< Back White Flamingo Welcome to White Flamingo, where we are dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of mothers through personalized nutritional guidance. HOW WE HELP MUMS Welcome to White Flamingo, where we are dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of mothers through personalized nutritional guidance. We understand that motherhood is more than a role, it is a profound transformation. Our mission is to create a compassionate and empowering environment for mothers as they navigate the new nutritional requirements of their bodies. Through an extensive study of holistic nutrition, rooted in traditional wisdom, my approach blends nutritional science with empathy and real-life practicality — no fluff, no judgment. I help you stay nourished, strong, and clear-headed through every stage of motherhood — from bump to baby food and beyond. We help you replenish what’s essential — so your strength endures, your vitality deepens, and your brilliance remains your own. Because we believe that when you’re well, everything else falls into place. Oh Baby Nutrition Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Nutrition Consultant (CNC) CHECK OUT MEMBERS DISCOUNT CODES CONTACT US ADDRESS CONTACT hello@whiteflamingo.co BOOK NOW GET SOCIAL Previous Next

Join the Pregnant and Popped Network, connecting perinatal service providers and brands with hundreds of pregnant and new mums. Build trust, showcase your services and products, grow your reach, boost SEO, and increase your productivity with a supportive community designed for the unique needs of perinatal families in Singapore. BECOME A PREGNANT AND POPPED PROVIDER WHAT IS PREGNANT AND POPPED? Pregnant and Popped is a curated ecosystem that connects pregnant and postpartum families with trusted, evidence-led providers. We exist to make it easier for families to find the right support at the right time, without overwhelm, noise, or late-night Googling. And to help perinatal professionals do meaningful work, sustainably, inside a values-led community. WHO THIS IS FOR Pregnant and Popped is for providers, companies and brands whose work support families across pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood. That includes health, wellbeing, education, feeding, mental health, physical recovery, and family support professionals. If your work supports families through real transitions, you belong here. I never thought I would have seen so many clients in just a year. WHAT WE DO DIFFERENTLY We are not a directory you get lost in. We are not pay-to-play exposure. And we are not about volume over values. We curate. We contextualise. We build trust first. WHY THIS MATTERS Because families don’t need more information. They need the right support, at the right moment, from people they trust. And providers shouldn’t have to shout into the void to be found. I'd like to join WHY USE THE PREGNANT AND POPPED We’re here to connect perinatal providers and brands with the families who need you most. By joining our network, you’ll gain access to unparalleled opportunities to grow your business, build relationships, and make a meaningful impact. WHAT'S INCLUDED CONNECTION, ENGAGEMENT AND TRUST Our network is built around meaningful, trust-led visibility. You’ll have the opportunity to show up through thoughtfully positioned content, share your expertise in a way that feels aligned, and build genuine recognition with families who are actively seeking support, so you become a trusted name in the perinatal space. SHOWCASE YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES From thoughtfully curated content and expert-led features to strategic visibility across our platforms, you’ll have meaningful opportunities to showcase your services and products with integrity. We focus on helping you be seen in the right way, by the right families, at the moments they are actively looking for support, so your work lands with clarity, trust, and real impact. EXPAND YOUR REACH AND INFLUENCE Joining Pregnant and Popped opens the door to a wider audience. Get in front of thousands of families, grow your visibility, and position your brand as a leader in the perinatal community. BOOST YOUR SEO, AEO AND GEO Enhance your online presence with backlinks, mentions and tags throughout our network. Drive more traffic to your website and improve your search rankings, making it easier for families to find you. INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY Focus on what you do best – supporting families – while we handle the heavy lifting of connecting you with your target audience. Save time and grow your business with ease. READY TO JOIN US? Let’s build something extraordinary together. Whether you’re a provider or a brand, Pregnant and Popped is your gateway to growth, connection, success and HELPING MORE MUMS. PRICES START FROM JUST $126 Our support and expertise is designed specifically for the needs of perinatal companies like yours. Apply now THE AMAZING BRANDS AND PROVIDERS WE WORK WITH CLICK to expand and learn more To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. GOT QUESTIONS? LET'S CHAT! We know every business is unique, and you might have questions about how the Pregnant and Popped Network can work for you. JOIN OUR WAITLIST I’d love to hear about your goals and answer any questions you have. Let’s explore how we can grow your business, and HELP MORE MUMS, together. Next steps Join the provider waitlist A gentle first step if you’re curious and want to stay in the loop Join the waitlist

Pregnant and Popped is your trusted village for expert pregnancy and postpartum support. Get real, evidence-based guidance on antenatal, postnatal, and infant care, breastfeeding, and motherhood—without the overwhelm. Join our community for workshops, resources, expert-led events, and our Signature Fair every May and November. Because you shouldn't have to Google motherhood! PREGNANT AND POPPED YOUR PREGNANCY AND PARENTHOOD PARTNER Essential Resources, Expert Advice, and Community Support for parents – Because you shouldn’t have to Google Motherhood. Join The Village Welcome to Pregnant and Popped, your one-stop destination for when you’re pregnant and after you’ve given birth (postpartum), which includes plenty of general parenthood information and experts in Singapore. Whether you're expecting a little one (or more), a new mum, or a seasoned parent, we're here to support you every step. From expert advice and helpful resources to a vibrant community of like-minded individuals, Pregnant and Popped offers everything you need to confidently navigate the exciting journey of parenthood. JOIN THE VILLAGE Join The VILLAGE, our high-trust Facebook community for pregnant and new parents in Singapore. Inside, you’ll find thoughtful conversations, trusted recommendations, and evidence-based support from a growing network of parents and prenatal, postpartum, and parenting specialists. Join The Village MEET OUR TRUSTED PROVIDERS Our providers offer a wide range of products and services designed to meet your unique needs, including: INDEPENDENT EXPERT ADVICE AND GUIDANCE Access qualified professionals who provide personalised support and advice. Our Partners LOCALLY SOURCED INDEPENDENT BRAND SPECIALISTS Researched, authentic, eco-friendly products for mums, dads and babies. By partnering with these exceptional brands, we can offer you a curated selection of services and products that align with your values and priorities. To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. MOTHERHOOD MADE EAS(Y)IER Join us to explore our comprehensive range of services PREGNANCY AND BIRTH PREPARATION Learn about childbirth, prenatal care, and essential tips for a smooth pregnancy. PARENTING TIPS AND ADVICE Discover practical tips and strategies for raising happy and healthy children. BABY CARE AND DEVELOPMENT Get expert guidance on newborn care, infant feeding, and child development milestones. COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT Connect with other parents, share experiences, and find support in our welcoming community. Pregnant and Popped is your partner in parenthood. Let us help you create lasting memories and embrace the joys of raising a family. PREGNANT AND POPPED OPINIONS & MORE WHY YOUR BRA NEEDS TO CHANGE WHEN YOUR BODY DOES Jul 4 13 min read YOUR CHILD DOES NOT NEED MORE TOYS Jun 18 16 min read RECOVERING FROM A C-SECTION: What no one tells you about healing ... and after 6 weeks (PART 3) May 1 5 min read RECOVERING FROM A C-SECTION: What matters most in the first 24 hours (PART 2) Apr 29 6 min read PREGNANT AND POPPED IN THE MEDIA This postpartum doula in Singapore supports mum and baby for up to 1,000 days from the time you're pregnant. Read More Pregnant and ready to pop? Here’s why you should attend a baby fair (and everything you need to know before you go!) Read More Pregnant and Popped - THE Baby Fair for MUMS. BUILD your own special NETWORK of SUPPORT. Attend bespoke, tailored, EXPERT WORKSHOPS Antenatal Classes in Singapore: Prepare for Birth, Get Tips & Meet Other Mamas Read More GET IN TOUCH We’d love to hear from you. Have a question? Need advice? Want to collaborate? We're here to help! Feel free to contact us using the form below. We'll respond to your inquiry as soon as possible. Kathy Rougier Founder Pregnant and Popped First Name Last Name Leave us a message... Email Company Name (if applicable) How do you help mums? Submit Thanks for submitting! We'll get back to you as soon as we can. Terms and Conditions

Strength and movement in pregnancy are not pressure. They are preparation. With Coach Amanda Lim, LIFT Clinic If exercise is only valuable when it makes a woman smaller, pregnancy breaks the whole system. For much of their lives, women are taught to understand exercise through the language of control. Burn more calories. Lose more weight. Tighten the body. Shrink the body. Get the body back. Even when the language is dressed up as “wellness,” the underlying promise is often the same: if you do this correctly, your body will become more acceptable. Then pregnancy happens, and the body refuses to cooperate with that story. It grows. It gets heavier. It accumulates body fat. It expands because it is supposed to. No amount of discipline can turn pregnancy into a shrinking project, and nor should it. The pregnant body is not failing when it gets bigger. It is doing exactly what it is biologically designed to do. This is why pregnancy can be so confronting. If movement has always been tied to appearance, pregnancy removes the reward. If training has always been a way to manage the body from the outside, pregnancy exposes how limited that understanding was. At the very moment exercise could become one of the most useful tools a woman has, many women lose access to it because the old reason for doing it no longer applies. That is one of the great misunderstandings in pregnancy fitness. Pregnancy does not make exercise less important. It reveals whether we understood exercise properly in the first place. Once exercise is no longer about shrinking, the better question is obvious: what is it actually for? Amanda Lim’s answer is maternal strength. Maternal strength is not a prettier name for bounce-back culture. It is not a demand that pregnant women become athletes, train intensely, or perform strength for public approval. It is the physical and psychological capacity to trust your body, use your body, prepare your body and remain connected to your body through one of the most demanding transitions of a woman’s life. That makes pregnancy fitness a much bigger conversation than safe workouts. It becomes a conversation about function, metabolic health, self-trust, recovery and the long physical reality of motherhood. Every mother has a body that will be asked to carry, bend, lift, feed, soothe, walk, wake, repeat and keep going. Every mother deserves to understand that movement can help her prepare for that life. The point is not that pregnancy should become another arena for achievement. It is that women deserve a relationship with exercise that is not built on making themselves smaller. Strength and movement are not pressure. They are preparation. WATCH THE CONVERSATION In this conversation, Coach Amanda Lim explains why pregnancy fitness needs to be understood as preparation rather than pressure. She talks about maternal strength, why exercise is not only about aesthetics, how movement supports confidence and function, and why women need clearer guidance about what their bodies may still be capable of during pregnancy. The article below expands on the key ideas from this conversation, including the evidence behind pregnancy movement, the gap between guidance and real-life experience, the Singapore context around gestational diabetes, and Amanda’s wider argument for maternal strength. Pregnancy is not a pause on strength Amanda Lim has been developing this conversation publicly through Strength is Maternal, her Substack dedicated to changing the narratives around pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood - and to expanding what women are allowed to understand about their own bodies during this stage of life. In one of her essays, “The Pregnant Body Has a PR Problem,” she argues that pregnancy has been treated as a time of fragility when it may actually be one of the most metabolically powerful windows of a woman’s life. Her line is deliberately sharp: “You are not in a time-out. You are in training.” [1] That does not mean pregnancy always feels powerful. Amanda is careful not to romanticise it. She describes her third pregnancy as arguably her most athletic, but she still did not feel like her strongest physiological self. She felt slow, heavy and weaker than before. That distinction matters, because feeling less capable is not always the same as being less capable. Pregnancy changes the body, but not only by taking things away. It also creates enormous physiological adaptation. Blood volume, heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output normally increase during pregnancy; oxygen consumption and metabolic demands also rise. These adaptations exist to support both mother and baby, but they also mean the pregnant body is not simply “shutting down” or moving backwards. [2] This is where the cultural story becomes dangerous. If the only message a woman has absorbed is that pregnancy means limitation, and the only reason she has ever exercised is to stay smaller, then pregnancy can look like the moment exercise no longer belongs to her. But if she understands that her body is adapting, not failing, then movement becomes something else