Mae physiotherapy

Mae physiotherapy Putting you at the core of your pre and post natal journey

06/05/2026

The research on training in pregnancy has taken off in recent years — and it is genuinely changing how we should be working with active pregnant women.
The 140bpm heart rate rule? From 1985. No data behind it. Long gone.

Current WHO guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week during pregnancy — including proper strength training — with good evidence that it reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension. No increased risk to the baby.

We even have data on elite athletes training at significant volumes throughout pregnancy and going on to deliver at term without complication.

So the question is no longer “is it safe?” — it’s “how do we actually support these women well?”

Because when someone is leaking on a run or noticing pelvic heaviness after training, that isn’t a reason to stop. That’s load intolerance. That’s clinical information. And knowing what to do with it is a skill.

This is exactly the kind of topic we cover inside Mae Mentorship. The July cohort is open — link in bio if you want to know more.

29/04/2026

The conversation around how babies arrive can feel overwhelming — especially when there’s so much noise about which way is better.

The reality is that birth decisions are shaped by so many things. Maternal preference, clinical factors, previous experience, or circumstances that unfolded quickly and without warning. Every one of those is different, and every person carries that experience differently.

NICE guidelines support your right to be part of that conversation — including requesting a c-section. And if you’ve had a difficult birth before, a birth debrief through your maternity unit is something you can ask for.

Both routes carry real risks and real recovery demands. Neither is the easy option.

Birth is birth. Closing out c-section awareness month as I started it — by trying to reduce the noise and make space for what people actually need.

The hardest part of leaving the NHS isn’t building a business. It’s losing the colleagues you used to think out loud wit...
23/04/2026

The hardest part of leaving the NHS isn’t building a business. It’s losing the colleagues you used to think out loud with.

That’s what mentorship is for. July cohort waitlist now open — link in bio.

Most people start silicone too late, use it too inconsistently, or stop before it has a chance to work.The research on s...
22/04/2026

Most people start silicone too late, use it too inconsistently, or stop before it has a chance to work.

The research on silicone and scar management is well-established. What is less well known is that for c-section scars specifically, the goal goes beyond appearance — scar mobility affects pelvic floor function, bladder control, and movement through the lower abdomen.

If you have questions about your scar, a pelvic health physiotherapy assessment is the place to start.
🔗 Book via the link in bio.

References: Mustoe et al. (2002), Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery; Gold et al. (2014), Dermatologic Surgery; Bleasdale et al. (2015), Advances in Wound Care.

Six weeks. The milestone everyone talks about — and the one that is most misunderstood.For so many post-caesarean women,...
19/04/2026

Six weeks. The milestone everyone talks about — and the one that is most misunderstood.

For so many post-caesarean women, the six week check marks the moment they are told they are fine to get back to normal. But without a proper assessment of the pelvic floor, the core, and the scar, that sign-off tells you very little about what your body is actually ready for.

Weeks four to six are a pivotal window. You are feeling more capable, life is picking up pace, and the temptation to push on is real. This is exactly when the right guidance matters most.

Swipe for what I want every woman to know in this stage of her recovery.

If you missed the earlier posts, weeks 0–2 and weeks 2–4 are saved on my profile.

You made it through the first two weeks. The wound is closing, the fog is beginning to lift, and you are starting to fee...
18/04/2026

You made it through the first two weeks. The wound is closing, the fog is beginning to lift, and you are starting to feel a little more like yourself.

But weeks two to four are where many women start to push too hard — because they feel better, because life does not pause, and because no one has told them what this stage of recovery actually looks like.
This is that guide.

Swipe for what I want every post-caesarean woman to know between weeks two and four — from scar healing and movement progression to what is still firmly off the table.

Weeks 0–2 are in the previous post if you are just getting started. Weeks 4–6 are coming next.
Save this for yourself or share it with someone in the thick of early recovery.

Your c-section scar is healing. Your pelvic floor is recovering. Your body has done something significant — and the earl...
17/04/2026

Your c-section scar is healing. Your pelvic floor is recovering. Your body has done something significant — and the early weeks matter more than most people realise.

Weeks 0–2 post-caesarean are not just about resting and waiting. They are about protecting your wound, moving well, reconnecting with your pelvic floor, and setting yourself up for a stronger recovery ahead.
Swipe for the five things I want every post-caesarean woman to know in those first two weeks.

Weeks 4–6 are coming next — because this is where so many women come unstuck, and where the right guidance makes a real difference.

Save this if you are currently recovering, or share it with someone who needs it.

15/04/2026

You clicked expecting a follow-along. I get it — they’re everywhere.

But your pelvic floor deserves more than a one-size-fits-all squeeze-and-release, and here’s the thing: isolated contractions are only part of the picture anyway.

Your pelvic floor responds to impact, to strength training, to how you move. Research shows it should automatically pre-contract before running, jumping, landing — in milliseconds. If that reflex isn’t working properly, no amount of lying on your back doing Kegels will fix it.

Pelvic floor rehab is a clinical assessment. It’s a conversation. It’s a programme built around your body and your symptoms

If you’ve been doing the exercises and not seeing results, this might be why.

📍 Bristol-based? I see patients at Bristol Physiotherapy Clinic — link in bio to book.

Not local? Drop me a DM and I can point you in the right direction.

02/04/2026

Watch my abdomen in this video.

That reflexive contraction — visible as I lift — isn’t something I’m consciously doing. Research from Hodges and Richardson in the 1990s showed that in healthy individuals, the deep abdominal muscles fire automatically before movement even begins. A pre-programmed response. Your nervous system does this.
Bracing has its place — but the research puts that threshold at loads above 80% of one-rep max, at which point the body generates that internal pressure whether you ask it to or not. Worth noting: almost all of that research was conducted in men.

What you’re seeing in this video is the goal. Not tension you impose — a response your body learns.
And that matters at every stage.

Before pregnancy — that responsive, automatic quality you can see here is the foundation worth building.

During pregnancy — your abdominal wall changes week by week. The work is understanding how it wants to respond to movement as your body adapts, not holding onto a fixed strategy.

Postnatally — this reflex doesn’t disappear. It may need recalibrating. That’s what good postnatal rehab looks like — not switching the core back on, but relearning movement until the response comes back naturally.

Less gripping. More of what you can see right here.

31/03/2026

France has understood this for forty years.

Postnatal pelvic floor physiotherapy as standard, for every woman, regardless of symptoms.

Here, women wait until something goes wrong — and by then, we’re already playing catch-up.

The evidence for doing better is there. The will to act on it is what’s missing.

Address

Bristol

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mae physiotherapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Mae physiotherapy:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category