Home sessions are private, calm and fit around feeds and naps. You can wear what is comfortable, your baby can stay in the room, and a family member can join if you wish. We understand that many women prefer a female physiotherapist for this kind of care; please mention it when you enquire and we will arrange one on request where possible.
During pregnancy, current guidance encourages most women with an uncomplicated pregnancy to stay active, and regular, moderate exercise can help with back pain, sleep, mood and stamina. Pelvic girdle pain, felt at the front of the pubic bone or at the back of the pelvis, is common and usually responds well to physiotherapy, activity changes and support. We work within the advice of your gynaecologist or obstetrician and do not treat if there are complications without their clearance. We also avoid electrotherapy during pregnancy.
After birth, recovery takes time. In the first weeks we focus on gentle breathing, pelvic floor activation, walking, safe ways to get out of bed and comfortable feeding positions. After a C-section, we follow your surgeon's advice on wound healing and lifting, and progress more slowly. From around six weeks, once you have had your postnatal check, exercise can usually build up gradually. Many women notice a clear change in core strength and leakage within a few months of regular pelvic floor and tummy exercises, but every body is different.
Back pain in pregnancy often overlaps with general spinal care, so we may use ideas from our back pain physiotherapy programme. Neck and shoulder aches from feeding and carrying a baby can be helped with neck pain physiotherapy, and recovery after a C-section shares principles with post-surgery rehabilitation.
Please contact your doctor or go to hospital urgently if you have vaginal bleeding, leaking fluid, severe or regular abdominal pain, reduced baby movements, severe headache with vision changes, calf pain and swelling, chest pain or breathlessness, fever, or a wound that is red, hot or discharging. These need medical care before physiotherapy.