During this changing time in your life, Maternity Physiotherapy can help you understand the changes to your body and help you manage them to prevent pain, as well as help you manage any aches or pains, if they arise. Your maternity physiotherapist can also help you find useful resources for care during pregnancy, labour, birth and post-natal care.
In the sections below, you can find information about how Physiotherapy can help you during your pregnancy, labour and birth and in the Post Natal period, through different useful resources.
For more advice or information, please check the obstetrics physiotherapy page for contact details on how to contact the department.
For translated documents into languages other than English, please refer to our Reference Centre section.
Pregnancy Care
During pregnancy, your body needs to adapt to allow for your baby (or babies) to grow and develop, this means your body will change and some aches and pains can occur.
To learn more about the changes in your body during pregnancy and how to care for it, we have put together a video and a leaflet.
Keeping active during pregnancy is also very important and some exercises become especially important during this time, like the pelvic floor, deep abdominal and pelvic tilting exercises or circulation exercises.
We recommend trying relaxation, and other forms of mindfulness to help you better manage all the changes. Follow this video to practice a relaxation session.
External Resources
Fit for Pregnancy Information Leaflet: https://pogp.csp.org.uk/publications/fit-pregnancy
NHS Highland Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise Information Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v731EXFR2k4
Working from Home – Advice and Exercises: https://www.csp.org.uk/publications/do-you-sit-desk-all-day-leaflets
Reproduced with permission of Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (pogp.csp.org.uk) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (csp.org.uk).
Labour and Birth
Before the time comes for labour and birth, it will be useful to check our video and leaflet about 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.
Relaxation can also be really helpful during this uncertain time and you can find a relaxation session and leaflet on the topic.
Are you have a Caesarean Birth? We also got you covered! Check our video about an elective caesarean birth journey and what to work on after. We also have a Caesarean Section Preparation Class that runs in some of our sites.
External Resources
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 of Labour Video – New Life Classes Ltd
Relaxation Information Leaflet: https://pogp.csp.org.uk/publications/mitchell-method-simple-relaxation
Fit for Birth Information Leaflet: https://pogp.csp.org.uk/publications/fit-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)
Post Natal Care
After pregnancy it is as important to look after yourself. We have put together advice and information to help you recover after labour and birth, either vaginal or by caesarean section, including videos and leaflets on Post Natal Advice and Exercise, early advice after a caesarean section birth and physiotherapy advice after a caesarean section birth, and Diastasis Rectus Abdominus Muscles (DRAM).
For more information on Post Natal Exercises, please visit our key exercises section.
For more information about Diastasis Rectus Abdominus Mucles (DRAM), please visit our common pregnancy related aches, pains and concerns section.