As a new mum, you might experience sore nipples from breastfeeding, blocked milk ducts, pelvic floor weakness, and other aches and pains, along with your lack of sleep. Not exactly ideal, right? Health2mama is a specialised women’s physiotherapist service that can ease the process of postpartum recovery and help you with most of these new baby issues. Physiotherapy can also help with ab separation, and the right kind of postnatal massages to help you feel more like yourself and get you back in shape.
Specialised physiotherapy and training for mums
As a mum herself, physiotherapist BEX ALDRIDGE knows first-hand just how hard pregnancy and childbirth can be on the body. That’s exactly why she founded Health2mama, which offers physiotherapy, personal training and wellness services for mums and babies, during and after pregnancy.
Whether you want to meet at the park or stick with the comfort of your own home, they can come to you, making your life as a busy mama just a wee bit easier.
All of Health2mama’s trainers are physiotherapists who specialise in seeing mums, so they’re super experienced in dealing with prenatal and postnatal bodies. Whether you’re a new mum here in Singapore or expecting, it’s worth seeing a physiotherapist for many reasons. Here are just a few things that postnatal physiotherapy can help with.
#1 Pelvic floor recovery
The pelvic floor is literally the “floor” of our pelvis. Its layers of muscles perform different functions, supporting the bladder, uterus (womb) and bowel. During pregnancy and birth, the pelvic floor undertakes lot of additional strain. This can lead to pain, incontinence and prolapse.
A pelvic floor physio can check for any damage to the pelvic floor, and start you on a postpartum recovery programme as soon as possible, says Bex.
And, it won’t just strengthen your pelvic floor. It can help strengthen your back, hip and abdominal muscles, and diaphragm at the same time.
#2 Diastasis recti (ab separation) healing
Diastasis recti (DR) is a widening of the abdominal muscles during pregnancy. After birth, this can result in a “mummy tummy” that won’t go away. Additionally, because the core area is less stable, back pain can occur as a result. A trained physiotherapist who is experienced in seeing women after birth can examine your muscles and assess the severity of the damage to your connective tissue. You can then retrain your abdominal muscles.
And, the sooner you discover you’ve got DR, the better. “Starting the right exercises early to help heal ab separation is the key. It’s much harder to correct and takes a lot longer if left more than eight weeks before starting on a specific rehab programme,” says Bex.
“Physiotherapists trained in treating DR can start you on a safe programme of specific exercises and progress you to harder exercise gradually. This will help the connective tissue to heal and regain its tension, improving stability and strength in your body, and also help close the gap. Health2mama offers a unique online, eight-week Diastasis Healing exercise programme for mums to follow at home, supported by physios.”
And, working with a specially trained physio to correct DR can help you tone up and get in shape at the same time!
#3 Breastfeeding Issues
Bet you didn’t know that a physiotherapy can help with engorged, sore breasts and lactation relief! We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Health2mama’s physios are experienced in lymphatic massage and ultrasound therapy that can unblock milk ducts, relieve pain, stop mastitis from developing and improve milk flow.
#4 Postnatal massage
Body aches that started during pregnancy can continue after birth. Also, additional aches and pains in the back, chest and shoulders can arise from breastfeeding and lifting a baby.
While any massage will offer relaxation and temporary relief, a massage by a physio can include manual therapy, and help cure the cause of your pain.
In addition, massaging the stomach can help speed up recovery, firm up the tummy area and reduce swelling.
#5 Help with easing into exercise
Having a physio-trainer experienced with helping mums return to exercise is really beneficial. Not only will it help ensure that the exercises you’re doing are safe, but it also means the pelvic floor can be strengthened and the DR healed, rather than made worse, at the same time.
The ultimate postpartum recovery session
Health2mama offers a package that takes care of all this and more. The Ultimate Recovery Session is a 90-minute session in the comfort of your own home. It includes:
- A relaxing, 45-minute postnatal massage for mum, with lymphatic breast massage and ultrasound for breastfeeding relief, if required;
- A 20-minute baby massage; this includes teaching mum basic massage techniques to do with your babe;
- A check for presence of DR;
- Checking pelvic floor strength;
- Starting you on pelvic floor healing and core exercises;
- An assessment of lifting, breastfeeding and baby-carrying techniques, plus advice on how to prevent the onset of upper and low back pain, chest and shoulder pain.
These services are all available individually, of course. But, $250 for all of this is a real steal, if you ask us!
It’s also worth checking out Bex’s online exercise programmes, which can help with a range of issues during and after pregnancy.
Additionally, Health2mama now has nutritionists, and makeup and hair stylists specialising in mums, to complement the other services and help fully revitalise any mum in her own home.
For more information or to book an appointment with Health2mama, call 6255 5250 or visit health2u.sg/health2mama.
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