Your health

Enhanced Recovery after Obstetric Surgery in Scotland (EROSS) class

This in an online class available for those who are planning to have a caesarean birth – Caesarean Section Preparation Class. This class is available at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital every second Thursday at 11.00am on Microsoft Teams. Birthing partners are welcome to attend.

Please discuss this further with your midwife to be booked in and you will be provided with a link to the class.

Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain class (PPGP class)

This class is available for those who are experiencing PPGP during their pregnancy. This class runs at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital physiotherapy department every second Friday afternoon at 1:00pm. If you think you would benefit from this class please complete the following self-referral form.

Information about how to manage PGP is available.

Care of your body during Pregnancy class

This class is available between 12-30 weeks pregnant. It will provide you with an opportunity to discuss pregnancy related changes to your body and how to manage them. It also aims to promote health, wellbeing and exercise in pregnancy.

This class will run every second Monday at 1.00pm at the Physiotherapy Department.

To book this class, please self-refer via the following link: Care of body class self-referral

Physiotherapy led Care of your body during Pregnancy class

This class is available between 12-30 weeks of pregnancy. It will provide you with an opportunity to discuss pregnancy related changes to your body and how to manage them. It also aims to promote health, wellbeing and exercise in pregnancy.

It generally runs on the first Thursday of the month from 3-4.30 pm.

If you would like to book, please complete the following form

Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain class (PPGP class)

This face to face class is available for women who are experiencing PPGP during their pregnancy. This class runs at the Queen Elizabeth University Maternity Hospital once a week on a Thursday morning at 11.15am. If you think you would benefit from this class please complete the following self-referral form.

Information about how to manage PPGP is available here.

Physiotherapy led Care of your body during Pregnancy class

This class is available as a one off class to everyone between 12-30 weeks pregnant onwards. It will provide you with an opportunity to discuss pregnancy related changes to your body and how to manage them. It also aims to promote health, wellbeing and exercise in pregnancy.

It takes place twice a month, on a Monday between 1.15 -2.30 pm at the Physiotherapy Department on the Ground Floor of the Maternity Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Campus.

If you would like to book, please complete the following form

Enhanced Recovery after Obstetric Surgery in Scotland (EROSS) class

This class is available for women who are planning to have a caesarean section – Caesarean Section Preparation Class. This class is available at the Royal Alexandra Hospital every Friday afternoon at 2.00pm on Microsoft Teams.

Class invitations will be sent to individuals once their caesarean section date has been booked.

Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain class (PPGP class)

This class is available for women who are experiencing PPGP during their pregnancy. This class runs at the Royal Alexandra Hospital on Monday afternoon at 1.00pm. If you think you would benefit from this class please complete the following self-referral form.

Information about how to manage PGP is available here.

Physiotherapy led Care of your body during Pregnancy class

This class is available between 12-30 weeks pregnant onwards. It will provide you with an opportunity to discuss pregnancy related changes to your body and how to manage them. It also aims to promote health, wellbeing and exercise in pregnancy.

This class will run once a month on a Tuesday afternoon, from 1.30pm to 3.00pm in the Parent Education Room 2 on level 3 in the Maternity Unit.

If you would like to book, please complete the following form

Your pelvic floor muscles sit at the base of your pelvis. They help to keep your bladder, womb, vagina and bowel (pelvic organs) in the right place. Your pelvic floor muscles should be kept strong and active, just like any other muscle.

All bladder and bowel functions need good pelvic floor muscles. For example, when you need to go to the toilet, you use your pelvic floor muscles to prevent any leaks. Then, you will fully relax them to pass urine when you physically get to the toilet.

Strong pelvic floor muscles boost your core strength and stability. They can improve your sexual function too. Pelvic Floor Exercises are for life and can help to stop you from having bladder, bowel or prolapse symptoms in the future.

Pregnancy puts a lot of pressure on your pelvic floor muscles and it is normal for the pelvic floor muscles to stretch during a vaginal birth. Your muscles may be weaker and you may feel more pressure vaginally, so it is very important to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles soon after you have had your baby.

By doing your pelvic floor exercises you can avoid having symptoms such as leaking urine when laughing, coughing, sneezing and symptoms of vaginal heaviness.

For further advice on pelvic floor exercises please refer to:

POGP Pelvic Floor Exercises video

POGP Bladder and Vaginal Problems

POGP Constipation During and After Pregnancy

POGP When To Start and How To Do Perineal Massage

POGP After Birth Week One Bladder Care

NHS Highland Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise Information Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v731EXFR2k4

Women’s pelvic floor muscles/NHS Inform

Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises Information Leaflet: https://pogp.csp.org.uk/publications/pelvic-floor-muscle-exercises-women

SqueezyApp for Information Leaflets and Videos on Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises: https://www.squeezyapp.com

Being physically active in pregnancy has numerous clinically meaningful health benefits and is considered safe if you are healthy and your pregnancy is low risk. Unless you have been advised to avoid exercise during your pregnancy you can follow the advice below.