entirely. A slower walk is not a failure. A lighter dumbbell is not a failure. A modified workout is not a failure. A reduced pace is not a failure. These may be the exact ways a woman continues to participate in her own physical capacity while her body is doing something extraordinarily demanding. The point is not that pregnancy is easy. It often is not. The point is that pregnancy is not evidence of weakness. It is evidence of adaptation. That is why the conversation has to move away from appearance and toward preparation. Information is not preparation Pregnancy is an information-heavy season. Women are given lists of what to eat, what to avoid, what tests to take, what supplements to buy, what symptoms to watch for, what classes to attend, what to pack and what to expect. Information matters. Amanda is not dismissing it. Her own work is deeply evidence-led, and her upcoming book is being built around both research and practical implementation. But she draws a sharp line between knowing something and being prepared for it. “Information is not preparation,” Amanda says. “To prepare your body, you must act, you must move.” That may be one of the most important ideas in her work, because so much of pregnancy culture mistakes awareness for readiness. A woman can read about birth and still not have trained her cardiovascular system. She can understand postpartum recovery and still not have built the strength to get herself off the floor while holding a baby. She can know that motherhood is demanding and still arrive in the fourth trimester without the physical capacity to meet those demands. Amanda uses the word training deliberately. Training is not just exercise. Training implies adaptation toward an expected outcome. In her own pregnancies, the expected outcome was not a six-pack, a personal best, or a heroic birth story. It was a healthy body for the entirety of life after pregnancy. That sentence matters because the real horizon is not birth. It is the life after birth. We are not just training for birth Amanda is cautious around the phrase “training for birth.” Not because birth is not physically demanding. It often is. Labour can require endurance, resilience and strength. But birth is one event. Postpartum is the rest of a woman’s life. This is where much prenatal fitness messaging gets too narrow. It focuses on the birth event as the finish line, when in reality birth is the threshold. What comes after is not a neat return to normal. It is feeding, lifting, healing, sleep deprivation, carrying, bending, walking, soothing, recovering, adapting and doing all of that inside a body that may feel completely unfamiliar. Strength is not only about lifting weights in a gym. It is about lifting a car seat from an awkward angle. It is about carrying the baby while holding a bag. It is about getting out of bed after another broken night. It is about opening the jar. It is about walking through the heat, carrying the pram, managing the groceries, and trusting that your body can cope with the physical tasks motherhood quietly demands. One example that came up in conversation was Kathy’s own experience of taking her daughter kayaking for the first time after working with Amanda. She did not necessarily look different. But she felt different. She felt strong enough to try something she had previously assumed she could not do. That is the psychological bridge many women are missing. Confidence does not arrive because a woman reads more. It arrives because she experiences herself doing the thing. Exercise becomes a way to rebuild self-trust. The evidence has moved. The message has not caught up. Amanda’s argument is emotional, but it is not only emotional. It sits within a growing evidence base. Major guidelines now recommend that pregnant and postpartum women without contraindications aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that, in the absence of medical or obstetric complications, physical activity in pregnancy is safe and desirable, and that women should be encouraged to continue or initiate safe physical activities. [2] The Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity Throughout Pregnancy recommends that pregnant women accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week to achieve clinically meaningful health benefits and reduce pregnancy complications. It also recommends incorporating both aerobic and resistance training activities for greater benefits. [3] The World Health Organization also recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week for pregnant and postpartum women, while noting that women should be under the care of a healthcare provider who can advise on contraindications and individual considerations. [4] This matters because the actual behaviour gap remains large. Amanda often points to a troubling gap between what the evidence supports and what many mothers are actually told. The problem may not simply be that women are ignoring advice. In many cases, she argues, the advice is not being clearly or confidently given. That distinction matters. If women are not moving because they have received clear, individualised, evidence-based guidance and made a different choice, that is one thing. If they are not moving because they have been frightened, vaguely cautioned, culturally discouraged, or told only to “take it easy,” that is something else entirely. Amanda is not arguing for recklessness. She is arguing for precision. Exercise is not the risk we think it is One of Amanda’s strongest beliefs is that the risk conversation around pregnancy has been misdirected. She is not saying there is no risk in pregnancy. She is not saying every woman should exercise in the same way. She is not saying medical guidance is irrelevant. She is saying that when movement is treated as the danger by default, women are often denied a more accurate understanding of what actually supports pregnancy and postpartum health. The research broadly supports the direction of that claim, with appropriate caveats. The Canadian guideline evidence base links prenatal exercise with maternal benefits including decreased risk of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, excessive gestational weight gain, depression, caesarean section, instrumental delivery, urinary incontinence and lumbopelvic pain. [3] WHO’s physical activity guidelines also state that, in pregnant and postpartum women, physical activity is associated with decreased risk of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, excessive gestational weight gain, delivery complications and postpartum depression, with no increase in risk of stillbirth or adverse effects on birth weight. [5] ACOG also notes that concerns that regular physical activity may cause miscarriage, poor fetal growth, musculoskeletal injury or premature delivery have not been substantiated for women with uncomplicated pregnancies. [2] This does not mean all exercise is appropriate for all women. It does not mean pregnancy is the time to ignore symptoms, medical advice, contraindications, pain, dizziness, bleeding, reduced fetal movement, or individual risk. It does not mean every woman should train at high intensity. But it does mean the default fear around movement deserves to be challenged. Women deserve enough information to choose whether movement could become a bigger part of their pregnancy and postpartum journey. Permission, not pressure This is the part of Amanda’s message most likely to be misunderstood, and she knows it. When women see dramatic examples of pregnancy fitness - a pregnant marathon runner, a pregnant CrossFitter, a pregnant woman lifting heavy - the image can quickly become accusation. Great for her can become what am I not doing? But Amanda is not interested in turning elite examples into a new maternal standard. Her line is sharper than that: permission to move, not prescription to intensify. That distinction matters because exercise has often been sold to women as punishment: punishment for eating, punishment for gaining weight, punishment for having a body that does not meet the standard. Pregnancy does not need another version of that. Women already receive enough instructions about what to eat, how to birth, how to feed, how to recover and how to mother. They do not need movement turned into one more way to measure whether they are disciplined enough. But rejecting pressure should not mean rejecting preparation. If exercise is understood only as correction, then of course it feels like another burden. If it is understood as support - for energy, strength, mood, metabolic health, function and daily life - then movement becomes something very different. It becomes permission to take care of yourself. Amanda’s argument is not that every woman should do more. It is that women should not be unnecessarily frightened away from what their bodies may still be capable of doing. Permission is not recklessness. It is the right to receive clear information, skilled guidance where needed, and a more expansive understanding of what pregnancy does and does not automatically take away. The mental health case matters too The maternal strength conversation is not only musculoskeletal or metabolic. It is also psychological. Amanda repeatedly links movement with self-trust, confidence and identity. When she reflects on what might have happened if a doctor’s offhand caution had caused her to stop training entirely during pregnancy, the loss is not only physical. She believes she would have lost cardiovascular capacity, muscle and bone protection, but also connection to a central part of her identity as an athlete. This is not a trivial point. Physical activity has been associated with improved mental health outcomes in the perinatal period. WHO identifies decreased risk of postpartum depression among the maternal benefits associated with physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum. [5] This does not mean exercise replaces mental health care. It should not be framed that way. Postpartum depression and anxiety can be serious medical conditions requiring clinical support. But it does support Amanda’s broader argument: movement is not simply about the body. It can be part of how women protect their ability to function, cope and feel like themselves. That is why treating exercise as optional, aesthetic or frivolous misses the point. For many women, movement is part of staying connected to self. The Singapore context makes this urgent Amanda’s work is rooted in Singapore, and the local context adds urgency. Gestational diabetes is a significant concern in Singapore. Singapore’s Agency for Care Effectiveness estimates that GDM occurs in around one in four to five pregnant women, while NUH describes it as affecting about one in five pregnant women in Singapore. [6], [7] The risks are not only short-term. ACE notes that women with a history of GDM are about ten times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women who had a normoglycaemic pregnancy. NUH also notes that GDM is associated with higher risks during pregnancy and birth, including high blood pressure, preterm birth, induced labour, caesarean section and stillbirth. [6], [7] This is where the conversation about strength becomes impossible to dismiss as cosmetic. Skeletal muscle is one of the body’s major sites for glucose disposal. In simple terms, muscle helps clear glucose from the bloodstream. Insulin acts like a signal that helps move glucose out of the blood and into cells, and muscle is one of the largest places that glucose can go. During pregnancy, insulin resistance naturally increases, particularly in the second half of pregnancy. This is part of normal pregnancy physiology, but it also means the mother’s body has to work harder to keep blood glucose within a healthy range. [8] Muscle, then, is not just what makes a woman look strong. It is metabolic tissue. It is part of how her body manages energy, glucose and insulin demand. Moving muscle through aerobic activity and resistance training can improve insulin sensitivity and increase glucose uptake into skeletal muscle. This does not mean exercise prevents all gestational diabetes, or that women are to blame if they develop GDM. That would be both inaccurate and unfair. GDM is influenced by pregnancy physiology, age, genetics, ethnicity, pre-existing metabolic health and other risk factors. [8], [9] But it does mean strength and movement belong in the GDM conversation. If Singapore is facing a meaningful burden of gestational diabetes, then prenatal movement should not be treated as a lifestyle extra or an optional wellness add-on. It should be part of the way we talk about maternal metabolic health. “Listen to your body” is not enough One of Amanda’s most nuanced points is her critique of a phrase that is usually offered kindly: listen to your body. It sounds empowering. Sometimes it is. But Amanda argues that it can be insufficient for pregnant women, especially first-time mothers, because the pregnant body may be speaking a language they have never heard before. This is particularly true for women who have spent decades in one body before pregnancy. Amanda had her children at 38, 39 and 41. For women becoming mothers later, pregnancy may arrive close to other hormonal and musculoskeletal transitions. They may already be navigating shifts in muscle mass, bone density, recovery, sleep or energy. The body’s signals may not be familiar, simple or easy to interpret. This is where “listen to your body” needs support. Women need education. They need evidence. They need skilled coaching where possible. They need obstetric care that can distinguish true contraindications from outdated caution. They need to understand what normal discomfort may feel like, what warning signs matter, what adaptation looks like, and what kind of movement is appropriate for their own body and pregnancy. Self-trust is not built by leaving women alone with vague advice. It is built by giving them enough precision to act. Start with walking. Then build from there. Amanda’s message may be bold, but her practical starting point is not extreme. When asked what the average first-time pregnant woman should take away, Amanda answers simply: walking. If all a woman can manage is a walking programme that gets her to 150 minutes of moderate activity per week - roughly 30 minutes, five times a week - that is already meaningful. This aligns with major guidelines. ACOG’s patient guidance says pregnant women should ideally get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week, and gives brisk walking as an example. [10] The CDC similarly recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week for healthy pregnant and postpartum women, noting that 30 minutes five days per week is one way to meet the target. [11] This matters because Amanda’s message can easily be visually hijacked by the most dramatic examples: the marathon runner, the pregnant CrossFitter, the heavy lifter. But the real public health message is more accessible. Walk. Move. Begin. Then, where appropriate, consider resistance training with guidance. Not because the goal is to become an outlier, but because the body you are preparing is not only a pregnant body. It is a postpartum body. It is a mothering body. It is an ageing body. The hard message: your health has to become important enough Amanda is compassionate, but she is not vague. She knows pregnancy can be exhausting. She knows movement can be hard to fit in. She knows Singapore heat, work, nausea, fatigue, childcare, appointments and family demands all make exercise harder. But she also makes a direct point: motherhood will require rearrangement. The baby will change your time, body, schedule and environment. So the question becomes whether a woman can begin practising that rearrangement before birth, in service of her own health. Amanda uses breastfeeding as an example from her own life. Exclusive pumping required her to restructure her days around pumps, storage, refrigeration, pain, engorgement and logistics. She did it because the outcome mattered to her. Her challenge to mothers is to imagine a world where their own health matters enough to rearrange parts of their environment too. This could sound harsh if stripped of context, but in Amanda’s hands it is not a scolding. It is an invitation to stop treating women’s health as optional. If a 30-minute walk requires planning, then perhaps that planning is not a burden. Perhaps it is rehearsal. Perhaps it is a woman learning, before the baby arrives, that her body still belongs in the list of things worth protecting. The medical community has to do better Amanda is not anti-medical. She repeatedly recommends evidence-based resources, clinical guidance and working with qualified professionals. When women ask where to start, Amanda points them toward evidence-based resources such as ACOG and the work of Dr Margie Davenport, whose research has helped shape contemporary understanding of physical activity during pregnancy. Her critique is not of medicine itself. It is of the gap between evidence and day-to-day experience. In her own first pregnancy, Amanda’s OB-GYN responded calmly when she said she lifted weights and did CrossFit. That mattered. But Amanda also wondered what would have happened if she had walked in as a non-exerciser and asked what she should do. Would the recommendation have been as active, confident or specific? That question matters. Many women do not arrive with Amanda’s confidence, research background or athletic identity. They arrive uncertain. If their provider gives vague advice, if family members tell them to rest, if social media shows only extremes, if antenatal classes mention only walking and yoga, they may conclude that strength is not for them. That is not informed choice. It is under-guidance. What Amanda wants is not bravado. It is better translation. She wants the medical, fitness, nutrition and mental health worlds to work together around the woman in front of them. Not to frighten her. Not to pressure her. To prepare her. The new message of maternal strength At its heart, Amanda’s thought leadership is not about telling women to do more. It is about changing what exercise means. If exercise means punishment, pregnancy fitness will feel like pressure. If exercise means weight loss, pregnancy fitness will feel pointless. If exercise means elite performance, pregnancy fitness will feel exclusionary. But if exercise means protection, preparation, function, capability and self-trust, then pregnancy becomes one of the most important times to move. That is the central reframe. A pregnant woman is not in a time-out. She is not automatically broken. She is not disqualified from strength because she feels tired, heavy or unfamiliar to herself. And she is not failing if she does not train like an athlete. She deserves evidence that helps her choose. She deserves care that prepares her for more than birth. She deserves to know that the body growing the baby is also the body that will carry her through the rest of motherhood. That is why maternal strength matters: not because women need another standard, but because they need their bodies back as allies. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FITNESS IN PREGNANCY Is exercise safe during pregnancy? For most women with uncomplicated pregnancies, exercise is not the risky exception. It is the evidence-supported recommendation. ACOG states that physical activity in pregnancy is safe and desirable in the absence of medical or obstetric complications, and that women should be encouraged to continue or begin safe physical activity during pregnancy. That does not mean every exercise suits every body, or that symptoms and medical contraindications should be ignored. It means the default conversation should not be fear. For many pregnant women, the better question is not “Am I allowed to move?” but “What kind of movement is appropriate for me?” [2] How much exercise is recommended during pregnancy? ACOG, WHO, CDC and the Canadian pregnancy physical activity guideline all support a general target of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week for pregnant and postpartum women without contraindications. This could look like around 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week. [2], [3], [4], [11] Can you start exercising during pregnancy if you were not active before? Yes, in many uncomplicated pregnancies, pregnancy can be a time to begin moving, not a reason to stay still. ACOG says women should be encouraged to continue or initiate safe physical activity when there are no contraindications. That does not mean going from nothing to intense training overnight. It means starting intelligently: walking, building consistency, progressing gradually, and seeking qualified guidance where needed. Amanda’s point is not that every woman should train like an athlete. It is that women should not be told their only safe option is to opt out of strength and movement altogether. [2], [10] Is pregnancy fitness the same as bounce-back culture? No. In Amanda Lim’s framing, pregnancy fitness is not about shrinking, weight loss or restoring a pre-pregnancy body as quickly as possible. It is about maternal strength: function, capability, confidence, physical preparation and long-term health. The key distinction is permission to move, not prescription to intensify. Why does strength training matter during pregnancy and postpartum? Resistance training can support muscle strength, function and physical confidence. The Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity Throughout Pregnancy recommends combining aerobic and resistance training activities for greater benefits. Amanda’s broader point is that motherhood is physically demanding, and strength can help women feel more capable in the real-world tasks of pregnancy, postpartum recovery and daily life with children. [3] What does muscle have to do with gestational diabetes? Skeletal muscle is one of the body’s major sites for glucose disposal, which means it plays an important role in helping the body move glucose out of the bloodstream. During pregnancy, insulin resistance naturally increases, especially later in pregnancy. Movement and resistance training can support insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake into muscle, which is one reason Amanda argues that strength belongs in the maternal metabolic health conversation. This does not mean exercise prevents all cases of GDM or that women are to blame if they develop it. [8], [9] What if pregnancy makes me feel weaker, slower or less capable? That experience is common and does not mean a woman is failing. Amanda herself described feeling slow, heavy and weaker during pregnancy despite being highly trained. The goal is not to maintain pre-pregnancy performance at all costs. The goal is to adapt intelligently, move where appropriate, and understand that modified movement can still be meaningful preparation. Why is “listen to your body” sometimes not enough during pregnancy? Amanda argues that “listen to your body” can be difficult advice for first-time mothers because the pregnant body may be sending unfamiliar signals. Pregnancy can change energy, movement patterns, hunger, nausea, pain, pressure and emotional state. Women need more than vague reassurance; they need evidence, context, skilled guidance and support to understand what their body is communicating. Does exercise prevent gestational diabetes? Exercise should not be framed as a guarantee against gestational diabetes. GDM is influenced by many factors, including age, genetics, ethnicity, metabolic health, pregnancy physiology and other risk factors. However, research and guidelines associate prenatal physical activity with reduced risk of gestational diabetes, and Singapore’s high prevalence of GDM makes evidence-based movement guidance especially important. [3], [6], [7], [8], [9] About the expert Coach Amanda Lim, M.A., M.Ed., is the Director of LIFT Clinic in Singapore and a certified coach and nutritionist. Her work sits at the intersection of strength, metabolic health, nutrition, behaviour change and women’s long-term wellbeing. [12] Amanda is also the author and leading voice behind Strength is Maternal, a public body of work dedicated to changing the way women understand pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood. Through her writing, she challenges the idea that motherhood automatically diminishes a woman’s physical and mental capacity, and instead frames pregnancy as a powerful window for preparation, strength and metabolic health. [13] You can find Amanda through: Strength is Maternal Substack https://strengthismaternal.substack.com/ By Amanda Lim https://byamandalim.com/for-moms/ LIFT Clinic https://liftclinic.org/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachamandalim/ Instagram at @coachamandalim, @strengthismaternal, @therealamandalim and @thefortiesformula Sources and footnotes [1] Amanda Lim, “The Pregnant Body Has a PR Problem,” Strength is Maternal.https://strengthismaternal.substack.com/p/the-pregnant-body-has-a-pr-problem [2] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.”https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2020/04/physical-activity-and-exercise-during-pregnancy-and-the-postpartum-period [3] Mottola et al., “2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity Throughout Pregnancy,” British Journal of Sports Medicine.https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/21/1339 [4] World Health Organization, “WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour,” 2020.https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128 [5] World Health Organization, “WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour: Executive Summary.”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK566048/ [6] Singapore Agency for Care Effectiveness, “Gestational diabetes mellitus — an update on screening, diagnosis, and follow-up.”https://www.ace-hta.gov.sg/healthcare-professionals/acg/gestational-diabetes-mellitus----an-update-on-screening--diagnosis--and-follow-up-acg/ [7] National University Hospital, “Gestational Diabetes.”https://www.nuh.com.sg/health-resources/diseases-and-conditions/gestational-diabetes [8] Davenport et al., “Fetal and maternal metabolic responses to exercise during pregnancy.”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26803360/ [9] Harrison et al., “Effect of exercise modality on markers of insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control in pregnancies complicated with gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.”https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6180709/ [10] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “Exercise During Pregnancy.”https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/exercise-during-pregnancy [11] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Pregnant & Postpartum Activity: An Overview.”https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/healthy-pregnant-or-postpartum-women.html [12] LIFT Clinic, “Meet Us.”https://liftclinic.org/meet-us/ [13] Strength is Maternal.https://strengthismaternal.substack.com/ [14] Amanda Lim on LinkedIn.https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachamandalim/ [15] Amanda Lim and related Instagram profiles.https://www.instagram.com/coachamandalim/https://www.instagram.com/strengthismaternal/https://www.instagram.com/therealamandalim/https://www.instagram.com/thefortiesformula/ [16] LIFT Clinic.https://liftclinic.org/ About this article This article was created from Coach Amanda Lim’s recorded conversations with Pregnant and Popped, supported by her original voice notes and a follow-up editorial discussion. It has been shaped for clarity and readability while preserving Amanda’s ideas, experiences and intended meaning. Disclaimer Thought Leadership articles on Pregnant and Popped are created from interviews, recordings and conversations with professionals, business owners and other contributors. They are intended to share experience, professional perspectives and general information, and may be created in collaboration with the featured provider as part of a paid thought leadership service. The views expressed belong to the featured contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Pregnant and Popped or Empowa. Publication does not constitute verification of every statement, endorsement of a particular provider, product, service or method, or a guarantee of results. Pregnancy, birth, postnatal recovery, infant care and parenting experiences vary. Content is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be treated as medical, legal, financial or other professional advice. Readers should seek personalised guidance from their healthcare provider or another suitably qualified professional before making decisions based on the information provided. While we take reasonable care when preparing and publishing articles, information may become outdated, and we cannot guarantee that all content is complete, accurate or suitable for every person or situation. Pregnant and Popped and Empowa accept no responsibility for decisions made or actions taken solely in reliance on the information provided.

