You have styled the nursery, installed the baby seat and picked baby names, but have you prepared your body for birth?

Here are 5 ways physio can help:

1. Pelvic floor muscle training

The pelvic floor often weakens during pregnancy as it tires from supporting a baby resting on top of it for 9 months! The muscles and ligaments in the pelvic floor also weaken as a result of pregnancy hormones that allow your body to stretch as your baby grows.

It is important to learn how to contract and relax your pelvic floor correctly during pregnancy to prevent any bladder leakage, bowel symptoms or pain with sex. As part of your pelvic floor exercises, you pelvic floor physio will teach you how to relax your pelvic floor to allow the baby’s head to pass through the pelvis during labour.

2. Perineal Massage to reduce risk of pelvic floor damage

Perineal massage is a technique taught by pelvic floor physios to decrease the risk of tearing during birth or needing an episiotomy. It is encouraged that your start perineal massage after 34 weeks. It can be handy to bring your partner along to you physio appointment so they can also be taught how to perform this technique, as it can get a bit tricky to do it by yourself in the later stages of pregnancy!

3. Advice about non-pharmaceutical pain management options

Physio’s can give you some helpful tips and tricks to help with managing labour pain. We recommend using an Obstetric TEN’s machine, warm water, certain movements and positions to help with pain relief during labour.

4. Back and pelvic pain relief

Back pain and pelvic pain is common during pregnancy. This pain often develops as your body becomes more flexible and adapts to the new load of your growing baby. Physio’s can help by massaging tight muscles, giving exercises to help relieve pain, teaching you how to modify your movements to reduce pain, fitting pelvic support braces and compression garments.

5. Personalised pregnancy exercise programs, including our Pregnancy Pilates classes

Exercise during pregnancy has amazing benefits for you and your baby such as decreasing your risk of developing back and pelvic pain, depression and anxiety, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Exercise has even been shown to decrease your risk of needing a forceps or vacuum assistance during a vaginal delivery!

Our pelvic floor physio’s are trained to prescribe exercises for pregnant women of all fitness levels, even those with high-risk pregnancies. Exercise programs are developed to your needs and individual movement goals.

Did you know we run Pregnancy Pilates classes? This is a great way to stay strong during pregnancy, meet other pregnant ladies, exercise in a supportive environment as well as prevent pregnancy related back pain and pelvic pain.