From Bump to Baby: Pelvic Floor Support for Every Stage

Pregnancy and postpartum bring meaningful changes to your body, especially to your pelvic floor, core, and back. These areas work together to support you during pregnancy, prepare your body for birth, and play a major role in postpartum recovery (regardless if vaginal or c-section). When they are not functioning well, issues like back pain, leaking, or core weakness can appear. Pelvic floor physical therapy can help you stay strong and supported through each stage, making your pregnancy and recovery more comfortable and confident.

Pelvic floor therapy isn’t just for when something feels “wrong”—it’s proactive care that supports your body through every stage of motherhood. Whether you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or years after giving birth, it’s never too late to reconnect with your core.

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Image of a baby's tiny feet to represent pregnancy and postpartum for a pelvic floor physical therapy clinic.

Diastasis Recti Abdominis

Diastasis recti abdominis is a separation of the abdominal muscles along the midline, caused by the stretching of connective tissue as the belly expands during pregnancy. It occurs in nearly 100% of pregnancies by the third trimester, as your body naturally makes room for your growing baby. Hormones like relaxin and progesterone soften tissues to support this change, and the pressure from the uterus pushes outward on the abdominal wall.

While this separation is normal, it doesn't always resolve on its own. Some people continue to feel core weakness, bulging, or lower back pain postpartum. Pelvic floor physical therapy can help safely restore strength and function to the deep core, improving stability and reducing discomfort and that mom pooch.

Would you like more information on this? Check out this free eBook on DRA. 

Woman placing hands on the middle of her belly looking for abdominal separation.

What’s Really Causing This?

  • Your body adapts to changes of a growing baby
  • Ligaments are relaxing causing shifts in your body
  • As you progress in your pregnancy ab separation will occur
  • They say every day is like running a marathon, so we need to train for this marathon of pregnancy and recovery

What You Might Be Feeling

  • Sharp pain along the groin
  • Aches in the back
  • Difficulties with movement
  • Randomly leaking, more prominent with laughing, sneezing, coughing
  • Swelling in the legs

Why This Matters

Seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist during pregnancy and postpartum can make a big difference in your comfort, delivery, and recovery. During pregnancy, pelvic floor therapy helps reduce pain, improve core strength, and prepare your body for labor. Specific techniques can support optimal baby positioning (like encouraging head-down alignment) and improve pelvic mobility—both of which may help reduce labor complications.

By learning how to relax and coordinate your pelvic floor, you can also lower the risk of vaginal tearing and feel more confident during delivery. After birth, therapy supports healing from diastasis recti, C-sections, or pelvic floor trauma, and helps restore bladder control and core strength.

Pelvic floor therapy is proactive, not just reactive—helping you move, birth, and recover with less pain and more support.

How

Prosper

Can Help

We look beyond symptoms to understand the whole picture. During pregnancy your body is adapting every day and through our 3-phase Prosper Method, we help restore the strength, mobility, and coordination your body needs.

01

Lengthen

Work on balancing your body within its growing phase by keeping tension out of the back and hips while gaining stability within the core

02

Strengthen

Rebuild functional strength with breath, posture, and gentle movement as your bump grows.

03

Prosper

Apply your progress to real-life activities—so you can be confident in your birth experience and know the plan for postpartum

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What to Expect in Treatment:

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Core, pelvic floor, hip, and back strengthening 

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Assessment of uterine ligaments providing your baby with optimal support

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Care tailored to your specific needs, not a one-size-fits-all plan

Image of pelvic floor physical therapist applying kinesio-tape to a pregnant woman's belly to provide support to her growing baby.
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Perineal preparation to help prevent tearing

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Postpartum support, individualized to your birth story

Compassionate image of pelvic floor physical therapist giving a onsie to a recently postpartum mom as a gift for her baby.

What You’ll Gain Through Personalized Pelvic Care

You’ll go from this:

  • Feeling unstable in your body
  • Leaking “because its a mom thing”
  • Feeling weak within your core and back
  • Scared and uncertain of what lies ahead with labor and birth

To this:

  • Feeling Strong and supported in your own body
  • Feeling in control of your bladder
  • Ability to breathe and coordinate your core support
  • Empowered and ready for birth because you have the tools and support to do so!

What to Expect During Treatment

Your first visit includes a comprehensive full-body movement screen, along with breath and pressure assessments to better understand how your body is functioning as a whole. With your consent, we will educate you on why we may consider an internal pelvic exam to help get a full body picture. We want to give you some clarification: this is not your traditional pap exam. With a gentle, holistic approach we will uncover what is contributing to your symptoms. From there, you’ll receive a personalized care plan tailored to your goals, lifestyle, and needs. Every body is different, so your treatment is never a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach.

5-star rating

Discover What Other Women Are Sharing About Their Results

Hear from women just like you who proudly share their experience.

5-star rating

I cannot recommend Sara enough! She has been an incredible support in my pelvic floor journey, helping with varicose veins, lengthening and strengthening my pelvic floor after four babies, and now preparing for the birth of my fifth. Her expertise is unmatched, but what truly sets her apart is her genuine care—she’s supportive not only during appointments but also outside of them. I especially love the home visit option, which has made my experience even more comfortable and convenient. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated pelvic floor therapist, Sara is the best!

Sabrina, Google Reviewer (Feb 2025)

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Pelvic floor therapist providing guidance on using a birthing ball with a pregnant woman in a therapy setting.
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Prenatal & Postpartum… | Prosper Physical Therapy and Pelvic Rehab