Postnatal recovery — returning to exercise is about how your body is healing, not how you feel
Feeling fine at six weeks does not mean your body is ready to run, lift heavy or return to high-intensity training. Tissue healing has its own timeline — and rushing it is one of the most common causes of long-term pelvic floor and abdominal problems in women. Here is what a safe, evidence-based return to exercise actually looks like.
What has your body actually been through?
Birth — regardless of how it happened — is a significant physiological event. Whether you delivered vaginally or by caesarean, your body has been through nine months of structural change followed by the demands of labour or major abdominal surgery. The pelvic floor, the abdominal wall, the connective tissue and the hormonal system all need time and the right stimulus to recover properly.
The postnatal period is not just about getting back to where you were. It is about rebuilding a foundation that may not have been in great shape even before pregnancy. Done well, postnatal rehabilitation sets women up for stronger pelvic floor function, better core stability and reduced long-term risk of prolapse, incontinence and injury than they had before they were pregnant.
Done poorly — or rushed — it leads to the problems we see most commonly: leaking, prolapse symptoms, persistent abdominal separation, pelvic girdle pain that never fully resolved, and injuries from returning to exercise before the body was ready.
The most important thing to understand
Returning to exercise postnatally is not about willpower, fitness level or how motivated you are. It is about tissue healing — and that has a biological timeline that cannot be fast-tracked. Our job is to guide you through that timeline intelligently, so you come out the other side stronger than when you went in.
my story
Women’s health is not a niche. It is the whole thing.
There is a version of healthcare where you leave an appointment with a pamphlet and a vague suggestion to exercise more. Where your symptoms are minimised, your pain is called normal, and the system asks you to be grateful for whatever it offers. I have spent my career building the opposite of that.
Exercise Physiology is a clinical discipline that most people — including many within the health system — do not fully understand. We use precisely prescribed exercise to create adaptation at a cellular level. When your cells have been affected by a condition like PCOS, endometriosis or a life stage change like menopause, the right exercise stimulus changes how those cells function — how they produce energy, regulate inflammation, and respond to hormonal signals.
That is the work. And it requires a clinician who understands it deeply — not a trainer who has done a weekend course in hormones, and not a generic program downloaded from the internet.
I built HER Exercise Physiology because women with complex, specific health needs deserve access to a clinician who is genuinely expert in those conditions. I built Remote Control Exercise Physiology because where you live should never determine the quality of care you can access. And I built HER Education because the next generation of clinicians working in this space deserves better training than the industry has historically offered them.
100% Telehealth
Every consultation is delivered via telehealth — making specialist women’s health care accessible to anyone in Australia, regardless of postcode.
Exercises that can worsen diastasis if done too early
– Sit-ups, crunches and curl-ups
– Leg raises and double leg lowering
– Heavy lifting without breath management
– High-impact exercise before load capacity is built
– Planks and push-ups in early rehabilitation
Who should assess this
A pelvic floor physiotherapist for tissue assessment, and an Exercise Physiologist for the progressive loading program. Both have a role — and we work together
Pelvic floor rehabilitation
Postnatal pelvic floor — rehabilitation, not just Kegels
The postnatal pelvic floor has been through significant stress — whether from a vaginal birth, prolonged pushing, instrumental delivery, or the sustained load of pregnancy itself before a caesarean. Rehabilitation is not optional. It is foundational to everything else you do postnatally.
Leaking (urinary incontinence)
Leaking when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise is extremely common postnatally — but it is not something you should accept as permanent. It is a sign the pelvic floor needs rehabilitation, and it responds well to the right approach.
Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms
Heaviness, pressure or a bulging sensation in the vaginal area are signs of pelvic organ prolapse — where one or more of the pelvic organs descend into the vaginal canal. This requires assessment and a carefully managed return to exercise.
Pelvic floor that is too tight
Not all postnatal pelvic floor dysfunction is weakness. A pelvic floor that is hypertonic — too tight — after birth can cause pain with sex, difficulty emptying the bladder or bowel, and does not respond to strengthening. It needs release work first.
Caesarean scar and pelvic floor
A caesarean scar that is not mobilised and rehabilitated can create fascial restrictions that affect pelvic floor function, bladder capacity and core activation — even though the birth itself did not involve the vaginal canal. C-section recovery has its own specific rehabilitation needs.
Our approach to pelvic floor postnatally
We address pelvic floor function as part of your overall return to exercise program — not as a separate concern. We work closely with pelvic floor physiotherapists and will recommend an assessment if you have not had one. For most postnatal women, a pelvic floor physio assessment before returning to high-impact exercise is best practice.
THE CLINICAL APPROACH
What an Exercise Physiologist brings to your postnatal recovery
Postnatal recovery is not a fitness challenge. It is a rehabilitation process — and it deserves the same clinical rigour as any other rehabilitation program.
A full postnatal assessment
We assess your birth history, delivery type, any complications, current symptoms, diastasis status where appropriate, and your goals — from returning to running to lifting your toddler without leaking. The assessment shapes everything.
Diastasis recti rehabilitation
A progressive loading program that rebuilds linea alba tension and function — not a list of exercises to avoid. We work through the loading stages systematically and track how the tissue is responding.
Pelvic floor management
We manage the load demands placed on the pelvic floor throughout your return to exercise program — adjusting as your capacity builds, addressing symptoms as they arise, and working alongside your pelvic floor physiotherapist.
A phased return to your goals
Whether your goal is returning to running, getting back to the gym, managing the physical demands of new motherhood or something else entirely — we build a program that gets you there safely and sustainably.
Telehealth that fits your life
Telehealth postnatal support means you do not need to find childcare to attend a clinic. We work around your life — because we know what postnatal life actually looks like.
WORKING WITH ME
What does a postnatal recovery program look like?
Every program is built around your birth experience, your current recovery, your symptoms and your goals. There is no generic postnatal program here.
INITIAL CONSULTATION
FULL POSTNATAL ASSESSMENT
We cover your birth history, delivery type, any complications or symptoms, current movement capacity, sleep, energy, feeding status and your goals. We take our time here — the assessment is the foundation of everything that follows.
EARLY WEEKS
PHASE APPROPRIATE PROGRAMMING
Your program is built for where you are right now — not where you want to be. Early on that means gentle, restorative work that respects healing timelines. It progresses as you do.
ONGOING
PROGRESSIVE LOADING & REGULAR REVIEWS
We check in regularly, progress the program as your body responds and address anything that comes up. Postnatal recovery is not linear — we stay responsive to how you are actually going, not just where you should be on a calendar.
Goal achieved
BACK TO FULL TRAINING – PROPERLY
When you return to running, heavy lifting, sport or whatever your goal is, you will have done so with a body that was actually ready. No symptoms, no setbacks, no starting over.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Your postnatal recovery deserves more than a six-week clearance.
Telehealth consultations available nationally through Remote Control Exercise Physiology. No referral needed. We work around your life — because we know what postnatal life looks like.