Maternity physiotherapy

In maternity physiotherapy, you will receive holistic preventive and rehabilitative body care from our physiotherapists as well as strength for pregnancy and recovery.

Go to: Maternity physiotherapy during pregnancy, Maternity physiotherapy after childbirth, Physiotherapeutic follow-up check

Maternity physiotherapy aims for holistic well-being. You can book an appointment already when planning pregnancy.

The goal of maternity physiotherapy during pregnancy is to help the expectant mother to adapt to changes in her body, prevent pain and ailments in the musculoskeletal system, promote the expectant’s well-being and help them find suitable forms of exercise during the pregnancy.

After childbirth, our maternity physiotherapists help you rehabilitate and strengthen your body, re-establish a connection with your body and start healthy exercise. Many mothers are particularly concerned about the separation of abdominal muscles (diastasis recti abdominis) created by childbirth. Our maternity physiotherapists know how to comprehensively assess the situation of the abdomen and provide instructions for individually selected exercises that are suitable for you. Our maternal physiotherapy service is not just about rehabilitating the separation of the abdominal muscles, but much more comprehensive physiotherapy.

Maternity physiotherapy during pregnancy

It is be advisable to undergo maternity physiotherapy at least once during pregnancy, as pregnancy affects the recovery and strengthening of the body after childbirth in many ways.

During pregnancy, big changes occur in the body – they are normal. These changes can cause pain or difficulty in daily functioning and our maternity physiotherapists can help by providing guidance, exercises, and manual therapy. Many people assume that various joint and back pains are part of pregnancy and are expected to end at childbirth, but this is not nearly always the case. Therefore, it is advisable to seek help with pain and discomfort as early as possible. At worst, the pain can prevent mobility and complicate everyday life. Pain is not a normal part of pregnancy and it can be effectively alleviated through therapeutic exercises and, if necessary, manual therapy or individual support belts.

During your pregnancy, our maternity physiotherapists will provide you with instructions and advice, for example, on suitable exercises, tips related to everyday ergonomics, posture support and strengthening and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles.

Maternity physiotherapy after childbirth

After childbirth, our maternity physiotherapist will provide you information on how your body has recovered from childbirth and how you can help your body recover with your actions. The spontaneous recovery of the body after childbirth is fastest during the first months and the body should be given time to recover from pregnancy and childbirth. You can make an appointment with our maternity physiotherapists at any time: there is no right or wrong time.

Our maternity physiotherapists can help you when you experience challenges with your bodily perception and control, have questions about the separation of abdominal muscles or the condition of the pelvic floor, you are unsure about how to start exercising or experience pain in areas such as the pelvis, back, sides or chest. In addition, you will receive instructions for the treatment of section and episiotomy scars.

You will always get the right exercises for your situation from our clinic as there are no exercises that suit everyone, for example, to rehabilitate a separation of muscles. Our competent maternity physiotherapists guide and advise you in listening to your body and plan the progress of rehabilitation together with you.

Maternity physiotherapy always focuses on the mother’s well-being, coping, wishes and goals. These are discussed at the first appointment by means of an interview, and the goals are updated as the rehabilitation progresses. Sometimes, even a single appointment can be extremely helpful, but control visits are often needed to ensure that the rehabilitation is progressing as planned. It is important to remember that the speed of recovery after childbirth always varies from one person to the next.

Physiotherapeutic follow-up check

Our physiotherapeutic follow-up check service is an appointment tailored for new mothers that focuses only on the mother’s well-being. The content of the meeting is determined based on the customer’s wishes and needs.

The appointment begins with an in-depth interview about the customer’s background, pregnancy and childbirth, the condition of the customer’s body and their wishes and expectations.
The physiotherapist examines your motor functions and health through various functional tests and observations. Therefore, the duration of the appointment is 90 minutes. The physiotherapist also assesses the situation of the pelvic floor, midriff and possible diastasis recti.

The pelvic floor function can be assessed manually by palpation, ultrasound imaging or using an EMG electrode. The research method is selected based on the initial interview and the customer’s wishes.

In the physiotherapeutic follow-up check, the physiotherapist also assesses the situation of possible section and episiotomy scars. You will receive instructions on how to take care of the scars. In addition, you will receive individual instructions to help you promote the rehabilitation and strengthening of your body after childbirth.

We recommend booking a time for the physiotherapeutic follow-up check about 6–8 weeks after the birth at the earliest so that the body has time to recover from the birth, but you can also book an appointment sooner or later than that.

More information about maternity physiotherapy

You should seek maternity physiotherapy services at Felicitas Mehiläinen as soon as possible if you are unsure of how to get started with physical activity after childbirth, experience pain or want guidance on the treatment of section or episiotomy scars.

You are warmly welcome to visit us if you have any questions related to pregnancy and the postpartum period or the condition of your pelvic floor.

The specialist consulted for this article was Felicitas’s maternity physiotherapist Camilla Marjamäki.

For more information about our maternity physiotherapy services, contact Felicitas Mehiläinen customer service. You can also submit a contact request.

Learn more about Mehiläinen’s professionals in maternity physiotherapy and pelvic floor physiotherapy.