WTF am I actually going to get out of a postnatal programme?

I feel like a broken record when I say that a postnatal programme isn’t just for brand new mums with 6-week-old babies. Sure, it’s good to get started if that’s appropriate for you (I run an early postnatal course for this reason) but really the work can start at any time.

It takes a woman an estimated 9 months to 2 years to recover from birth.

But why prioritise it? What exactly should you be getting from a postnatal exercise course like Pilates?

More and more women know about the rectus check now and I’m all for it. But what does a gap mean for you, should you care and what implications does it have for exercise?
You’ve been religiously doing your pelvic floor exercises but you don’t know if it’s the right amount, done correctly or how long you should be doing these.
Maybe you are one in four women that have prolapse but don’t know it. Perhaps you are unaffected by it. If you do have it, what does it mean? Do you need to change anything?
Even temporary pelvic floor issues shouldn’t be ignored or just have fingers crossed at them. Symptoms like: heaviness, stress incontinence (leaking during impact), urgency incontinence (think turning the key in the lock), incontinence (pee or poop), painful sex or even heaviness in the pelvis are things to look out for. If you ignore them now then they may worsen or reoccur during later life.