care Can Do for You
Starting pelvic floor physiotherapy during pregnancy offers benefits that extend well beyond the delivery room. You will learn to perform exercises correctly, which is crucial since many women inadvertently do them wrong. Your physiotherapist can teach you relaxation and pushing techniques that may help during labor. Working on your pelvic floor now reduces your risk of incontinence and prolapse later. You also gain relief from pregnancy-related discomforts like lower back pain, pubic symphysis dysfunction, and that persistent feeling of pelvic pressure.
Common Prenatal Concerns We Can Address
Many pregnant women experience lower back and pelvic pain as their body adapts to carrying extra weight. Pubic symphysis dysfunction can make walking and turning in bed painful. Urinary leakage becomes common as your baby presses on your bladder. Constipation troubles many expectant mothers. And for those planning vaginal birth, targeted preparation can make a real difference.
Supporting Your Recovery After Birth
Your body needs time and gentle support to heal after delivery. In the early postpartum weeks, the focus is on gentle breathing exercises and careful pelvic floor activation, along with scar tissue management whether you had a cesarean or perineal tearing. You will learn safe ways to move, lift, and care for your baby without straining your recovering body.
As you move beyond six weeks postpartum, progressive strengthening exercises help rebuild your core and pelvic floor. You receive guidance on safely returning to exercise, assessment of any abdominal separation, and treatment for ongoing concerns that have not resolved on their own.
Signs That Professional Support Could Help
Consider pelvic floor physiotherapy if you experience leaking urine when coughing, sneezing, or exercising. Difficulty controlling bowel movements, pelvic heaviness or pressure, pain during intimacy, or persistent lower back or pelvic pain are all reasons to seek assessment.
You Deserve This Support
Pregnancy and postpartum challenges are incredibly common, but you do not have to navigate them alone. Book a prenatal or postpartum assessment with our pelvic floor physiotherapist to get the personalized care and guidance you deserve.