Pelvic Health Birth Prep

When birthing your baby, your pelvis needs to move and adapt to allow your baby to descend through the birth canal. This movement is influenced by many structures throughout the body, including the muscles, ligaments, joints and fascia within and around the pelvis. When these tissues are restricted or not functioning optimally, they may limit the pelvis’s ability to create space and adapt during labour.

The pelvic floor plays an important supportive role in this process. While the uterus is responsible for pushing the baby out, the pelvic floor needs to coordinate, soften and lengthen to allow your baby to move through the birth canal. Excess tension, guarding or asymmetry in these muscles may affect their ability to relax during birth.

Our osteopaths are highly trained and take a whole-body approach when preparing the body for birth. With your consent, some practitioners may perform an internal pelvic floor assessment to evaluate strength, coordination and the ability of the muscles to relax and lengthen. Gentle internal or external techniques may be used to release tension and improve tissue mobility, helping create an adaptable pelvic environment that supports your body’s natural ability to birth.

Our birth preparation consults provide education including:

·       Perineal massage

·       Active birth positions

·       Pain management strategies

·       Understanding pain and how to manage it during labour

·       Tips to minimise the risk of perineal tearing

·       Postnatal support

·       Pelvic floor assessment

·       Antenatal birth education

·       Partner facilitated internal work

·       External osteopathic musculoskeletal treatment