Physiotherapist and scar rehabilitation specialist Laura O’Byrne believes the conversation around caesarean birth is focusing on the wrong problem. Caesareans are not the problem, she argues. The gap comes afterwards: too many women leave major abdominal surgery without a clear rehabilitation pathway. There is something unusual about the way we talk about caesarean birth. We recognise that it takes place in an operating theatre. We know it requires anaesthesia, surgical incisions, pain relief and a period of physical healing. We know there can be complications and that recovery takes time. And yet, once the baby has been delivered, we can very quickly stop talking about surgery and start talking only about motherhood. For physiotherapist Laura O’Byrne, that disconnect sits at the heart of a much bigger conversation about women’s health. “Caesareans are not the problem. The missing rehabilitation pathway is the problem.” Laura’s concern is not that women are having caesarean births. In some circumstances, caesarean delivery is medically necessary and can be lifesaving; in others, it is a planned and informed choice. Her argument is that whatever led to the surgery, the body afterwards still deserves the sort of recovery support we instinctively associate with other significant operations. This is not simply a matter of terminology. The National Health Service (NHS) in England explicitly describes a caesarean as a major operation.[1] The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the leading US professional membership organisation for obstetrician-gynaecologists, describes the procedure as involving an incision through the skin and abdominal wall, separation of the abdominal muscles where possible, followed by an incision through the uterus before the baby and placenta are delivered.[2] Importantly, not every tissue encountered during a standard caesarean is simply “cut through”. The abdominal muscles are commonly separated rather than transected. Nevertheless, multiple tissue planes are opened, stretched, separated and subsequently required to heal. The fact that caesarean birth is common and generally very safe does not turn it into a minor physical event. The question Laura wants us to ask is therefore deceptively simple: if this is major surgery, why is rehabilitation not routinely built into the way we think about recovery? The postnatal gap is bigger than one operation Laura’s frustration sits within a much wider issue in maternal healthcare. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes the first six weeks following birth as a critical period for women and newborns, while also identifying the postnatal period as one of the most neglected phases in the provision of quality maternity care.[3] That neglect becomes particularly significant when we consider that recovery from pregnancy and birth frequently extends far beyond the period covered by routine postnatal services. In 2023, WHO reported research estimating that at least 40 million women each year are likely to experience a long-term health problem associated with childbirth. The conditions identified included low back pain, urinary and anal incontinence, pain during sex, perineal pain, anxiety, depression and other problems capable of persisting for months or years after the birth itself.[4] For Laura, these figures reflect something she sees repeatedly in clinical practice. Once the immediate medical concerns surrounding birth have passed, the expectation can become that a woman should simply recover in the background while simultaneously adapting to caring for a newborn. Some women do recover exceptionally well with relatively little intervention. Others find themselves frightened to move, unsure how much pain is normal, struggling with the scar or abdominal wall, experiencing pelvic-floor symptoms, or simply unable to return comfortably to ordinary physical activity. Still others only seek help much later because they never realised that what they were experiencing was something that could be assessed. That is why Laura wants to challenge the idea that postnatal recovery is simply something women need to “get through”. Recovery should not only be measured by whether a surgical wound has closed or whether an immediate medical complication has been avoided. It should also consider whether a woman understands her body, can move confidently and is progressively returning to the activities that matter to her. A positive caesarean birth is still possible There is a tendency for conversations about caesareans to fall into one of two extremes. Either caesarean birth is normalised to such an extent that the physical consequences of surgery are minimised, or it is presented as the outcome women should fear when preparing for birth. Laura rejects both positions. She has experienced a caesarean herself and describes it as a wonderful birth experience. That does not mean it was not surgery; it means that major surgery and a positive birth experience are not mutually exclusive. This distinction becomes especially important for women whose caesareans are unplanned. When months of antenatal preparation have focused almost entirely on vaginal birth, a late change of plan or an emergency caesarean can leave somebody waking up after an operation she has barely considered and for whose recovery she feels entirely unprepared. Laura does not believe women should spend pregnancy anticipating everything that might go wrong. She believes they should be given enough information to respect the possibility that plans sometimes change. Preparing for a caesarean is not the same as expecting one. Preparing for a possibility is not expecting the worst Antenatal preparation understandably follows people’s preferences. Someone hoping for a vaginal birth may learn about labour positions, pain relief, breathing, perineal preparation and the stages of labour. Laura sees no reason to remove any of this. She would simply add another layer: what would I need to know if the plan changed? That might include understanding how to get out of bed after abdominal surgery, how to support the incision when coughing or laughing, why early movement is encouraged, what discomfort can reasonably accompany healing, what symptoms warrant medical review and who can help if mobility or pain becomes difficult. For a woman who already knows she will have a planned caesarean, preparation can be more specific. Laura encourages women to think about physical conditioning during pregnancy, their home environment and the realities of the first few weeks after surgery rather than waiting until afterwards to discover what is difficult. ACOG recommends aerobic and strength-conditioning exercise during uncomplicated pregnancies and notes benefits associated with maintaining physical activity throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period.[5] This does not mean that being fit guarantees an easy caesarean recovery. Infection, surgical complexity, anaesthesia, pain and individual healing responses remain unpredictable. What preparation can do is give the body a stronger functional starting point and help a woman understand what recovery is likely to demand of her. This is an important distinction because preparation should never become another measure against which women judge themselves. There is no prize for recovering fastest, and a difficult recovery does not mean somebody failed to prepare correctly. Prehabilitation is about improving capacity where possible, not promising an outcome. Watch Laura explain why rehabilitation should begin before there is a problem In the accompanying conversation, Laura explains why she believes caesarean recovery should be viewed through the same rehabilitation lens as other major surgery. She discusses what preparation can realistically look like, why the earliest stages of rehabilitation are often about movement and education rather than exercise, how scar rehabilitation develops over time and why fear itself can alter the way somebody moves following surgery. Watch the conversation to hear Laura explain why preparation, education and rehabilitation should form one continuous pathway around caesarean birth. Rehabilitation begins with something much simpler than exercise When people hear the word rehabilitation, they often imagine an exercise programme beginning several weeks after surgery. Laura is describing something that starts much earlier. In the beginning, rehabilitation may simply mean learning how to move. Getting from lying to sitting, standing from a chair, using the toilet, coughing, laughing, reaching for the baby and walking around the room are ordinary activities that can suddenly feel highly technical when the abdominal wall is painful and the person performing them is worried about damaging a surgical wound. This is why Laura distinguishes between helping somebody get out of bed and teaching somebody how to get out of bed. Assistance solves the immediate problem; education gives the woman something she can use when she is back at home without an electric hospital bed or a healthcare professional standing next to her. Established postoperative physiotherapy follows precisely this principle. Cambridge University Hospitals, an NHS teaching hospital, advises abdominal-surgery patients on supported coughing, deep breathing, circulation, bed mobility and progressive walking, while also explaining why each activity forms part of recovery.[6] The aim is not aggressive exercise immediately after surgery. It is the gradual return of safe, confident movement. Wound support can make movement feel possible again One of Laura’s most practical techniques is wound support: using the hands, a folded towel or a pillow to provide comfortable external support across the surgical area during coughing, sneezing, laughing or certain movements. This is an established postoperative technique rather than an unusual intervention. Guidance from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust explains that supporting an abdominal incision while coughing can reduce pain, improve the effectiveness of the cough and reduce anxiety around coughing.[7] For Laura, its importance extends beyond the physical support itself. It gives the woman a practical strategy at precisely the point when she may feel that her body has become unpredictable. Rather than believing that she must avoid movement because movement might harm her, she can begin to understand how to move while respecting the fact that she has just had surgery. That subtle shift - from avoidance to informed movement - is one of the foundations of rehabilitation. Movement matters, but knowing why you are moving matters too Current post-caesarean guidance encourages women who are medically stable to mobilise relatively early after surgery. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) in Singapore advises early walking after caesarean birth to assist recovery and reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism, while the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) similarly incorporates mobility into its recommendations for post-caesarean recovery.[8][9] NICE is the independent organisation responsible for developing evidence-based health and care recommendations for England and Wales. The difficulty is that “get moving” can still feel like an abstract instruction when somebody is in pain. Laura would rather translate it into practical questions: How do you roll before you sit? Where do you place your hands? What should you expect to feel as you straighten up? How do you pace walking? What happens if coughing hurts? Which symptoms are uncomfortable but expected, and which should trigger a call to the medical team? That is the difference between simply issuing instructions and building confidence. Fear can become part of the physical recovery Fear features repeatedly in Laura’s work with women after caesarean birth. It may be fear of pain, fear that the wound will reopen, fear of coughing, fear of standing upright or fear generated by a previous infection or difficult birth experience. These concerns can influence the way somebody moves. She may hunch forward, brace continually through the abdomen, avoid rotation, hold her breath or reduce activity far beyond what her medical team intended. Physiotherapists commonly refer to this protective response as guarding. In the early stages it makes sense: an area has been injured and the body wants to protect it. The difficulty arises when protection becomes a persistent movement strategy after the tissues have progressed through healing. Laura’s response is not to dismiss that fear. She wants to understand exactly what the woman believes is going to happen and then give her enough information and graded physical experience to rebuild confidence. As she puts it: “The only combat to fear is education.” The wording is characteristically Laura, but the clinical principle is significant. A highly capable, intelligent person can still have very limited knowledge of postoperative anatomy. Health literacy is not the same as general intelligence, and nobody instinctively knows how a caesarean wound is constructed or how it heals. The job of rehabilitation is partly to make the body understandable again. One patient changed how Laura thought about recovery Laura remembers a woman she encountered early in her physiotherapy career who had become extremely frightened of moving or coughing following a caesarean because she believed she might tear open her stitches. The woman subsequently developed a serious chest infection that progressed to pneumonia. A single clinical experience cannot establish that immobility caused that pneumonia, and Laura does not present it as proof that the same sequence would occur for another patient. What stayed with her was the extent to which fear and lack of information had shaped the woman’s behaviour. The wider postoperative evidence helps explain why that experience resonated. Abdominal-surgery rehabilitation routinely incorporates deep breathing, effective coughing and early mobilisation because anaesthesia, pain and inactivity can affect respiratory function, while mobilisation also contributes to reducing the risk of blood clots and restoring independence.