NEWS: Bristol Mum's Journey from New Mum to Community Leader Comes Full Circle with Babywearing Exercise Event

Bristol, January 31st 2025 – What started as an online postnatal exercise journey during lockdown has now come full circle, as Bristol mum Alice Hall invited her former instructor to hold an in-person babywearing fitness class as part of a community initiative aimed at helping local mums get active.

Alice first joined the Postnatal Recovery Membership in February 2021, using the online babywearing classes to stay active while caring for her first child during lockdown. She remained a dedicated member throughout her second pregnancy and beyond, staying in the membership until July 2024, when her youngest outgrew the love of being carried.

During her time in the membership, Alice became one of the faces of the Bristol Girls Can #SmallSteps campaign, encouraging new mums to get active in manageable ways. Her now-iconic campaign image—wearing her baby while lifting weights in front of a laptop—was featured on billboards and big screens across Bristol's Millenium Square in March 2022, with the message:

"Take a small step to getting more active."

That same year, Karen Ellis, a former midwife and postnatal exercise specialist, travelled to Bristol to see the campaign in person, meeting Alice face to face for the first time beneath one of the large screens displaying her image.

Fast forward to August 2024, and Alice transitioned from campaign participant to Bristol Girls Can team member, taking on a Connector role within the Filwood community, designed to help local women and girls get active. In the months leading up to January 2025, Alice focused on outreach work, speaking with mums local to Filwood, and engaging with  city-wide network events to understand what would help women, particularly mums,  become more active. This led to the Filwood Takeover event—a series of free fitness sessions showcasing different types of exercise to see what resonated most with local mums.  As part of the takeover, different venues, timings and childcare options were explored, to try to remove as many barriers as possible for local mums to engage with being active.

An Energy-Filled Babywearing Class in Filwood

As part of the Filwood Takeover, Alice invited Karen to host a babywearing exercise pop-up class at Filwood Community Centre. The class brought together 20 mums, some of whom had never tried babywearing exercise before, while others had been long-time members of the online Postnatal Recovery Membership but had never seen Karen in person.

As the mums arrived, there was a buzz of excitement and connection in the air. Some recognised Karen from social media, exclaiming, "Oh my gosh, it's you in person!" It was a rare opportunity for them to meet the person they'd been exercising with on their screens for years.

Anna Hinchcliffe, the local babywearing consultant was on hand to ensure all carriers were correctly fitted, and Karen was also able to help mums tweak their carriers before getting started.

The session kicked off to upbeat music, with an atmosphere that was light-hearted and fun. "We're safe, but we don't take it too seriously," Karen explained. "People go in the wrong direction sometimes, but we just laugh about it." One particularly satisfying moment came during the first track, when the whole group managed to sync their movements for the first time, stepping from side to side in unison—prompting a cheer and smiles all around.

For Alice, this was a special moment too—it was the first time she had ever done one of Karen's classes in person, having previously only joined in online.  

The event attracted mums from across the city, some of whom travelled long distances to take part—one mum walking 40 minutes, another driving for over an hour just to be there.

Bringing Pelvic Floor Awareness to More Mums

While the event was part of the Filwood Takeover for Bristol Girls Can, it also aligned with Karen's own mission: spreading awareness through her Dry Knickers campaign, which aims to educate women about pelvic floor health and help prevent incontinence.

At the end of the class, Karen spoke to the group about how new mums should be thinking about their pelvic floor before jumping into exercise—even gentle movement like babywearing fitness. She directed them to resources to help them understand how to properly connect with their core and pelvic floor, something that often gets overlooked in postnatal fitness.

Because she had spoken about pelvic health openly, many mums felt comfortable coming to her after class to ask questions about their own pelvic floor concerns. "Some of them had never had anyone tell them this before," Karen said. "They finally had the chance to ask for help and find out where they could go for support."

What's Next?

Although specific plans for future collaboration between Bristol Girls Can and the Postnatal Recovery Membership are still in the works, both Alice and Karen are confident this won't be the last time they team up.

"Seeing Alice go from being a new mum in my online classes to supporting a movement to get mums in Bristol active is incredible," said Karen Ellis, a former midwife and postnatal exercise specialist. "This class was just the start—we're excited to explore what we can do together next."

✨ Want to Try Babywearing Workouts or Learn About Pelvic Floor Health?

If you’re a new mum and want to start with safe, effective postnatal movement—even if you’ve never exercised before—Try a class for yourself at home here.

Or if you want to learn exactly how to recover your pelvic floor, heal your stomach muscles and exercise safely after having a baby. Check out this FREE Pelvic Floor Workshop by Clicking Here.