Pelvic Health: Pregnancy, postpartum, pelvic floor and growing awareness around mums returning to exercise

In this episode we’re speaking about pelvic health in women and returning to exercise after pregnancy and birth. For this interview, we’ve recruited two of the very best in this area; Advanced Physiotherapist in pelvic health Gráinne Donnelly and Specialist Women’s Health Physiotherapist Emma Brockwell.

The pair together with Tom Goom wrote the highly cited return to running postpartum guidelines entitled: ‘Returning to running postnatal – guidelines for medical, health and fitness professionals’.

Pelvic health issues affect many women at different stages of life including the 80% of women in the U.K. who will have a baby. Pregnancy and child birth can cause a number of pelvic health issues, such as incontinence of urine, pelvic organ prolapse and diastasis recti (abdominal separation) which we cover in this episode. 

We also talk about the importance of the pelvic floor muscle and why all women can benefit from doing exercises to strengthen this muscle whether they've had a baby or not!

Both Emma and Gráinne are passionate about helping women overcome pelvic health issues, and raising awareness about such conditions which are common but not normal. They highlight that the vast majority of these issues can be treated effectively with physiotherapy, something that they find not a lot of women are aware of.

They're also on a mission to improve the quality and consistency of information available to guide women back to normal life after having a baby. 

We talk about if you can’t see it, you can’t be it, when it comes to elite athletes returning to competition after pregnancy and stress the importance of physical activity for pregnant women. We also talk about why women need adequate time to repair, heal and recover after giving birth and before returning to any form of exercise.

In 'Question Time' this week we answer a question around why some women may feel more anxious and overwhelmed (especially given the way of the world at the moment) in phase 4 of their cycle- the premenstrual window- and what people can do about it.

Resources:
Free access to returning to running postnatal guidelines: https://mailchi.mp/38feb9423b2d/returning-to-running-postnatal-guideline

Diastasis Rectus Abdominis Patient Handbook: https://absolutephysio.dpdcart.com/product/199837

https://www.pelvicroar.org/ and https://www.pelvicroar.org/rectus-diastasis

Squeezy App: https://www.squeezyapp.com/ which has a link to the "find a physio" directory too

https://www.activepregnancyfoundation.org/
 

Grainne on Insta and FB @absolute.physio on Twitter: @ABSPhysio 
Grainne's website - www.absolute.physio

Emma's webite - https://physiomum.co.uk/
Emma on Instagram and FB: @physiomumuk and Twitter @emma_physiomum   

We would like to thank our title sponsor for series 2 -Pretty Athletic. Pretty Athletic is a unique skincare brand for active women who sweat. 

Visit wwww.prettyathletic.com to view the amazing range of products available and use discount code FEMALEATHLETEPOD for 20% off.

*Disclaimer: Materials and content in the Female Athlete Podcast are intended as general information only and should not be substituted for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment