Postpartum Recovery
Every woman deserves a proper postnatal check. Not just 'are you healing', but 'how do we get you back to full strength'.
What is postpartum recovery?
In many countries a postnatal physiotherapy assessment is standard care; here it's often left to the mother to arrange. It's a full check of how your body has recovered from pregnancy and birth, and a plan for what comes next.
Recovery isn't measured in weeks alone. Tissue healing, muscle capacity, sleep, feeding demands and the sheer physical work of caring for a baby all shape the timeline — which is why a personalised plan works so much better than a generic six-week milestone.
Common symptoms
- Leaking, urgency or heaviness
- A tummy gap, doming or a weak core
- Back, neck, wrist or pelvic pain from feeding and carrying
- Pain with intercourse or penetration
- Feeling unsure whether it's safe to run or lift
- A general sense of being disconnected from your body
What causes it
- Nine months of progressive loading through the pelvis and abdomen
- Birth-related muscle, nerve or tissue injury
- Hormonal changes, especially while breastfeeding
- Sustained feeding and carrying postures
- Broken sleep and reduced recovery capacity
- Returning to previous exercise loads too abruptly
How physiotherapy helps
A postnatal assessment tells you exactly where you are: pelvic floor strength and support, abdominal wall function, scar healing, posture and strength. From there you get a plan with clear stages instead of vague reassurance.
Care fits real life with a newborn: short home programmes, exercises you can do while feeding or playing on the floor, and appointments where your baby is welcome.
- Comprehensive postnatal assessment
- Pelvic floor and deep core rehabilitation
- Scar and perineal tissue care
- Hands-on treatment for back, neck and wrist pain
- Feeding and carrying posture strategies
- Staged return to running, gym and sport
When to seek treatment
- From six weeks after birth as a routine check
- Sooner if you have pain, leaking or heaviness
- Before you return to running or the gym
- Any time postpartum, even years later
- Before trying for another baby
Frequently asked questions
Let's get you moving again
If this sounds like what you're dealing with, an assessment is the quickest way to understand it properly. Postpartum Recovery responds well to the right plan.