Pregnancy: how to look after your body & prepare your postnatal recovery

During the 9 months of pregnancy, mothers-to-be will go through a lot of physical, emotional and hormonal changes that will for most of them, have a certain impact on daily activities. A lot of women feel some discomfort or pain because of those changes, which can be prevented & treated.

Some self-care exercises are possible whether it is to help with delivery or postnatal recovery, as well as other tips to go through the less painful pregnancy and childbirth possible:

Low impact activities

Without forcing too much, staying active with low impact exercises such as walking, yoga, Pilates or swimming can have positive impact to your body and also your mind. Poor circulation, especially in legs and feet can happen quite often in pregnant women. You will benefit from exercising a little bit everyday.

But don’t forget that it is also important to relax and look after yourself when you feel too tired. Find the good balance between staying active and taking a rest when necessary. Walk everyday but take a seat from time to time, put your feet up and avoid lifting heavy objects.

Pelvic floor exercises

Breathing and pelvic floor exercises are an important step in pregnancy and postnatal recovery. Not only this will help you prepare for a less painful delivery and might prevent you from getting vaginal tear or episiotomy, but it will also help you avoid postnatal conditions such as urinary leakage, organ prolapse or abdominal diastasis (separation).

Posture exercises

With the weight of the baby growing, lower back pain is the most common issue appearing in pregnant women, which can alter posture en increase pain in the whole back area, spreading from the upper back to the buttock or along the leg. You can benefit from being assessed by a pregnancy specialist, who will help you with back pain and will show you the right posture to adopt in your situation.

Book a prenatal assessment

Find a pregnancy and women’s health physiotherapist or specialist and book a prenatal assessment to be sure about the right exercises to adopt. The therapist will check you up entirely from head to toe, bringing you the most suitable advices on breathing exercises, pelvic floor and abdominal exercises, posture… but will also be able to treat any pregnancy related conditions you may be diagnosed with, whether it is back pain, sciatica, shortness of breath, pelvic pain or else. They will follow you all along your pregnancy and during your postnatal recovery, bringing out the best rehabilitation you will need.

More information

Mummy’s Physio is a team of physiotherapists and osteopaths with years of experiences and qualifications. Passionate and highly trained, they will be able to provide you the best treatments and rehabilitation in London, at the practices or at home.

For further information, visit our website on www.mummysphysio.com or contact us on 0207 125 0262 or at info@babyphysio.com.