[6] For Laura, the lesson was simple: somebody recovering from surgery should not be left so frightened of ordinary movement that avoidance becomes their only strategy. Six weeks is an important checkpoint, not the end of recovery The six-week point has acquired enormous significance in postnatal culture. Women often hear it in conversations about driving, exercise, lifting, sex, wounds and the postnatal medical check, and it can begin to sound as though the body is expected to cross an invisible line between “recovering” and “recovered”. Healing does not work that neatly. For many women, the six-week period represents substantial progress. The incision may be well healed and some normal activities can be gradually increased. However, both ACOG and NHS guidance recognise that return to physical activity after birth should be progressive and influenced by mode of delivery, complications, symptoms and individual recovery rather than a single date.[5][10] Laura therefore sees six weeks as a useful review point. It provides an opportunity to consider what happens next: how the woman is moving, whether pain remains, whether the abdominal wall is functioning comfortably, whether there are pelvic-floor symptoms and what physical demands she is hoping to return to. For one woman that may mean being able to walk further without discomfort. For another it is getting onto the floor with an older child. For somebody else, the eventual goal may be running, strength training or returning to competitive sport. A date tells us how much time has passed. Function tells us how recovery is progressing. That distinction also matters because the tissues involved in surgery continue changing long after six weeks. NHS scar guidance notes that scars may take around 18 months to two years to mature fully.[11] Internal healing following caesarean surgery similarly continues for months after the skin has closed. This is why Laura believes rehabilitation after caesarean birth should be considered a progression rather than an event. The scar we can see is only part of the picture Scar rehabilitation is an area of particular interest in Laura’s practice. A fine, pale caesarean scar can look extremely reassuring, and cosmetically it may represent an excellent result. But the appearance of the skin does not tell us everything about the way that area feels and functions. Scars can remain numb or hypersensitive. They can feel tight or less mobile than surrounding tissues. Some women notice pulling during certain movements or feel uncomfortable touching the area. Others unconsciously protect it even after the wound itself has healed. None of this automatically means that something went wrong during surgery. Scar formation is a biological process influenced by healing, tissue tension, collagen production, infection, individual skin characteristics and many other factors. NHS specialist scar guidance notes that scars can remain sensitive, raised, itchy, numb or less mobile as they mature, and that they may take up to two years to reach their mature state.[11] For Laura, this is why a visually beautiful scar and a completely rehabilitated abdominal wall should not automatically be assumed to be the same thing. The question is not only, “How does the scar look?” It is also, “How does the person move and feel?” Scar mobilisation is becoming an increasingly interesting part of rehabilitation The evidence around scar mobilisation is still developing, but what we have so far is encouraging. A 2022 study examining standardised soft-tissue mobilisation in 32 women with caesarean scars found measurable improvements after treatment in several areas, including scar stiffness, elasticity and pressure-pain thresholds. The authors concluded that two sessions of scar mobilisation appeared to have beneficial effects on some physical properties of the scar and on pain.[12] That study is relatively small, so it does not settle every question about scar rehabilitation. It does, however, support what clinicians such as Laura have observed in practice: a scar is responsive tissue, and targeted intervention may alter how it moves, feels and tolerates pressure. This is reinforced by established scar-management guidance within NHS rehabilitation services, which advises that once a wound has fully healed, progressive touch and massage can be used to improve scar mobility and reduce sensitivity.[11] The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital describes massage as a means of helping scars become softer, more mobile and less sensitive once healing is sufficiently established. For Laura, scar treatment is therefore not an aesthetic add-on. It can be part of restoring function. Assessment might include the mobility of the superficial tissues, sensitivity, abdominal movement, breathing, strength and the way someone performs ordinary activities. The treatment is then directed towards what that individual is actually struggling with rather than towards making every scar look or feel identical. The developing evidence gives women an important message: persistent tightness, sensitivity or discomfort around a healed caesarean scar does not necessarily have to be accepted as permanent simply because the operation happened months or years ago. Internal adhesions deserve more attention too Deeper postoperative adhesions are different from the visible skin scar, but they are a recognised consequence of abdominal and pelvic surgery. An adhesion is a band of scar-like tissue that forms between internal structures that would not normally be connected. Research into repeat caesarean surgery has consistently demonstrated that the likelihood and severity of adhesions rises with successive operations. A recent Asia-Pacific expert consensus, drawing on the wider surgical literature, reported adhesion rates ranging from approximately 24–46% at second caesareans, 43–75% at third caesareans and 48–83% at fourth caesareans.[13] This does not mean that every woman with a previous caesarean has symptomatic adhesions, nor that every pulling sensation can be assumed to come from them. It does mean that internal tissue change after abdominal surgery is a genuine biological phenomenon rather than an invented explanation for women’s symptoms. The emerging rehabilitation evidence is also promising. A 2025 systematic review examining manual therapy for adhesion-related symptoms after abdominal surgery included nine studies and concluded that manual therapy shows potential as a non-invasive adjunct for managing symptoms associated with postsurgical adhesions, gastrointestinal problems and related musculoskeletal dysfunction.[14] This is an area in which research is likely to develop considerably. At present, it would be too simplistic to say that a therapist can definitively identify and physically “break” a particular deep internal adhesion through the abdominal wall. What the evidence does support is a much more optimistic position than simply telling somebody nothing can be done: hands-on treatment, movement rehabilitation and work on the surrounding abdominal tissues may have a role in improving symptoms and function even after abdominal surgery has healed. For Laura, the practical implication is that the entire area should be considered rather than treating the skin scar as the beginning and end of recovery. A caesarean does not make the pelvic floor irrelevant Avoiding vaginal delivery does reduce the risk of some pelvic-floor disorders. Large observational studies have found lower rates of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse following caesarean birth when compared with vaginal delivery.[15] That difference is real and should not be minimised. However, lower risk does not mean that the pelvic floor becomes irrelevant. Pregnancy itself places changing mechanical demands on the pelvic floor and abdominal wall, and women who deliver by caesarean can still experience leakage, pelvic heaviness, pain, bowel symptoms, sexual symptoms or difficulty managing pressure during exercise. Laura’s position is therefore not that every woman who has a caesarean has a damaged pelvic floor. It is that the route of birth should not be used as a reason to dismiss pelvic-floor symptoms when they occur. This is particularly relevant when women return to exercise. Someone may have a beautifully healed abdominal scar yet find that running produces leaking, lifting produces pelvic heaviness or sexual activity remains painful. These symptoms require their own assessment rather than an assumption that the pelvic floor must be fine because the baby did not pass through the vagina. What would a better caesarean rehabilitation pathway look like? Laura’s proposed model is not a programme in which every woman is automatically prescribed months of treatment. It is a pathway in which rehabilitation is anticipated and accessible rather than discovered only after something has gone wrong. During pregnancy, women would know where to seek help for musculoskeletal problems rather than assuming pain is simply part of being pregnant. Antenatal education would acknowledge caesarean birth as a possibility and provide enough practical information to make an unexpected surgical birth less disorientating. If a caesarean became planned, preparation could include physical conditioning where appropriate, practical arrangements at home and education around the early postoperative period. Following surgery, Laura would like women to receive clear instruction about movement, wound support, breathing, circulation, pain, warning signs and the transition from hospital to home. She would ideally like an individual physiotherapy touchpoint before discharge so that somebody can establish whether a woman is moving safely and confidently and whether additional rehabilitation is required. Later input could be determined by need. That may include scar rehabilitation, abdominal-wall function, pelvic-floor assessment, pain management or progression back towards exercise, work and sport. The underlying principle is not that every woman needs the same treatment. It is that every woman should know that rehabilitation exists. Singapore already has many of the pieces Singapore is not starting from zero. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital already provides physiotherapy within women’s wards and describes services including antenatal and postnatal education, pelvic-floor exercise, respiratory and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, anti-embolism stockings and pre- and post-surgical management of pregnancy- and delivery-related conditions. KKH also operates an inpatient postnatal physiotherapy programme and notes that ward nurses and physiotherapists can assist women who experience difficulty mobilising after a caesarean.[8][16] The opportunity Laura identifies is therefore not simply the introduction of a service that does not exist. It is the development of a clearer and more consistent pathway around the expertise that already exists. Could rehabilitation education become an expected component of caesarean care rather than something associated primarily with an identified problem? Could women leave hospital knowing what specialist support is available and when they might need it? Could postnatal physiotherapy be discussed proactively rather than discovered months later through a friend, a Google search or persistent pain? These are the questions at the centre of Laura’s argument. Current guidelines leave room for that conversation It is also worth distinguishing Laura’s proposal from current minimum standards. NICE guidance on caesarean birth includes postoperative recovery, mobility, thrombosis prevention, pain management and follow-up, but it does not currently require every woman who has an uncomplicated caesarean to receive an individual physiotherapy consultation.[9] NICE also advises against routine respiratory physiotherapy after caesarean under general anaesthesia where there is no specific clinical indication, because evidence has not demonstrated improved respiratory outcomes from providing it universally. That does not undermine Laura’s proposal. It defines where current guidance ends and where a broader rehabilitation model could begin. Her argument concerns functional education and individual assessment: teaching movement, identifying fear or difficulty, recognising when further rehabilitation is appropriate and giving women a clearer route back to activity. The relevant policy question is therefore not whether Singapore is failing to follow an existing international rule. It is whether maternity systems could now go further than the minimum postoperative pathway and make rehabilitation a more visible part of women’s recovery. Other healthcare systems show that postnatal rehabilitation can be treated as healthcare France is frequently discussed in relation to postpartum rehabilitation because its national health-insurance system explicitly provides routes into pelvic-floor and abdominal rehabilitation after birth. Current guidance from Assurance Maladie, the French national health-insurance system, states that postnatal perineal rehabilitation can be prescribed following the postnatal consultation and is reimbursed through the public system. It also makes an important distinction: rehabilitation is not considered necessary for every woman, but it can be offered when postpartum symptoms or functional problems indicate a need.