Pregnancy is an amazing journey and every pregnancy a woman goes through is completely different. Your body goes through significant changes which affects your respiratory, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system.

Your abdominals and pelvic floor are put under increasing pressure as your baby grow’s. Not only are these parts changing, but your postural connection is decreasing with the forward growth of the baby, your pelvis is changing with the softening of connective tissue, your rib cage is widening, and your digestive system and pelvic organs are becoming compressed.

All of these changes can create increased amounts of back, hip and pelvic girdle pain. Pain can inhibit your ability to continue with your exercise routine, increases the need to take time off work, and affects your sleeping capability which is so important during this time.

You may also begin to experience changes in your pelvic floor. You may be experiencing bladder leakage, vaginal or pelvic heaviness, painful intercourse, and constipation. Urinary or faecal incontinence during pregnancy is a significant risk factor for it to continue up to 18 months postpartum, and the inability to control bowels or wind during pregnancy is associated with a 6 times greater risk of this continuing postpartum. Therefore, it is so important to receive treatment during your pregnancy for long term pelvic health. Common doesn’t mean normal.

Women’s health treatment throughout your pregnancy provides several benefits. These include:

• Decreased pain
• Exercise guidance and prescription
• Supervised exercise
• Pelvic floor assessment including how to active these muscles correctly
• Correction of postural changes
• Prevention of bladder leakage or bowel incontinence
• Prevention of pelvic organ prolapse
• Birth skills and birthing education
• Postnatal education