The Story of How the Free Postnatal Recovery Workshop Came to Be

For most of my career as a midwife, the postnatal advice I was able to give women about their bodies after having a baby came down to one thing.

A leaflet.

And a reminder to do their pelvic floor squeezes.

That was it.

I wasn’t given the training or the time to properly show a woman how to connect with her pelvic floor. I didn’t teach women how to heal their stomach muscles or explain how to return to exercise safely after having a baby. The system just wouldn't allow me to do this.

Women still tell me today that this is all the information they receive in their postnatal period.

(Look at baby faced me as a newly qualified midwife - I felt so proud to wear this uniform)

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A pattern I couldn’t ignore

After leaving midwifery, I moved into postnatal exercise, still wanting to work with new mums. I began running babywearing postnatal exercise classes and continued learning more deeply about postnatal recovery. Over time, I put that learning into videos inside my membership, alongside the classes.

Alongside that, I started running free postnatal recovery workshops focused on pelvic floor health.

At first, the workshops were created to give women some initial information and then gently introduce the membership, which was my paid offer. I kept that as affordable as I could, with a £1 first month and a low ongoing cost, because reducing financial barriers mattered to me.

Something kept happening in those workshops.

Women were telling me that the information they were hearing felt significant. They were leaving feeling hopeful, empowered, and excited about what their bodies might be capable of again. Many told me they wished they had learned this information about postnatal recovery years earlier.

At the start of each workshop, I asked a simple question:

“Has anyone ever been shown how to properly switch their pelvic floor on?”

Around 95% of women said no.

Many had been doing pelvic floor exercises for years, following the advice they had been given, without ever being shown how to do them properly. They were doing what they could with the information available to them.

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Why postnatal recovery needs more than pelvic floor squeezes

Postnatal recovery involves far more than isolated pelvic floor exercises.

Women are rarely given clear explanations about how their bodies change during pregnancy and after birth. They aren’t shown how to heal their stomach muscles, how to reconnect with their core, or how to return to exercise in a way that supports long-term pelvic floor health.

Most women are told they are cleared to exercise, often during a brief GP appointment, without guidance on how to exercise safely after having a baby.

Detailed support usually arrives once symptoms are present and a pelvic health physiotherapist is involved. Appointment times are limited, which makes it difficult to cover everything thoroughly.

This information is needed earlier. During pregnancy and in the early postnatal months, clear guidance supports recovery and reduces the likelihood of pain, leaking, and ongoing issues developing.

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A story that stayed with me

One woman came to me when her daughter was ten years old.

She had a pelvic organ prolapse and experienced heaviness whenever she tried to exercise. Movement made her symptoms worse, so she avoided it. What prompted her to seek support was wanting to go kickboxing with her daughter.

Through learning how to properly connect with her pelvic floor and understanding how to move in ways that supported it, she felt confident enough to try. The information gave her clarity, control and power. Power she took into the class with her, allowing her to adapt movements in ways that felt right for her postnatal body.

She listened to herself, worked within her own capacity, and made informed choices about her movements.

She went to the class.

And she went with her daughter.

That is what information makes possible. It gives women choice. It allows movement and exercise after having a baby to feel accessible again.

This woman was able to do this ten years after having her last baby. What stays with me is how different those ten years might have been if she had been given this information during pregnancy and in the early postnatal period.

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When the purpose started to change

Over time, my focus began to shift.

I became more aware that many women were unable to afford ongoing postnatal recovery support, even when it was low cost. I also became increasingly uncomfortable with the idea that access to this information depended on money.

Understanding how to care for a postnatal body should not be a privilege.

Women carry the physical impact of pregnancy and birth, yet the information needed to recover is limited and inconsistent. This is a quiet inequality that women are expected to manage.

There was no single turning point. The shift happened gradually, through repeated workshops and conversations.

The question became clear:

How can I get postnatal recovery information to as many women as possible, for free, in the best way I can?

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Why making it free matters to me

This matters to me personally.

When my daughter Yasmin was a baby, I struggled financially. I could only access support if it was free. I remember going to a baby group at a children’s centre, and when they introduced a £1 charge, that £1 meant I couldn’t attend anymore.

Small costs can be real barriers.

I know there are women who need postnatal recovery support and simply cannot afford to pay for it. I want the workshop to be there for them too.

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Why the workshop is free

The workshop usually runs for 90 minutes to two hours. That time allows space to explain things properly, answer questions, and help women understand what is happening in their bodies after having a baby.

The workshop is live, with a replay available afterwards. Babies, noise, interruptions, and dipping in and out are expected. Perfect attendance is not required for the information to be useful.

I chose to make the workshop free because access to postnatal recovery education should not depend on money.

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Why it sits within The Dry Knickers Project CIC

The workshop is run through The Dry Knickers Project CIC, which exists to make pelvic health and postnatal recovery education accessible, shame-free, and supportive.

Running the workshop through a CIC allows the focus to stay on access and impact rather than sales.

If you’d like to learn more about the wider work of the CIC, you can do that here.

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Running it anyway

At the moment, the workshop is unfunded.

I explored funding options, and the process is complex and slow. The need for accessible postnatal recovery support felt too important to delay, so I chose to run the workshop anyway.

By putting this work into the world, its value becomes visible. My hope is that organisations, brands, or funders who care about postnatal health will want to help sustain it long term.

If you’re interested in learning more about how this work can be supported, there’s more information here.

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Why this matters

I keep coming back to the same belief.

Postnatal recovery deserves more than a leaflet.

More than silence.

More than “you’re cleared, off you go”.

Women deserve clear information, understanding, and support after having a baby, regardless of their financial situation.

That is why this workshop exists.

And that is why it will always be free.

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Find out about the next live free Postnatal Recoovery Workshop here and come along.

I am always really happy for you to drop into my DM's on my socials (links at the to. right of this page) or email me - hello@karenpostrehab.co.uk