[17] For Laura, the interesting part is not whether Singapore should reproduce the French system appointment for appointment. It is the principle behind it. Postnatal rehabilitation can sit within mainstream healthcare rather than being considered a luxury service, a cosmetic treatment or something concerned primarily with “getting your body back”. Recovery after birth is healthcare. The best pathway is multidisciplinary Physiotherapy is only one part of that recovery. The obstetric team remains responsible for medical and surgical assessment. Nurses and midwives are critical in acute postpartum care. Lactation professionals offer specialist feeding support. Mental-health professionals are needed where anxiety, depression or birth trauma require specific treatment. Physiotherapists contribute expertise in movement, pain, function, pelvic health and rehabilitation, while postnatal doulas and other support professionals can provide practical and emotional assistance within their own scope of practice. Laura sees considerable value in these roles working together because postnatal recovery rarely fits neatly into one professional speciality. A woman experiencing breast pain needs a different pathway from one experiencing urinary leakage. Someone with increasing wound redness needs medical assessment, not scar massage. Someone who is medically well but cannot get comfortably off the floor may need rehabilitation rather than another surgical review. A good healthcare pathway should not require the new mother herself to understand all of those professional boundaries before she can find the right person. We also need to stop moralising the route of birth Alongside the physical recovery is a cultural problem that Laura believes needs to disappear. Phrases such as “too posh to push” or suggestions that caesarean birth represents an easy option continue to place moral judgement around the method by which somebody gives birth. Some caesareans are emergencies. Some become medically recommended during pregnancy. Some are chosen following previous traumatic experiences. Some relate to maternal or foetal health. Some are elective decisions reached after an individual woman has considered the risks, benefits and her own circumstances. None of these women become less deserving of good postoperative care because of the reason their caesarean took place. An elective operation is still an operation. Choice does not cancel recovery. Birth stories should not become predictions Laura is equally careful about the power of other people’s birth stories. Women who have had profoundly difficult caesarean experiences deserve to tell those stories. Women who have experienced calm, positive caesarean births deserve to tell theirs too. The problem occurs when one person’s experience becomes a prediction for everybody else. A difficult caesarean does not mean the next woman’s will be traumatic. A straightforward first caesarean does not guarantee an equally straightforward second one. A woman who recovered quickly does not prove that someone who struggled failed to prepare, exercise or try hard enough. Laura can recall women whose recovery following planned caesarean appeared remarkably rapid. She can also identify those outcomes as unusual. Good preparation can support recovery; it cannot eliminate individual biology or complications. That balance is important because women need realistic optimism, not another standard to live up to. Perhaps we need a broader definition of a successful outcome Modern maternity medicine has rightly achieved extraordinary advances in the safety of mothers and babies. Laura’s argument is that the next stage of progress should include becoming more ambitious about what we expect for the mother after the immediate danger has passed. A successful surgical outcome matters enormously, but recovery is not measured solely by whether the incision has closed. A woman may be medically well and still struggling to move. Her scar may look excellent and remain uncomfortable. Her six-week check may be reassuring while she still feels profoundly weak. Her baby may be thriving while she has no idea how to rebuild towards the body and activities she had before pregnancy. None of these observations diminish the importance of medical safety. They expand the definition of what good postnatal care could achieve. Instead of asking only whether the operation went well, we can also ask how she is moving. Instead of asking only whether the wound is healthy, we can ask whether it is comfortable and functional. Instead of asking only whether six weeks have passed, we can ask what she is ready to do next. And instead of seeing the arrival of a healthy baby as the point at which the mother’s physical story ends, we can continue asking one deceptively important question: How are you recovering? Changing the narrative around caesarean birth Laura’s argument is ultimately not about making caesarean birth sound frightening. Taking rehabilitation seriously may actually allow us to speak about it with greater confidence. We can recognise a caesarean as major surgery without framing it as a failure. We can prepare women for the possibility without teaching them to expect the worst. We can recognise pain without assuming catastrophe and encourage movement without dismissing fear. We can celebrate a wonderful birth while acknowledging that the woman who gave birth has significant healing to do. Most importantly, women should not have to develop a substantial problem before rehabilitation becomes worthy of attention. A caesarean can be a wonderful birth experience. It is also major surgery. Good maternity care should have space for both truths. Frequently Asked Questions About Caesarean Rehabilitation Is a caesarean really major abdominal surgery? Yes. NHS guidance describes caesarean section as a major operation. It involves surgical access through the abdominal wall and an incision into the uterus. In a standard procedure, the abdominal muscles are generally separated rather than routinely cut through.[1][2] When should I start moving after a caesarean? For an uncomplicated recovery, gentle mobilisation is generally encouraged relatively early once the medical team confirms it is safe. Timing varies according to anaesthesia, bleeding, blood pressure, pain and other clinical factors. Early movement supports recovery and contributes to reducing the risk of postoperative blood clots.[8][9] What is wound support? Wound support means gently supporting the surgical area with the hands, a towel or pillow during activities such as coughing or sneezing. Similar techniques are routinely taught following abdominal surgery because they can reduce pain and anxiety and make an effective cough easier.[6][7] Should everybody who has a caesarean see a physiotherapist? Current international guidelines do not universally require individual physiotherapy following every uncomplicated caesarean. Laura advocates for routine access to rehabilitation education and an early functional touchpoint, with ongoing physiotherapy determined by individual symptoms and needs. Is six weeks enough to recover from a caesarean? Six weeks is an important recovery milestone, but it should not be considered a universal finish line. Return to activity depends on healing, complications, symptoms, physical demands and previous fitness. Scar tissue itself continues maturing for many months and can take up to two years to reach its mature state.[5][11] Can scar mobilisation actually make a difference? There is encouraging early research. A study of 32 women found improvements in several measures of caesarean-scar stiffness, elasticity and pain sensitivity following two standardised mobilisation sessions. Specialist scar-management services also use massage and progressive mobilisation once wounds have healed to improve mobility and sensitivity.[11][12] Can internal adhesions occur after caesarean birth? Yes. Internal adhesions are a recognised consequence of abdominal surgery, and studies show that their incidence increases with repeated caesarean procedures. Not all adhesions cause symptoms, but their existence is well established.[13] Can physiotherapy help symptoms associated with adhesions? Research is emerging. A 2025 systematic review found that manual therapy showed potential as a non-invasive adjunct for symptoms associated with postsurgical abdominal adhesions. This remains a developing field, but the evidence provides a promising basis for further study and clinical application.[14] Do I need pelvic-floor rehabilitation if I had a caesarean? Not necessarily. Caesarean birth is associated with a lower risk of several pelvic-floor disorders compared with vaginal delivery. However, pelvic-floor symptoms can still occur following pregnancy and caesarean birth. Leakage, pelvic heaviness, pain, bowel symptoms, sexual pain or difficulty returning to exercise are appropriate reasons to seek assessment.[15] What symptoms after a caesarean require medical attention? Increasing or severe pain, heavy bleeding, worsening wound redness or swelling, pus or unpleasant-smelling discharge, fever, significant shortness of breath, or pain and swelling in one leg warrant medical review. Physiotherapy complements medical care; it does not replace assessment of possible postoperative complications. About Laura O’Byrne Laura O’Byrne is the Co-Founder and Principal Physiotherapist at Physio Therapy Singapore Collective. She graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy in 2010, following an earlier degree in Health Science and Physiology, and has practised in Singapore since 2012 across public and private healthcare. Her clinical work combines musculoskeletal physiotherapy with a particular interest in women’s health, including pre- and postnatal care. She also has a specialised interest in scar rehabilitation and lymphatic health, bringing together movement, functional rehabilitation and tissue-focused treatment according to the individual needs of the patient. Laura’s approach to caesarean recovery reflects a broader philosophy in her work: clinical evidence matters, but so does understanding the individual in front of you - what they are experiencing, what they are afraid of, what their body needs to do and what a meaningful recovery looks like for them. Website: https://www.physiotherapysgc.com/ Telephone: +65 8958 2823 References and explanatory notes [1] National Health Service (NHS). The NHS is the publicly funded health service in the United Kingdom; NHS.uk provides public health information for England. Its caesarean guidance describes caesarean section as a major operation and covers indications, procedure, risks and recovery. https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/caesarean-section/ [2] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). ACOG is the leading US professional membership organisation for obstetrician-gynaecologists and produces expert-reviewed clinical and patient guidance. Its caesarean guidance describes abdominal muscle separation, uterine incision and delivery of the baby and placenta. ACOG: About the organisation https://www.acog.org/about ACOG: Cesarean Birth https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/cesarean-birth [3] World Health Organization (WHO). WHO identifies the first six weeks after birth as a critical period and describes postnatal care as a historically neglected part of maternal and newborn healthcare. WHO: Raising the importance of postnatal care https://www.who.int/activities/raising-the-importance-of-postnatal-care/raising-the-importance-of-postnatal-care [4] World Health Organization / Lancet Global Health research. WHO reported in December 2023 that at least 40 million women annually are likely to experience long-term health problems associated with childbirth. WHO: Long-term health problems after childbirth https://www.who.int/news/item/07-12-2023-more-than-a-third-of-women-experience-lasting-health-problems-after-childbirth [5] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Committee Opinion No. 804, Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. ACOG recommends aerobic and strength-conditioning activity for women with uncomplicated pregnancies and gradual return to exercise postpartum when medically safe. ACOG: Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and Postpartum https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2020/04/physical-activity-and-exercise-during-pregnancy-and-the-postpartum-period [6] Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Post-abdominal-surgery physiotherapy guidance covering breathing exercises, supported coughing, circulation, bed mobility and progressive walking. CUH: Advice following abdominal surgery https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/advice-following-abdominal-surgery/ [7] Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Physiotherapy guidance explains supported coughing following abdominal surgery and identifies benefits including reduced pain and anxiety. Royal Free London: Physiotherapy after abdominal surgery https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patient-information-leaflets/physiotherapy-advice-and-exercises-after-abdominal-surgery [8] KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), Singapore. KKH advises early walking following planned caesarean birth and notes that nurses and physiotherapists can assist women who have difficulties mobilising. KKH: Preparing for an Elective Caesarean Section https://www.kkh.com.sg/symptoms-treatments/preparing-for-an-elective-planned-caesarean-section [9] National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE is an independent public body producing evidence-based health and care recommendations for England and Wales. Its Caesarean Birth guideline covers postoperative mobility, recovery, thrombosis prevention and follow-up. NICE: Caesarean Birth recommendations https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG192/chapter/recommendations [10] NHS caesarean recovery guidance. NHS information explains that recovery following caesarean generally takes longer than recovery following vaginal birth and that return to activities is progressive. NHS: Caesarean section https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/caesarean-section/ [11] Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust / Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Specialist scar-management guidance describes numbness, sensitivity and reduced scar mobility, advises progressive scar massage once healing is established, and notes that scar maturation can take around 18 months to two years. RNOH: Scar Care After Surgery https://www.rnoh.