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Early Postnatal Programming

CPDs : 4

Gradually introduce your new mums back to training after the birth of their babies with this introductory course.

We focus on providing you, the fitness professional, with the training tools to utilise when working with postnatal clients returning to training after giving birth. It covers ways to gradually introduce postnatal women back into training, taking into consideration the individual time taken for postnatal healing, restoring of strength and tone in the abdominal wall and the pelvic floor, and regaining of pelvic stability following pregnancy and birth.

Suggested Pre-requisite:

  • CIMSPA: L3 PT

To attain the REPS India CPD points for this course you will need to have already completed a recognised Pilates qualification.

Course outcomes

  • Understand how hormonal changes of pregnancy impact the abdominal wall, the pelvis and the pelvic floor and how this may affect postnatal recovery.
  • Know how to assess postnatal posture and programme to improve posture in your early postnatal client.
  • Understand the roles and function of the abdominal muscle wall for core stability.
  • Understand the role of the pelvic floor and its interaction with the core and abdominal wall.
  • Know how pregnancy and birth can impact the pelvic floor in relation to continence and pelvic organ support.
  • Understand the effect of pregnancy and childbirth on the pelvic floor and the potential longer term effects.
  • Understand about planning early progressions of exercise for postnatal clients who will be rebuilding their core control.
  • Understand how to teach clients postnatal abdominal bracing in a range of positions and correct their technique for core stability.
  • Know how to modify training to match the client’s level of core control and pelvic floor fitness.
  • Understand the factors that can influence the degree of rectus abdominus diastasis (RAD).
  • Understand how to assess a postnatal client for an abdominal muscle separation and prescribe exercises to improve abdominal muscle wall function for core stability.
  • Know about screening for and identifying risk factors and when to refer a client to a pelvic health physiotherapist, medical practitioner or musculoskeletal physiotherapist.

Author Bio

  • Dianne Edmonds

    Dianne Edmonds is an Australian physiotherapist with over 30 years of experience with pregnancy, postnatal and pelvic floor education, treatment and fitness programs. She contributed to the development of the AusActive Pregnancy and Postnatal Exercise Guidelines as a member of the expert reference group. Dianne was the lead physiotherapist and project officer for the Pelvic Floor First project campaign, run by the Continence Foundation of Australia and is a Pelvic Floor First Ambassador. Dianne is the Director and founder of The Pregnancy Centre, and hosts The Running to the Core Podcast, which explores areas affecting women’s return to fitness and running postnatally. She currently works in an Obstetric GP practice in Mandurah, Western Australia.