During pregnancy your body undergoes lots of physiological changes, to assist the growth and development of your baby. Pregnancy and birth are physically demanding, and having a reasonable level of fitness can help you better manage these demands, as well as help boost your mood and self image. What are some of the benefits of exercise in pregnancy? i mproved fitness reduced muscle and joint aches and pains improved mood and sense of wellbeing reduced risk of gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension reduced maternal weight gain and fat How much exercise should you do? The latest recommendations from the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists suggest that you should exercise most days of the week at a moderate intensity between 2.5-5 hrs per week. Ideally this would mean that you would exercise most days for around 30-45 minutes, where you feel like you are working hard, but not short of breath, e.g. brisk walking. What if you are inactive or don't exercise regularly? If you are currently not exercising regularly or you are inactive, it is recommended that you still start to exercise during your pregnancy. It is recommended that you start with second daily exercise and build up to daily as you are able to, e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and start with 15- 20 minutes of exercise. As you feel that your fitness levels are improving, you can increase the time you are exercising for by 5 minutes until you reach 30-45 minutes each day and/or increase the number of days per week you are exercising for. What type of exercise should you do in pregnancy? Cardiovascular exercise brisk walking stationary bike riding swimming (avoid spas and hydrotherapy pools as these tend to be warmer and can lead to overheating of you and your unborn baby) Running (can be done if previously running prior to conception, speak to you Midwife, Obstetrician or Physio to see if they are happy for you to continue running during your pregnancy. Strength/resistance training maintaining and improving muscular strength in pregnancy is helpful for reducing muscle and joint pains during and after pregnancy avoid lying on your back to exercise after 16 weeks, as this can affect your blood pressure and blood flow to the baby aim for 2 sessions per week Exercise in Pregnancy Precautions 1. Do not exercise in the heat! Your body temperature is naturally higher in pregnancy and exercising in the heat or intensive exercise can cause your internal body temperature to rise to unsafe level for you and your baby. drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise exercise at a moderate intensity exercise in a cool and well ventilated space do not exercise if you are sick or have a fever 2. Avoid high impact exercise The pregnancy hormones make your joints and ligaments more stretchy and loose and thus predispose you to injuries and the extra weight can place extra stress on your joints. Ideally during pregnancy lower impact exercise will help you avoid injury. Medical / Pregnancy Complications that mean NO EXERCISE unless your Obstetrician or Midwife gives you clearance waters have broken (ruptured membranes) uncontrolled high blood pressure blood clots low lying placenta (placenta previa) intra uterine growth restriction uterine bleeding pre-eclampsia Warning signs to stop exercising immediately chest pain unexplained shortness of breath dizziness, feeling faint or headache muscle weakness calf pain, swelling or redness sudden swelling of the ankles, hands or face vaginal bleeding or amniotic fluid loss decreased fetal movement uterine contractions or pain in the lower back, pelvic area or abdomen (potentially indicating preterm labour) I can help design you a suitable exercise program tailored to your needs and fitness levels. Resources https://ranzcog.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Exercise-during-pregnancy-pamphlet.pdf

What is the Pelvic Floor? The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and ligaments that are about as thick as the palm of your hand and they create the “floor” of your pelvic attaching from your pubic bone at the front to your coccyx bone at the back. What does the Pelvic Floor do? The pelvic floor helps to maintain control of your poo and wee, they also help to support your pelvic organs (bladder, bowel and uterus), helping to prevent them falling down into your vagina (prolapse). The pelvic floor also helps your sexual function, contributing to orgasm and arousal. How to contract your Pelvic Floor Muscles? These muscles are hidden inside our body and it can be very hard to know if we are actually contracting the muscles the right way. A lot of women actually perform the wrong movement which results in straining and pushing down of the muscles. To contract your muscles the right way I suggest the following: Sitting down on a chair, feet and back well supported Let your belly relax Palms facing up Now imagine that you are trying to stop your wee, squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles If the muscles are being squeezed the right way, you should feel a very small movement of your vagina lifting up from the chair Try and hold for 2-3 seconds and then relax the muscles As you relax the muscles you should feel your vagina drop into the chair Repeat this 10 times Other cues for contracting your pelvic floor muscles Imagine holding in wind Imagine drawing a tampon up your vagina Remember to not hold your breath, avoid clenching your inner thighs, jaw and buttock area

