The honest answer
The check comes first, always
The honest answer: your GP or postnatal check comes first, and after that gentle beats intense every time. There's no race to be first back, no matter what people on your group chat say. I've had two kids, and I teach this every week. I know what it is like to recover from birthing a human being.
Your six-to-eight-week check isn't a formality. Your GP or midwife sees how your recovery is going and clears you for movement. Every body and birth is different, so the timing is yours, not the calendar's.
The all-clear is your green light. Not before.
Gentle early work
What gentle early work looks like
The first sessions are assessment and gentle teaching, not a workout. We look at how you're breathing, how your core is reconnecting, and what carrying a small person all day asks of your back and shoulders.
Slowly, the goal is to feel more comfortable and at home in your body's new normal.
Running on two hours of sleep? Fine. The session works around naps and feeds. You don't need to be back to begin. Beginning is how you get back.
Slow and specific
Pelvic floor and core: rebuild, don't rush
Your pelvic floor and deep core did months of load-bearing work, and they don't bounce back on a schedule. The work is slow and specific. Breathing that reaches the right places, gentle strength that reconnects the middle of you before it challenges it.
Some things deserve a specialist. Any prolapse concerns, consistent bleeding, anything that worries you, a women's health physio leads on that. I work alongside their guidance, not instead of it.
The scar timeline
If you had a c-section
A c-section is major abdominal surgery, and the scar gets its own timeline. Once your GP is happy and the scar has settled, gentle movement around it helps the whole middle of you work better.
Breathing, posture, the way you get up off the floor with a baby in your arms. Scar adhesion release work itself, if you want it, can begin in the very first session, gently, and always alongside your medical team's guidance.
At home
Why home sessions are a lifeline with a baby
Getting out of the house with a newborn can take an hour. So I come to yours. The baby is welcome. Bouncer beside the mat, feeds and nappy stops worked in. If the whole session happens at a crawl, that's still a session.
No studio, no mirrors, no shared equipment. A mat and some floor space is all we need, and it's your floor.
The 1:1 difference
What 1:1 work changes
In a group class the plan is built for the room. Here it's built for you. Your pregnancy and birth shape what your body needs next.
If you're new to me, the three-session intro package is how we start. Nothing about your body changes in one hour, and I won't pretend otherwise.
After each session you get short follow-up videos, made for you. They're a support, not a to-do list. Some weeks you'll use them, some weeks the baby wins, and both are fine.
"Andy has supported me through every stage — core strengthening after my first child, many rounds of IVF, and postpartum with my second. Always with compassion and skill."
SARAH, DE BEAUVOIR TOWN
The boundary
When your GP or health visitor comes first
If anything is sharp, new, or not settling, your GP, health visitor or women's health physio leads on that. Your medical team leads on your health. My job is to build on it.
Questions
Two honest questions
I had a c-section. Can I still do Pilates?
Yes, once your GP has signed you off and the scar has settled. Scar adhesion release work can begin gently in the first session if you want it. Everything moves at your pace, with your medical team's guidance leading.
Can my baby come to sessions?
Of course. Feeds, cries and nappy changes are part of every postnatal session. The plan bends around your baby, not the other way round.
When you're ready
If now isn't the moment, save this for the week you feel curious. When it comes, the postnatal page explains how we'd work together.