If you’ve followed along with Centred Mums, you’ll know that I absolutely love using the reformer and I have one in my home studio for 121 and small group classes. It’s an incredible piece of equipment, and in an individual setting it can be transformative for building strength, improving alignment, and supporting long-term movement health.

But here’s something that might surprise you:

I don’t believe mum and baby reformer classes are the right approach for postnatal exercise.

Let me explain why.

After pregnancy and birth, your body needs more than a machine based class filled with distraction —it needs specialist postnatal recovery support that targets what you really need right now.

Your deep core system, including your pelvic floor and transverse abdominals, has been lengthened and lost strength. Before jumping into complex workouts or equipment-based sessions, the priority should always be:

• Reconnecting with your breath
• Restoring pelvic floor function
• Rebuilding core strength after pregnancy
• Improving alignment and stability

This is the foundation of effective postnatal Pilates, and you simply don’t need a reformer to achieve it.

In fact, when it comes to safe postnatal workouts, simpler is often more effective. 

The Problem with Mum & Baby Reformer Classes

While mum and baby fitness classes can be a brilliant way to get moving again, I believe the reformer environment is a bit problematic at this stage of postnatal recovery.

Reformers are large, moving pieces of equipment that require focus, control, and proper technique.

When you add a baby into that space:

• Your attention is divided
• Your movement quality decreases
• The risk of unsafe situations increases

From a postnatal fitness safety perspective, this simply isn’t ideal.

I’m sure we all know how unpredictable babies can be and being next to moving equipment doesn’t create the calm, controlled environment that your postnatal recovery exercises require.

It’s Got to Be The Right Setting

Now I’m not saying “down with reformers!” 

When working 1:1, Pilates on the reformer can be an amazing tool for strength and rehabilitation, accelerating progress safely and effectively.

It’s all about using the right tool at the right time.

What Your Body Really Needs Postnatally

In the early stages after having a baby, your body benefits most from:

• Targeted postnatal Pilates exercises
• Gentle, progressive core and pelvic floor rehabilitation
• A supportive, understanding environment
• Structured guidance from a postnatal fitness specialist

This approach builds a strong foundation for everything else – whether that’s returning to the gym, running, or eventually using equipment like the reformer.

This is exactly why I created my classes at Centred Mums.

My postnatal Pilates classes are designed specifically to support:

• Pelvic floor recovery after birth
• Safe and effective core strengthening for mums
• Realistic, sustainable postnatal fitness routines
• Confidence in your body again

There’s no pressure, no rushing, and no unnecessary complexity – just expert guidance and a focus on what your body truly needs.

Ready to Start Your Postnatal Recovery?

If you’re looking for safe postnatal exercise classes, expert guidance, and a supportive community of mums, my classes at Centred Mums are here for you. 

I would also recommend getting a full postnatal check at a specialist like Herts Osteopathy or Alban Osteopathy,  where you can build on the tailored support with feedback on what is happening internally. 

Come and rebuild your strength the right way, starting from the ground up.

Do you want to know the best pelvic floor exercises?

When it comes to pelvic floor exercises, we are all told that the ‘lift and squeeze’ or kegel is the best thing we can do. I often use the analogy that only using kegels to strengthen your pelvic floor is like trying to strengthen your bicep without using any weight or movement and simply contracting your bicep muscle. We would never do that! So why do we think this will work for the pelvic floor??

We want to create balance in our muscles and so the best thing we can do is to USE them. If we want to get a muscle working better, we need to move it and to add weight and movement to gain strength.

In 2016, Crawford et al did a study to find out the pelvic floor response in a list of exercises compared to kegels. Here is what they found:

Percent Greater Than Isolated Kegel

1. Lunge: 42%
2. Squat: 30%
3. Side Lying Bent Knee Lift: 25%

4. Side Lying Straight Leg Circle: 25%
6. Bridge: 56%

7. Hovering : 49%
8. All 4s Bent Knee Lift: 30%
9. Cat Into Cow: 41%

I made this video to talk you through my versions of these exercises which I really believe are the best exercises for pelvic floor health.