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patient-information-guides/scar-care-after-surgery-1 [12] Wasserman JB et al. / caesarean scar mobilisation study. Exploring the Effects of Standardized Soft Tissue Mobilization on the Viscoelastic Properties, Pressure Pain Thresholds, and Tactile Pressure Thresholds of the Cesarean Section Scar. Thirty-two participants completed the study; improvements were reported in several measures of stiffness, elasticity and pressure-pain threshold. Read the study in PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9051872/ [13] Asia-Pacific expert consensus on postoperative adhesions. The consensus review reports increasing incidence and severity of adhesions with successive caesarean sections and summarises evidence concerning adhesion-related surgical complications. Read the consensus paper in PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11726167/ [14] 2025 systematic review of manual therapy and postsurgical adhesions. The review included nine studies and concluded that manual therapy shows potential as a non-invasive adjunctive approach to adhesion-related symptoms following abdominal surgery. PubMed: Manual therapy for adhesion-related symptoms https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41316557/ [15] Pelvic-floor outcomes and mode of delivery. Population and cohort studies have found lower rates of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse following caesarean birth than vaginal delivery while confirming that mode of delivery is only one factor in pelvic-floor health. PubMed: Delivery mode and later pelvic-floor disorders https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36917258/ [16] KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital Physiotherapy Service. KKH describes obstetric physiotherapy provision including antenatal and postnatal education, pelvic-floor rehabilitation and pre/post-surgical management. KKH: Physiotherapy services https://www.kkh.com.sg/our-specialties/allied-health-specialties/physiotherapy [17] Assurance Maladie, France. French national health-insurance guidance provides for prescribed postpartum perineal rehabilitation and notes that abdominal and perineal rehabilitation can be offered according to clinical need rather than being necessary for every woman. Assurance Maladie: Postnatal follow-up and rehabilitation https://www.ameli.fr/assure/droits-demarches/famille/maternite-paternite-adoption/accouchement-retour-domicile About this article This article was created from Laura O’Byrne’s recorded conversations with Pregnant and Popped, supported by her original voice notes and a follow-up editorial discussion. It has been shaped for clarity and readability while preserving Laura O’Byrne’s ideas, experiences and intended meaning. Disclaimer Thought Leadership articles on Pregnant and Popped are created from interviews, recordings and conversations with professionals, business owners and other contributors. They are intended to share experience, professional perspectives and general information, and may be created in collaboration with the featured provider as part of a paid thought leadership service. The views expressed belong to the featured contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Pregnant and Popped or Empowa. Publication does not constitute verification of every statement, endorsement of a particular provider, product, service or method, or a guarantee of results. Pregnancy, birth, postnatal recovery, infant care and parenting experiences vary. Content is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be treated as medical, legal, financial or other professional advice. Readers should seek personalised guidance from their healthcare provider or another suitably qualified professional before making decisions based on the information provided. While we take reasonable care when preparing and publishing articles, information may become outdated, and we cannot guarantee that all content is complete, accurate or suitable for every person or situation. Pregnant and Popped and Empowa accept no responsibility for decisions made or actions taken solely in reliance on the information provided.

Caroline Warren of Supporting Eve on pregnancy, postpartum, support, and why comfort should never mean compromise There are some parts of pregnancy and postpartum that everyone expects to talk about. Birth plans. Baby gear. Feeding. Sleep. Pelvic floors. Recovery. But for many women, one of the earliest, most noticeable and most uncomfortable changes happens somewhere much closer to the surface. Their breasts change. Often before a pregnancy is even confirmed, breasts may feel tender, heavier, more sensitive or simply different. The NHS lists sore or tender breasts as one of the early signs of pregnancy, alongside changes such as more visible veins and darker nipples.[1] For Caroline Warren, founder of Supporting Eve in Cluny Court, this is exactly why bras should not be treated as an afterthought during pregnancy and postpartum. Because when the body changes, the bra does not magically change with it. Supporting Eve is known in Singapore for expert bra fittings, hard-to-find sizes, and a wide lingerie size range. The boutique describes itself as offering bands 28–48 and cups A–K, with fit-by-sight bra fittings and options including everyday bras, sports bras, nursing bras, strapless bras and specialist solutions.[2] But behind the product range is something more thoughtful than simply selling lingerie. Caroline’s work is about helping women understand their bodies at each stage of life, especially during the seasons when those bodies are changing quickly. “Support” is the word that keeps coming up in conversation with her. Not just support in the obvious sense of lifting the bust, but support as care, reassurance, education and dignity. A bra fitting, in Caroline’s hands, is not about numbers on a tape measure or squeezing someone into whatever size happens to be available. It is about reading the body, listening to the woman, and understanding what she is actually living through. That matters at every age, but it becomes especially important during pregnancy and postpartum. Pregnancy changes the bust, but also the body beneath it One of the most useful things Caroline explains is that pregnancy does not only change breast size. It can also change the ribcage, the way the body holds weight, how sensitive the skin feels, and what level of structure a woman can comfortably tolerate. Many women know their breasts may grow during pregnancy. Fewer realise their back size may change too. The NCT notes that it is common to go up a cup size or two during pregnancy, and that many women also become broader across the back as the rib cage expands to make room for the baby.[3] This is where Caroline believes many women get caught out. They may assume that if their old bra still fastens, it is still doing its job. Or they may buy a soft, stretchy maternity or nursing bra in a small, medium or large, thinking comfort alone is enough. Caroline gently challenges that idea. Comfort matters enormously, especially when breasts are tender. But comfort without structure can leave the shoulders, neck and upper back taking strain that should have been managed by the bra’s foundation. In Caroline’s words, the support should come from the band, not the straps. That is one of her biggest educational points. Many women respond to a heavy or unsupported feeling by tightening the shoulder straps. But if the band is too loose, the straps are being asked to do too much. The result can be digging, slipping, pulling, tension and poor posture. The research around bra fit supports the wider point that many women are wearing bras that do not fit well. A study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy found that 80% of the women in its sample wore incorrectly sized bras.[4] Another cross-sectional study looking at breast support in clinical practice found that 85% of participants were wearing ill-fitting bras when assessed against professional bra-fitting criteria.[5] Caroline’s own in-store observation is even higher: she estimates that the vast majority of women who walk into Supporting Eve are wearing the wrong size. That statistic is powerful, but the deeper issue is not blame. Caroline is clear that women have not failed at bra buying. They have often never been properly taught. The problem with “small, medium, large” Pregnancy and nursing bras often promise ease. But Caroline believes one of the biggest mistakes is assuming that a simple small, medium or large system can properly support the range of bodies that pregnancy creates. A woman may be small around the ribcage but much fuller in the bust. Another may need a larger band but a smaller cup. Two women can both describe themselves as “medium” and have completely different support needs. This is why Caroline prefers maternity and nursing bras that acknowledge both the band and the cup. She looks for pieces that have enough adjustability through the back, flexible cup accommodation, and a supportive base beneath the bust. In pregnancy, this adjustability has to work differently from a regular bra. For a standard bra, Caroline explains that women are usually fitted on the loosest hook so the bra can be tightened over time as the elastic naturally stretches. In pregnancy, however, the logic often reverses. If a maternity bra is designed with extra rows of hooks, fitting it on a tighter setting can allow the ribcage to expand as pregnancy progresses, then move back in again postpartum as the body changes. That small detail can be the difference between a bra that lasts a few uncomfortable weeks and one that supports a woman through multiple stages. And this is really the heart of Caroline’s expertise. She is not just looking at the size someone is today. She is thinking about where their body is heading next. Underwire is not always the enemy One of the points Caroline feels strongly about is underwire. Many women have been told, or have come to believe through painful experience, that underwire is uncomfortable, unsuitable, or something to avoid entirely during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Caroline’s position is more nuanced. Underwire itself is not necessarily the enemy. Poor fit is. The NCT states that underwired bras in pregnancy and breastfeeding should be acceptable if they are well fitted and size checked regularly, but they should not dig into breast tissue.[6] This distinction is important. The issue is not simply whether a bra has wire. It is where that wire sits. Caroline explains that the wire should sit around the breast tissue, not on it. It should sit in the crease where the breast meets the body, come around to the side without pressing into breast tissue, and sit flat at the centre where the bra is designed to do so. When a wire digs, pokes, floats away, presses into the breast, or shifts when arms are lifted, the problem is usually fit. This becomes especially important for breastfeeding mothers. The NHS notes that blocked milk ducts can be caused by something putting pressure on the breast, such as a tight bra, bag strap or tight clothing.[7] The NHS also advises avoiding tight-fitting bras or clothing when dealing with mastitis symptoms.