Guidelines recommend accumulating at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every week and doing muscle strengthening activities twice per week. It’s good to try and be active in some way every day, every activity counts.

Moderate intensity physical activity is intense enough to noticeably increase heart rate; you should be able to talk but not sing during activities of this intensity.  Examples include; climbing stairs, yoga, swimming, gym activities such as using the treadmill, carrying grocery shopping bags, cycling, dancing and going for a walk.

Being physically active in pregnancy:

• Helps reduce high blood pressure
• Improves sleep
• Helps to prevent gestational diabetes
• Improves mood
• Reduces risk of pre-eclampsia
• Reduces the risk of having a caesarean or instrumental birth
• Decreases the risk of urinary incontinence
• Reduces the risk of excessive gestational weight gain
• Improves blood sugar
• Reduces the risk of back and pelvic pain

If you are not normally active, the advice is to start gradually. If you are already active, the advice is to keep going. It is important to listen to your body and adapt appropriately.

There is no evidence to suggest that moderate intensity activity throughout pregnancy has any negative effect on either mother or their developing baby. 

Safety Precautions

• Avoid physical activity in excessive heat
• Avoid activities which involved physical contact or danger of falling
• Avoid scuba diving
• Maintain adequate nutrition and hydration – drink water before/during and after

Reasons to Stop and Consult a Health Care Provider

• Persistent excess shortness of breath that does not resolve at rest
• Severe chest pain
• Regular and painful uterine contractions
• Vaginal bleeding
• Persistent loss of fluid from the vagina indicating rupture of the membranes
• Persistent dizziness or faintness that does not resolve on rest

If you are having a high risk pregnancy or are not keeping well please speak to you obstetric team before exercising.

For further advice or ideas on exercises please follow the links below;

Reference Centre

Physical activity guidelines for pregnant women: Physical activity for pregnant women

Fit and Safe: Exercise in the Childbearing Year

POGP Exercise During Pregnancy

Generally, walking, pelvic floor exercises, deep abdominal and pelvic tilting exercises are safe a day or two after the delivery of your baby.

Between six and eight weeks after having your baby, you may return to low impact exercise. Here are some examples.

Always refer to your Obstetrics Physiotherapist for advice and guidance for an individualized programme.

We recommend not starting high impact exercises until after three months from the delivery of your baby to give your pelvic floor plenty of time to recover!

Always refer to your Obstetrics Physiotherapist for advice and guidance for an individualized programme.

POGP Pelvic Floor Exercises video

POGP After Birth: Return To Exercise

Before the time comes for labour and birth, it will be useful to check out our Reference Centre for information about relaxation, positions and breathing for labour. We recommend you try this ahead of time and with your birthing partner so you can be more comfortable and in control on the day.

If you are having a caesarean birth here are some useful videos:

My Caesarean Delivery Birth

Physiotherapy advice – after your Caesarean Birth

External Resources 

POGP Preparing for Caesarean Birth

POGP Postnatal Caesarean Birth Recovery

POGP After Week One: Pain Management

POGP After Birth Week One Bladder Care

Information about pregnancy, labour and birth and early parenthood – Ready Steady Baby!

Information about pain relief options – Labour Pains UK

Relaxation for Labour Demo Video – BabyCentre UK

Breathing for Labour Video – BabyCentre UK

Positions for Labour Video – BabyCentre UK

Massage for Labour Video – New Life Classes Ltd

Fit for birth

Reproduced with permission of LabourPains.com, NHS inform – Ready Steady Baby!, BabyCentre, New Life Classes and Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (pogp.csp.org.uk)

After pregnancy and birth it is important to look after yourself. We have put together some advice and information to help your postnatal recovery. Click the link for a range of useful resources reference centre. The POGP Posture and positioning video is also helpful.

If you would like to refer to Physiotherapy with a muscle or joint problem (for example back pain, pelvic pain, hand pain), and it has been less than 6 weeks since you had your baby, please complete the self-referral form.

If it has been more than 6 weeks since you had your baby please self-refer to the MSK Physiotherapy Department.

If you are having problems with bladder or bowel control, prolapse or issues with your pelvic floor muscles or tummy muscles and had your baby less than 6 months ago, please use this self-referral form.

If it has been more than 6 months please see your GP who will be able to refer you into the right service.