What to expect from your 6-week postnatal Physio check.

Cuddles with Abbey. 4 days old.

Happy smiles and sleepy eyes.

I’m going to talk you through what’s commonly involved in a postnatal Physiotherapy assessment (sometimes called the 6-week check). This is an initial appointment women have with their Pelvic Health Physiotherapists after giving birth. I believe every birthing woman should have subsidised access to a postnatal physiotherapy support, however currently this is unsupported through our medicare system. But thats a rant for another day.

The first 6 weeks after giving birth is such an important time for healing. The demands of pregnancy and birth are significant on a woman’s body, despite what type of birth you’ve had. There is a lot of focus on the pregnancy and birth but often woman are left to figure it all out by themselves in the postpartum period. Having support at this time is so important to ensure that woman are healing fully after birth and able to live their lives fully, without restrictions.

We often recommend 6 weeks as a good time to book in your appointment but it doesn’t have to be at 6 weeks, it can be 3 weeks if you have concerns or even 2 years down the track. It’s never too late. I’m 9 weeks postpartum at the moment and I had my postpartum assessment  last week. I thought it might be useful to go through what is involved in a postnatal assessment. I’ll explain it like I’m your Physio 😊

• First up, a big chat. I’ll often ask lots of questions (with your consent of course) which will help to guide my assessment and our treatment plan. I’ll ask how you are going, if you have any concerns or worries. I’ll ask lots of questions about your general health and relevant past medical history, bladder and bowel habits, sexual health and if you are experiencing any body aches or pain. We will chat about your pregnancy and birth history and your postpartum experience so far. We’ll also chat about your emotional and mental health and I’ll give you space to talk about this as much or as little as you need. I know these questions and topics can be really personal and embarrassing for some people, but I talk about these things all day everyday. I’ve also been a patient before (3 babies of my own) so I have had to talk about my own pelvic health and mental health issues. I’m right there with you. After all the questions we will discuss your goals for your postpartum rehab and what you want to achieve, how you want to feel and what we need to prioritise.

• Following our chat, I’ll recommend certain physical assessments. This might include, but is not limited to some of the following. An assessment of your abdominal muscles, how they are functioning with movement and checking your scar if you’ve had a Caesarean.  A pelvic floor assessment which can either be performed with real time ultrasound looking from your lower abdomen or with an internal vaginal assessment. The internal assessment often gives me a more in depth detail about your pelvic health but it is completely optional. If I think an internal assessment is worthwhile, I would discuss this with you in detail and YOU will decide if you want to go ahead with it. I would also assess other areas of your body which might include your back, neck, wrists or feet etc.  Occasionally I may ask for a urine test, a bladder diary or other written outcome measures.

Remember, postpartum rehab is not only about healing the core and pelvic floor. The body is integrated and works as a whole, each area interconnected with another.

• After the assessment we will sit down together and chat about my findings. I’ll give you my recommendations for rehab and together we will set out a treatment plan that works for you and your life. Once you feel comfortable with the treatment plan, we may book another appointment down the track to monitor and progress your rehab or we may not need the follow up.

It’s important to note that this is just a brief outline of what might be involved in a postnatal assessment. I take a person centred approach to my work, meaning I am focused on you as an individual, not simply ticking check boxes. I hope this has helped shed some light on what a postnatal assessment might look like. Not scary at all right! I’ve answered a few FAQ’s below but if you have any other questions feel free to contact me and I’ll get onto it.

FAQ’s

When is the best time to have an assessment.

We often recommend an appointment at 6 weeks postpartum. This is roughly the timeframe for acute healing after birth and we can start to plan the progressions in your postnatal rehab.

However, you can book an appointment before 6 weeks if you have any worries or concerns. It is never too early or too late to have a postnatal Physiotherapy assessment.

Who do I go to for this assessment?

You can see a Pelvic Health Physio privately without a referral, or you can go through your public hospital as well. (I would love to see routine postnatal assessments covered under Medicare but that's a rant for another day)

Do I have to have an internal assessment?

Of course not.

The reason I might recommend an internal assessment is because it gives us the most information about your pelvic health which means we can be more accurate in our treatment plan and goal setting.

However, YOU make the decisions on what is right for you. Your body, your life, your decisions always and I'll support you all the way.