What to expect from your 6 weeks postnatal check

What to Expect at Your 6-Week Postpartum Pelvic Floor Check

Whether you had a vaginal birth or a cesarean section, your body has been through an incredible journey. At six weeks postpartum, a pelvic floor physiotherapy appointment helps ensure you're doing the right things for your body. This appointment is important for long-term pelvic health, core strength, and overall well-being. Here’s what you can expect during your visit.

Incision Healing – Checking Your Recovery

If you had a vaginal birth, we will check if any stitches (from an episiotomy or perineal tear) have healed properly. Some women experience tightness, discomfort, or sensitivity in this area, and we can give you gentle techniques to ease any discomfort.

For cesarean birth, we will assess how your scar is healing. Some moms feel tightness, numbness, or pulling sensations around their incision. We can guide you on how to massage and care for your scar to improve healing and reduce discomfort.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Assessment – Strength and Function

Your pelvic floor muscles support your bladder, bowel, and uterus, and they can be stretched or weakened after pregnancy and birth. We will assess:
✅ Your pelvic floor muscle’s strength and endurance
✅ Whether you can contract and relax them properly.
✅ If there’s any tightness, weakness, or pain affecting your ability to return to exercise

Pelvic Floor Exercises – Doing It Right

Pelvic floor exercises (also called Kegels) help rebuild strength and prevent issues like leaking, heaviness, or discomfort. At your visit, we will:
🟢 Teach you the correct way to contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles.
🟢 Give you a personalized plan based on your needs.
🟢 Help if you struggle to feel the muscles working or experience pain.

Bladder and Bowel Health – What’s Normal?

Many moms experience leaking (urine or wind), urgency, or difficulty emptying their bladder or bowels after birth. While common, these issues should not be ignored!

We’ll discuss:
🔹 Bladder function – If you’re leaking when you sneeze, laugh, or exercise, or if you struggle to fully empty your bladder.
🔹 Bowel health – If you have constipation, straining, or any pain when passing a bowel movement.

These issues are treatable, and we can guide you with strategies and exercises to help restore normal function.

Abdominal Separation – Checking Your Core Strength

During pregnancy, your abdominal muscles stretch to make room for your growing baby. For some women, these muscles are slower to activate after birth, leading to a condition called diastasis recti (abdominal separation).

At your visit, we will:
✔ Check how much separation you have (if any).
✔ Teach you safe exercises to rebuild core strength without putting pressure on your pelvic floor.
✔ Advise on what movements to avoid to prevent delay in abdominal strength recovery

Returning to Exercise – What’s Safe?

Many new moms are eager to return to exercise, but not all workouts are safe immediately postpartum. Your pelvic floor needs time to regain strength before jumping into high-impact activities like running, jumping, or lifting heavy weights.

At your check-up, we’ll guide you on:
🏃‍♀️ When it’s safe to resume strength training, pilates and running.
💪 How to build core and pelvic floor strength first.
🚫 Exercises to avoid that could cause strain.

Posture & Feeding – Preventing Aches and Pains

Holding, feeding, and carrying your baby for hours a day can lead to neck, back, and wrist pain. We’ll check your posture and show you small adjustments to avoid aches and tension.

You’ll learn:
✔ How to sit comfortably while feeding.
✔ Ways to hold your baby that protect your back and shoulders.
✔ Simple stretches to ease tightness from long feeding sessions.

Why This Visit is Important

Even if you feel "fine" after birth, your body has gone through major changes, and early support can prevent long-term issues. Whether you delivered vaginally or via cesarean, a 6-week postpartum pelvic floor check can help you heal, feel stronger, and move forward with confidence.

If you’re approaching six weeks postpartum, book your visit with a pelvic floor physiotherapist today!