• Exercising your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor can help you have a less complicated labour.
• May reduce the risk of tummy separation.
• Pilates is particularly beneficial because it focuses on your core and pelvic floor.
• Rachel combines her Pilates with the latest evidence in women’s health bringing you a comprehensive, quality service.
• You may bounce back quicker after having your baby.
• The relaxation, mindfulness and hypnotherapy scripts at the end of each class may help improve you and your baby’s well being and health.

• To help you reconnect with your abdominals that will have been stretched through pregnancy.
• To correct postural changes that will have occured through pregnancy.
• Prevent continence issues and other complications further down the line.
• Regain your figure and tone in your abdominals.
• Looking after yourself is hard but worth it, happy mum happy baby!

I can’t tell you what to do. And I am bias! I can try and highlight the differences but in the end the choice is yours to make.

• Yoga is more stretching and sustained postures
• Pilates has some stretching but has more repetitive movements to train good movement patterns
• Yoga is more medative
• Pilates encourages you to focus on your posture and the way you move to improve your alignment and target certain muscle groups
• Yoga is an all body exercise programme
• Pilates is an all body exercise programme but the focus is on your deep core muscles, this is why I feel Pilates wins hands down over yoga in post natal rehab because it is targeting your specific area that have been affected by having a baby.

• I see a lot of ladies later down the line, their ribs are still lifted and their tummy doesn’t have the tension in it they would like – it pops out when they laugh or cough
• They are scared to get back to weight training and running, things they enjoy
• I work with them to retrain good abdominal control and tension to get them back in shape and doing the things they love.
• Sit ups can cause problems because using your abdominals in the wrong way can add more pressure downward onto an already weak pelvic floor – this has been seen on real time ultrasound and put you at risk of prolapse and continence problems. Done well there is nothing wrong with them but learning how to work your abdominals effectively is really important. This is where my expertise comes in!

Phoenix Freedom recognise that life with a baby is pretty hectic and so we have built a really flexible programme.

For £120 you receive a 10 class pass and you can use this over 6 months dropping in and out of classes as and when suits you. If you ever get a night off from your baby you can pop into any of the beginner/ improver classes too.

All Phoenix Freedom client shave a 1-2-1 before attending classes so that I can personalise their care and exercises.

You may need some manual therapy or advice. This is a chance to teach you how to recruit your abdominals correctly.  I can also screen for any more complex issues and advise you have a more in depth consultation if needed.

The intro offer of an assessment and 2 classes for £35 is a great way to start. If you like the classes you can go on and buy a 10 class pass.

1-2-1 assessments are held at Haddenham Medical Centre.

All equipment and mats are provided.

In the baby & me class you may want to bring some toys and a soft mat for your baby to lie on.

Through pregnancy your tummy muscles separate to allow space for your baby to grow. After you have your baby your muscles start to knit back together. Sometimes they don’t always come back together and they need a bit of help! If you don’t get help at this time there is evidence to suggest that you are more at risk of developing back pain, continence and prolapse problems in the future.

Retraining your abdominals in the correct way can help but you need to understand how to create the right intra abdominal pressure so that you are not putting further pressure on your back and pelvic floor.

Take a look at this MRI of a baby growing and how this puts pressure and stretches your pelvic floor.

Strengthening your pelvic floor through pregnancy and afterwards helps keep the integrity of the muscles. These are connected to your abdominals and how your create intra abdominal pressure and stability.

It’s also how you create a flat, toned tummy!

A basic Pilates assessment includes teaching you the principals of Pilates and how to create abdominal tension using your breath, pelvic floor and abdominals. This is £20 or combine it with the intro offer an assessment and 2 classes for £35.

After baby includes a tummy gap assessment. It may be suggested that you have a more in depth assessment and an internal examination to check your pelvic floor muscles are working properly. The reasons for this will be explained to you.

Yes. You can find out more details by visiting the clinic pages.