[8] So the message is not “wear underwire” or “never wear underwire”. The message is: pressure matters. Fit matters. Regular checking matters. For a pregnant or breastfeeding woman, a bra should support without compressing, digging or creating localised pressure on breast tissue. The emotional side of bra fitting after babies What makes Caroline’s work especially thoughtful is that she understands a bra fitting is not only technical. It can be vulnerable. Many postpartum women come into Supporting Eve after months or years of wearing bras that no longer fit. They may still be wearing maternity bras long after breastfeeding has ended. They may have had multiple pregnancies. They may feel disconnected from their body, disappointed by the way it has changed, or embarrassed by what they are wearing. Caroline sees this often. Women apologise for their bodies. They apologise for their bras. They say they feel uncomfortable, unattractive or unlike themselves. Her response is not to correct the emotion. It is to create a space where the woman does not feel judged for having it. This is where the name Supporting Eve feels so fitting. Caroline chose it because bras are a base layer, something close to the body, something foundational. The name also holds the idea of supporting women from the beginning, in a way that is both physical and emotional. In store, that means asking before touching. It means noticing body language. It means allowing someone to be fitted in the way they are comfortable with. Some women are happy for hands-on adjustment. Some prefer to be talked through the fit. Some may not want anyone in the changing room at all. Caroline’s view is simple: whatever helps the woman feel safe and respected is the starting point. For pregnant and postpartum women, this matters even more. Their bodies may already have been examined, touched, medicalised and commented on many times. A bra fitting should not become another moment where they feel exposed or judged. Done well, it can become the opposite: a moment of relief. Sports bras after pregnancy deserve more attention For many women, the next bra challenge comes when they begin returning to movement. After pregnancy and birth, a woman may want to walk, exercise, rebuild strength, return to running, or simply feel more secure in her body. But a standard everyday bra is not designed for impact, and a poorly fitted sports bra can make movement feel uncomfortable or unsupported. This is another area where Caroline’s expertise becomes practical. Sports bras are not just “tighter bras”. They are designed to reduce breast movement during exercise, and research has shown that different bra features can affect how much support a sports bra provides. A 2021 study investigated breast movement reduction across 98 sports bras, looking at support levels and the bra characteristics that contributed to performance.[9] For postpartum women, this is not about rushing back to exercise or trying to “get a body back”. Caroline’s framing is much healthier than that. It is about being supported for the body you have now. That may mean a different size from before pregnancy. It may mean a different structure. It may mean reassessing after breastfeeding, after weight change, after hormonal shifts, or after the return of a menstrual cycle. The point is not to force the body into an old bra. The point is to fit the bra to the current body. Watch the conversation In the accompanying video, Caroline Warren sits down with Pregnant and Popped to talk through the moments of body change that so many women experience but rarely receive practical guidance for. From pregnancy and nursing bras to sports bras, underwire myths, fit mistakes and the emotional side of finding support after babies, the conversation is a warm, honest look at why the right bra can change how a woman feels in her body. A better bra fitting is an education Caroline trained in the UK with lingerie experts and has continued to build specialist knowledge across maternity, sports, post-surgery and everyday fittings. Supporting Eve’s website also notes that all staff are “Fit By Sight Trained” and that expert bra fittings are available daily.[2] That “fit by sight” approach is central to her work. Rather than relying only on a tape measure, Caroline looks at how the bra is actually interacting with the body. Is the band parallel? Is it firm enough without digging? Are the cups containing the breast tissue? Is the wire sitting in the right place? Are the straps doing too much? Does the bra move when the arms lift? Does the wearer feel better in it? This kind of fitting is part technical, part educational, and part relational. It also explains why Caroline is frustrated by the way many women are sold bras. If a shop only carries a limited size range, the customer may be fitted into the closest available size rather than the best size. Caroline is careful to point out that bra sizing is complicated. A D cup is not one fixed volume across every band size. A 28D and a 36D are not the same body, the same breast volume or the same support requirement. This is why size range matters. It is also why expert fitting matters. Supporting Eve’s own site describes the boutique as a destination for sizes often difficult to find in Singapore, with a focus on helping women find what works best for their body.[2] That focus is not just a retail promise. It is the foundation of Caroline’s thought leadership. She is helping women unlearn the idea that discomfort is normal. Comfort is not a luxury One of the strongest messages from Caroline’s work is that comfort should not be treated as indulgent, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. A bra is worn close to the body for hours. During pregnancy, that body may be tender, growing, expanding and sensitive. During breastfeeding, it may be full, fluctuating and vulnerable to pressure. During postpartum recovery, it may be healing, tired and unfamiliar. During exercise, it may be moving differently from before. In each of those seasons, a bra can either help or hinder. A well-fitted bra cannot solve every discomfort of pregnancy, breastfeeding or postpartum recovery. It is not medical treatment. It is not a guarantee against pain. But it can reduce unnecessary strain, remove avoidable pressure, and help a woman feel more held in her body. And sometimes, that is a very big thing. Caroline’s work reminds women that they do not need to wait until they “get back” to a previous size, previous shape or previous version of themselves before they deserve support. They deserve it now, in the body they are living in today. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Pregnancy, postpartum and bra fitting When should I get fitted for a maternity bra? You should consider a fitting when your current bra starts to feel uncomfortable, tight, unsupportive, or begins digging into your breast tissue or ribcage. For some women this happens early in pregnancy; for others, it becomes more noticeable in the second trimester. Because breast and ribcage size can continue changing, it can help to be checked again later in pregnancy and postpartum. Do I need a different bra during pregnancy? Often, yes. Pregnancy can change both cup size and band size, and many women become broader across the back as the ribcage expands.[3] A maternity bra should support the bust while allowing room for change, rather than simply stretching without structure. Are underwired bras safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding? A well-fitted underwired bra may be suitable for some women, but it must not dig into breast tissue or create pressure points.[6] If a wire feels painful, presses into the breast, or shifts out of place, the fit should be checked. During breastfeeding, avoid tight bras or clothing that put pressure on the breast, especially if there are signs of blocked ducts or mastitis.[7][8] What is the biggest bra fitting mistake women make? According to Caroline, the most common mistake is wearing a band that is too big and a cup that is too small. This can make the straps work harder than they should, cause digging or slipping, and reduce support from underneath the bust. Why are small, medium and large nursing bras not always enough? Small, medium and large sizing does not always account for the difference between ribcage size and breast volume. A woman may need a smaller band and a much fuller cup, or a larger band with less cup volume. Cup-aware sizing can offer a more precise fit, especially during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Do I need a sports bra after pregnancy? If you are returning to walking, exercise, running, gym work or higher-impact movement, a properly fitted sports bra can make movement feel more comfortable and supported. Research into sports bra performance has shown that design features can affect breast movement reduction during running.[9] Your pre-pregnancy sports bra may no longer fit in the same way, especially after pregnancy, breastfeeding or weight change. When should I replace my bras postpartum? A good time to reassess is when breastfeeding changes, when you stop lactating, when your weight or body shape changes, or when your bras begin to feel loose, unsupportive, tight, painful or misshapen. Caroline’s wider message is that your bra should fit the body you have now, not the body you used to have. About Caroline Warren Caroline Warren is the founder of Supporting Eve, an expert lingerie boutique based at Cluny Court in Singapore. Known by many as Singapore’s “bra lady”, Caroline helps women find bras that fit, support and feel good through every stage of life, including pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, sports, body changes, menopause and post-surgery needs. Supporting Eve offers expert bra fittings, a wide size range, and a carefully selected collection of everyday bras, maternity and nursing bras, sports bras, strapless bras, non-wired bras and specialist solutions. The boutique has been recognised as an Expat Living Readers’ Choice Award winner in both 2025 and 2026, and is known for its warm, knowledgeable and non-judgemental approach.[2] Website: https://supportingeve.sg/ Pregnant and Popped provider profile: https://www.pregnantandpopped.com/provider/supporting-eve Location: Cluny Court, Singapore References [1] NHS. “Signs and symptoms of pregnancy.” The NHS states that breasts may become larger and feel tender, may tingle, veins may be more visible, and nipples may darken and stand out. URL: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/trying-for-a-baby/signs-and-symptoms-of-pregnancy/ [2] Supporting Eve. “Bra Fitting | Supporting Eve.” Supporting Eve describes its bra-fitting service, fit-by-sight approach, product range and size range. URL: https://supportingeve.sg/ [3] NCT. “Maternity bras and nursing bras: what you need to know.” The NCT notes that women commonly go up a cup size or two during pregnancy and may become broader across the back as the rib cage expands. URL: https://www.nct.org.uk/information/pregnancy/wellbeing-and-lifestyle-pregnancy/maternity-bras-and-nursing-bras-what-you-need-know [4] Wood, K., Cameron, M., & Fitzgerald, K. “Breast size, bra fit and thoracic pain in young women: a correlational study.” Chiropractic & Osteopathy, 2008. The paper reports that 80% of participants were wearing incorrectly sized bras. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2275741/ [5] McGhee, D. E., & Steele, J. R. “Optimising breast support in female patients through correct bra fit. A cross-sectional study.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2010. The study found that 85% of participants were wearing ill-fitting bras when assessed against professional bra-fitting criteria. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1440244010000745 [6] NCT. “Maternity bras and nursing bras: what you need to know.” The NCT states that underwired bras should be acceptable in pregnancy and breastfeeding if well fitted and size checked regularly, but should not be worn if they dig into breast tissue. URL: https://www.nct.org.uk/information/pregnancy/wellbeing-and-lifestyle-pregnancy/maternity-bras-and-nursing-bras-what-you-need-know [7] NHS. “Common breastfeeding problems.” The NHS notes that blocked milk ducts can be caused by pressure on the breast, including a tight bra, bag strap or tight clothing. URL: https://www.nhs.uk/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/breastfeeding-problems/common-problems/ [8] NHS. “Mastitis.” The NHS advises against wearing tight-fitting clothing or bras until symptoms improve. URL: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mastitis/ [9] Norris, M., Blackmore, T., Horler, B., & Wakefield-Scurr, J. “How the characteristics of sports bras affect their performance.” Ergonomics, 2021. The study investigated breast movement reduction achieved by 98 sports bras and the bra characteristics that contribute to performance. URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32981459/ [10] Pregnant and Popped. “Supporting Eve provider profile.” URL: https://www.pregnantandpopped.com/provider/supporting-eve About this article This article was created from Caroline Warren’s recorded conversations with Pregnant and Popped, supported by her original voice notes and a follow-up editorial discussion. It has been shaped for clarity and readability while preserving Caroline Warren’s ideas, experiences and intended meaning. Disclaimer Thought Leadership articles on Pregnant and Popped are created from interviews, recordings and conversations with professionals, business owners and other contributors. They are intended to share experience, professional perspectives and general information, and may be created in collaboration with the featured provider as part of a paid thought leadership service. The views expressed belong to the featured contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Pregnant and Popped or Empowa. Publication does not constitute verification of every statement, endorsement of a particular provider, product, service or method, or a guarantee of results. Pregnancy, birth, postnatal recovery, infant care and parenting experiences vary. Content is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be treated as medical, legal, financial or other professional advice. Readers should seek personalised guidance from their healthcare provider or another suitably qualified professional before making decisions based on the information provided. While we take reasonable care when preparing and publishing articles, information may become outdated, and we cannot guarantee that all content is complete, accurate or suitable for every person or situation. Pregnant and Popped and Empowa accept no responsibility for decisions made or actions taken solely in reliance on the information provided.