Diastasis recti is a fairly common condition of pregnancy and postpartum in which the right and left halves of Rectus Abdominis muscle spread apart at the body's mid line fascia, the linea alba. Widening and thinning of the mid line tissue occurs in response to the force of the uterus pushing against the abdominal wall as they grow and belly expands, in conjunction with pregnancy hormones that soften connective tissue, as well as with postural changes. A mid line of more than

While becoming more well known in general, the pelvic floor is typically not the first thing that comes to mind in relation to sports and athletics... more so thought of in relation to women, pregnancy, menopause and leaking urine. While it is true that women and girls are more at risk for pelvic floor dysfunction (more on that below), all of us (regardless of age or gender) have pelvic floors. And while the pelvic floor is great at controlling bladder and bowels, supporting

Over the past 8 years working as a women's and pelvic health musculoskeletal physiotherapist, as well as going through my own pregnancy, delivery and recovery postpartum, I have learned a lot about pregnancy, birth and living life with baby outside the womb. I always encourage women to get in to see their local women's and pelvic health physiotherapist earlier in pregnancy even if they are feeling good so that we can establish an understanding of where things are at pre-birth

I was introduced to low pressure fitness, aka Hypopressives, a few years ago through my pelvic and women’s health colleagues. I had heard about its use to help alleviate and reduce pressures in the pelvis which can influence pelvic organ prolapse. But that was all I knew and I was still getting some pretty good results with breath work, optimizing thoraco-pelvic alignment and functional integration of deep core and pelvic floor exercises. However, after seeing more and more p

During my pregnancy as I reached my half way mark, (20 weeks) over the winter holidays. I started feeling more abdominal pressure, reduced depth of breath, reduced core control (in the form of the beginning of a diastasis recti), not to mention a quick and large change in my belly size - Baby and I needed more room to grow! Especially if I wanted my core to adapt and continue to work well both for the rest of my pregnancy and post-partum. Creating space in the abdomen and low

Ever get the sensation of heaviness, bulging, or pinching “down there”? Maybe it is only noticeable after walking or standing for a long time, carrying kids, or having a bowel movement. Or maybe you have to strain or don’t feel you are emptying fully with bladder or bowel movements. Do you ever leak when getting up from the toilet even though you feel like you’re empty? Or with coughing, sneezing or lifting the kids? Any of these symptoms may indicate that you have a pelvic