My 30 Day Challenge is a great way to get yourself into this work and create a regular practice on your own or if you would like more feedback and to create a regular practice to improve your pelvic floor, join the waiting lists for my in person classes or check out my online membership.

 

 

So many new (and not so new) mums are shocked by how much pregnancy changes their body – both in how it looks and how it feels. 

Regardless of your fitness levels, it’s impossible to not notice how our bodies have changed once a baby has arrived. Over 60% of women in the UK have diastasis recti at 6 weeks following pregnancy although this reduces over time postnatally and by 12 months postnatal is just over 30%. Although a fairly common condition, it can cause a lot of distress and discomfort. 

Diastasis recti happens during pregnancy as a result of the rectus abdominal muscles (or six pack) separating to accommodate the growing baby. This is a totally normal process and not something to worry about but sometimes the connective tissue around the muscles can overstretch and leave a dysfunctional abdominal wall and a gap between the rectus muscles. 

This can result in a bulge or dome around the belly and can leave people feeling that they are still a few months pregnant. 

 

How do you know if you have an abdominal separation?

• Lift your upper body slightly, as if you are doing a crunch. 
• Gently use your index and middle finger to push down in the centre of your tummy (near your belly button). 
• If you feel more than two fingers width of space then you may have diastasis recti
• Now feel for the depth of the tissues – hopefully, you will find some resistance under your fingers but if you find that it is really deep this is another potential flag of some dysfunction. 

Here is a useful video that can help you identify if you have diastasis recti. 

 

Can weight loss heal abdominal separation?

In a word, no! This isn’t about your weight – it is a fascial issue that is all about getting the abdominals to function more efficiently. Your belly size may decrease with weight loss but if you have abdominal separation, the best way to close it is to get the abdominals functioning better. 

I want to make one thing clear – you aren’t broken. Instead, we just need to help things to function better in a way that helps to heal the separation. 

Diastasis recti is a core function issue problem. It’s about healing and creating more balance in the tissues. This can be helped by gaining strength but for many people it is also about stopping other areas (such as the ribcage and obliques) from gripping. 

For the majority of women, it can be effectively treated with a good exercise programme and the right nutrition. Some really great exercises include:

• Diaphragmatic Breathing (when you breathe too much into your belly you increase the pressure and this can contribute to diastasis)
• Side Bends (this will help to mobilise your rib cage and reduce the pressure described above)
• Knee floats (one of my favourites for deep core strength – but make sure you aren’t gripping and are engaging your abdominals correctly – you might need some help with this) 
• Heel Slides (see knee floats!) 

I have a whole blog post detailing some simple exercises you can do to help heal your abdominal separation.

I do also want to stress that it is important to be kind to yourself and your body – especially if you have recently given birth (it has just done an incredible thing!). There is plenty of time to get this sorted – I have helped mums to rehab their abdominals with kids in their teens so (although if you have the time and energy to get it sorted sooner that is great) there is no rush. 

If you haven’t already seen a Women’s Health Physio, make sure you go and get some advice from someone in person. Get your pelvic floor checked for as much support as possible. You can look for a local physio here.

 

Join The Pelvic Floor Project

The Pelvic Floor Project online membership will help you to get you to a place where you can stop worrying about your core function, live your life as you want to, exercise as you want to and understand what works for your body and what doesn’t.

Pelvic floor and abdominal dysfunction needs to be treated as a full body issue. It’s not just about strengthening your core, it’s about how your body works as a whole – how your posture, your breathing and your daily movement patterns impact your pelvic floor function.

I have created this holistic approach to improve your abdominal function and long-term pelvic floor health with pelvic floor and diastasis recti-friendly Pilates, support and accountability.

Whether your baby is 6 months old or about to turn 16, you need to gift yourself a proper rehab programme for your pelvic floor and core. Make a commitment to your wellbeing and pelvic floor freedom and rediscover the joy of movement!

Join the Pelvic Floor Programme today.