Seeing a Pelvic Health Physio prior to surgery can help you prepare your pelvic floor for the recovery afterwards, provide you with advice and education on how to manage your bladder control and optimise your rehabilitation. I recommend that men attend at least 2 appointments prior to surgery, where you have time to ask lots of questions, raise any concerns and it also helps you to o ptimise the time prior to surgery to learn how to e ngage your pelvic floor muscles to help with bladder control and erectile function post op. You are encouraged to bring your spouse or support person along to your appointments. What does a Pelvic Health appointment look like? During your pre surgery appointment, I spend a lot of time getting a through history of your bladder, urinary and erectile function and symptoms to get a baseline of where things are at before the surgery. I often use a bladder diary to try and workout how much wee you produce over 24 hours, how often you are going to the toilet and how much on average you wee out when you go to the the toilet. This is all information that we can use to help your recovery and plan your treatment after surgery. During your appointment we spend a lot of time trying various different techniques to help y ou learn how to correctly contract your pelvic floor muscles. One of the best ways we have is to use biofeedback, which is using an ultrasound machine (similar to the one that looks at your organs, or a baby in the uterus). For our purposes we use it to identify and focus on watching how you muscles contract with various different cues. You will be able to visually see how your muscles contract and squeeze and this will help your brain and pelvic floor muscle connection to help You get a better contraction and sense of control when you actively squeeze your pelvic floor muscles . What does Pelvic Physio do after Prostate Surgery? After prostate surgery, I recommend booking an appointment 7-10 days after your catheter has been removed. This allows some time for the swelling, pain and healing of the urethral (wee tube) muscle. My plan for post op visits are dependent on your specific goals and how you feel your pelvic floor, bladder control and erectile function are going. Your follow up appointments may involve an in-depth assessment of your bladder function, pad weights (to track leakage of wee improvements), ultrasound assessment and biofeedback (muscle training) of your pelvic floor muscles, erectile rehabilitation, scar management and physical activity and overall muscle recovery including abdominals.

What is an overactive bladder? An overactive bladder is a common condition that causes an individual to experience sudden and uncontrollable urges to wee. For some people the urge is so strong that they have a bladder accident (incontinence) either at the same time the have the sudden urge to wee or enroute to the toilet. Some people will experience the sudden urge to wee, but be able to make it to the toilet n time. An overactive bladder can be a stressful condition that can cause anxiety and fear around leaving the house, being able to find a toilet when out and being able to hold on when the urge comes on. What are the symptoms of an overactive bladder: Urgency Frequency Incontinence Nocturia (night time weeing) What can cause an overactive bladder? There are many factors which can contribute to an over active bladder. These can include: Small bladder size Extra strong bladder contractions Caffeine intake e.g. tea, coffee Carbonated drinks e.g. coke, Pepsi max Neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis Hormonal changes Pelvic floor dysfunction Urinary tract infections What can be done to help an overactive bladder? There are lots of treatments which can be effective in reducing your symptoms. These can include: Bladder retraining TENS Pelvic floor muscle training (sometimes it’s about relaxing the muscles not just strengthening) Reducing caffeine and soft drinks Ensuring you drink enough fluid over the day Bladder emptying techniques Medications Rest assured you do not need to put up with your bladder symptoms. Your Pregnancy and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist can help develop you a tailored plan to restore your bladder control and life.

What are haemorrhoids? Haemorrhoids are swollen veins in your anus and lower rectum. if the haemorrhoid is inside your rectum it is called and internal haemorrhoid. If its located on the outside of your anus its called an external haemorrhoid. Symptoms of external haemorrhoids Itching or irritation in your anal area Pain or discomfort with sitting or pain during a poo Difficulty getting clean after passing a bowel motion (lots and lots of wiping) Swelling around your anus Bleeding when passing a poo You can generally see these when you look in a mirror Symptoms of internal haemorrhoids Painless bleeding when passing a poo that is bright red in colour a sensation of a bulge or prolapse of something in the anus when doing a poo, which you may feel that you need to push back up the rectum Not visible without looking internally at the rectum What can cause haemorrhoids? Poor toileting habits and straining in the toilet Pregnancy and childbirth Regular heavy lifting Being overweight or obese Chronic diarrhoea or constipation What can I do to help my haemorrhoids at home? 1. Adopt good toileting habits Avoid straining use a footstool to raise your knees higher than your hips spend no longer than 10 minutes on the toilet 2. Increase your fluid and fibre intake Try and consume at least 8 glasses of water per day, more if you are exercising or completing physical work Eat foods high in natural fibres, such as pears, kiwifruit, prunes, dates, chia seeds and flaxseed 3. Avoid excessive wiping You should aim for 3-4 wipes with toilet paper. If you wipe more than that you can irritate the skin around the anus and the haemorrhoid. Try using water, sorbolene on toilet paper or cold flannels to assist cleaning after a poo, if you find it difficult to clean 4. Avoid prolonged sitting Long periods of sitting, at your desk, car or on the toilet can increase the pressure in the veins around your anus and can cause bigger haemorrhoids. When should I seek help for my haemorrhoids? Any rectal bleeding should be investigated by you GP or local Doctor to rule out other more sinister causes of your bleeding like colon or rectal cancer If you feel that you may have a prolapsed haemorrhoid changes in your bowel habits, e.g. your unable to empty completely now, you notice a mucous discharge If you experience anal pain that disrupts your normal daily life