The thought of leaving the house for the first time with her newborn daughter was so overwhelming for Elysse Bird, she almost didn't make it out the door.
"Is she going to cry all the time? Is she going to be hungry? Am I going to have to breastfeed?" Ms Bird thought.
With no family support and a husband who worked away, it wasn't until she came across a mum-and-bubs group at a Rockhampton gym that she focused on her postpartum health.
"I saw all these other mums breastfeeding and feeding their babies with bottles, and it just felt so comfortable," Ms Bird said.
She is one of about 100 women who have taken part in an eight-week post-pregnancy program using evidence-based exercises to ease women back onto their feet.
The program, which has been running for 18 months, also gives women the space to talk frankly and normalise their post-birth bodies.
"There's big changes when you have a baby, and I was a bit surprised, even though I knew it was coming," Ms Bird said.
Exercise mixed messaging
Gym co-owner and physiotherapist Micheline Hansen turned her attention to women's health after going through her own birth journey nine years ago.
"I realised I had to do my own education because it really was mixed messages out in the community and on the internet," Ms Hansen said.
A set of physical activity for pregnancy guidelines were developed last year and published by the federal health department with one paragraph relating to postpartum exercise.
It says a gradual return to recommended levels of activity is generally safe after a mum's six-week postnatal health check, but this might vary depending on individual circumstances.
"There is lots of advise for the pregnant mum but once you have your bub it's assumed your body is completely fine and that life resumes as per usual," Ms Hansen said.
The advice and support was almost non-existent and frustrating, which was why the mums-and-bubs group was started, she said.
Ms Hansen said she had treated many mums who had tried to exercise too hard, too fast.
And the injuries she saw were not just torn muscles, but urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, when the bladder and uterus lower into the vagina.
"You take nine months to grow a baby, so you've actually got to take some time to get your body ready to return to impact exercise," Ms Hansen said.
Devising the plan
The idea of a mums-and-bubs class was born, but it wasn't until fellow physiotherapist Chloe Petith fell pregnant two years ago that it became a reality.
Ms Petith said she was like most new mums, assuming she could hit the gym after her six-week check-up.
"I did one class and went, 'Oh, this doesn't feel right'," she said.
Ms Petith searched for rehabilitation and post-natal programs in the region and found nothing, so she spent her maternity leave researching evidence-based exercises and created her own program.
The scaled exercises, which target the pelvic floor, abdominal muscles, upper-back strengthening and mobility, fill the gap between birth and returning to exercise.
"All the exercises have been trialled and tested by me, so I kind of knew what I was putting the mums through. I knew what felt good and what felt challenging," she said.
This is second-time round for Kellie Finglas, mum to 18-month-old Reya and three-month-old Sam, as she eases back into exercise.
"I'm not a big fan of exercise, so it was manageable for me," she said.
"It helps you feel not alone … and it's a good start to motherhood."
Normalising post-birth bodies
Ms Hansen said the classes were a way for mums to talk openly about taboo topics.
"The most common one, obviously, is wetting yourself, and poor bladder control is the other one that most of us expect postpartum," she said.
"You can get tears and that can lead to all sorts of concerns, whether it's problems with your bladder or problems with your bowel with faecal incontinence.
"And you can be physically incontinent, where you can't hold your farts in."
Ms Hansen said when things were not the same below, it brought a new set of issues into the equation.
"Returning to sexual activity is a huge step for most women and we're addressing it and putting it out there."
For Ms Bird and Ms Finglas, the classes have also helped them form easy friendships when being a new mum can be an isolating experience.
"It's been really lovely to have that interaction; we're all going out for coffee afterwards," Ms Bird said.
