20 Aug Supporting Mums with Osteopathy: Holistic Treatment for Pregnancy and Postpartum Care
Pregnancy and the postpartum period bring incredible changes; not just emotionally and hormonally, but physically too. As the body grows and adapts to support a developing baby, it’s common to experience pregnancy pain, aches, and mobility challenges. After birth, the physical demands continue through recovery, breastfeeding, carrying a newborn, and adjusting to new routines.
Quite literally, postpartum your body is and will remain entirely different to how it was- the beauty of being able to grow our children.
These changes may affect muscles, joints, and posture, sometimes leading to ongoing pain or dysfunction. As part of a holistic approach to women’s health, osteopathy aims to offer hands-on support tailored to these unique physical demands.
This article explores how osteopathy may assist new mums throughout their pregnancies and beyond. For personalised advice, contact our team at Symmetree Osteopathy today.
The Physical Demands of Pregnancy and Motherhood
Pregnancy is a time of remarkable change. Your body adapts quickly to nurture a growing baby: ligaments loosen, posture shifts, your ribcage expands and muscles compensate. These changes are often exciting but also physically demanding. Many women experience lower back or pelvic pain, hip discomfort, sciatica, or tightness in the ribs, neck and shoulders.
And the challenges don’t stop after birth. Caring for a newborn means lifting, bending, carrying, and often doing so while tired or recovering from birth.
It’s common for mums to experience wrist pain (De Quervain’s tenosynovitis), shoulder tension, pelvic instability, or ongoing lower back discomfort in the months after delivery. Osteopathy aims to offer a hands-on, holistic approach to managing these challenges, both during pregnancy and beyond.
How Osteopathy Aims to Support Pregnancy
Osteopathy during pregnancy focuses on supporting the body’s natural adaptations while aiming to ease discomfort and promote balance.
Osteopaths use hands-on techniques tailored to each individual. These may include soft tissue massage, stretching, mobilisation, and advice on posture and movement. As part of a holistic approach to women’s health, osteos aim to work alongside your other healthcare providers and tailor treatment to your trimester, symptoms, and overall well-being. Each stage of pregnancy provides different demands on the body and your osteopathic treatments should adjust to support these changes.
Osteopathy may help by potentially:
- Easing aches and pains: Osteopathic treatment may relieve common complaints like lower back pain, pelvic girdle pain, and rib discomfort as your baby grows and starts to take up more space.
- Improving circulation and lymphatic flow: Gentle techniques may help reduce swelling in the legs and feet, supporting the body’s fluid balance
- Supporting pelvic alignment: Ensuring the pelvis is balanced may create more space for the baby and help prepare for labour
- Helping with sleep and relaxation: By relieving physical tension, osteopathy may help improve rest and reduce stress, something every expecting mum deserves
Postpartum Recovery and Support
The postpartum period, also known as the fourth trimester, may be just as physically intense as pregnancy. The body is healing from birth, and muscles and joints may still be under strain. Add breastfeeding, carrying a baby, and often limited sleep, and it’s no wonder mums feel sore, stiff, or unbalanced.
Osteopathy offers gentle and restorative support in an effort to help mums recover well and feel more like themselves again.
Osteopaths commonly assist with:
- Pelvic floor recovery
- Lower back pain or tailbone discomfort
- Neck and shoulder tightness from breastfeeding or baby carrying
- Wrist pain and arm strain
- Caesarean scar recovery and mobility
Even if you’re feeling generally well, we recommend a postpartum check-in with one of our osteopaths to help identify imbalances early and support your long-term recovery.
Preparing the Body for Labour and Birth
While much of pregnancy care focuses on managing discomfort, osteopathy may also play a role in supporting the body as it prepares for labour. Every small amount of movement gained in the pelvis from treatment may decrease the likelihood of intervention during birth.
As the due date approaches, mobility in the pelvis, lower back, and hips becomes especially important. Restricted movement or muscular imbalance in these areas may affect how the baby descends and how the body moves during labour.
Osteopathic treatment in the third trimester may involve gentle mobilisation techniques to support pelvic balance, spinal alignment, and overall flexibility. By enhancing movement and addressing tension, osteopathy aims to optimise the body’s mechanics in preparation for childbirth.
This holistic approach recognises that every pregnancy is different, and even what may seem like minor improvements in comfort, movement, or posture may contribute to a more positive birth experience.
Support from Symmetree Osteopathy
At Symmetree Osteopathy in Diamond Creek, we’re proud to support mums through every stage of pregnancy and postpartum recovery. Our team includes osteopaths with experience in women’s health, and we take the time to tailor care to your unique needs and comfort level. Whether you’re navigating pregnancy discomfort, preparing for labour, or adjusting to life with a newborn, our calm, welcoming clinic is here to help. Book your appointment today!