Bookmark

Midwives magazine: Issue 5 :: 2011

Author: Judy DiFiore  
Publisher: A&C Black Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9781408124550
Price: £18.99

Review by Jeanne Tarrant

This book is aimed at fitness instructors and physiotherapists who work with pregnant and postnatal women, as well as at new mothers themselves.

Clearly written and well-referenced for further reading, the author has written this book with the support and advice of women’s health physiotherapists and as such has spent a fair amount of time describing the anatomy, physiology and effects of pregnancy and labour on the body's muscles and joints.

The book is well structured with specific chapters on the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, which describe in detail the effects of pregnancy on these muscles and the importance of the instructor taking into account these effects when designing specific exercises for the postnatal woman.

There are photographs to illustrate each exercise along with an explanation, which is broken down into points explaining to the reader the purpose of the exercise, the preparation needed, how to undertake the exercise, as well as tips on technique and how the exercises should evolve as one becomes advanced at them. The author also gives alternatives to the exercise if it cannot be completed for various reasons.

I particularly liked the structure with a summary of the main points at the end of each chapter.

This is a great resource, not only for any fitness instructors or physios working with postnatal women, but for postnatal women who are experienced exercisers.

It would also be a handy reference tool for midwives who want to better understand the physiological effects of exercise on the postnatal body.