I spent the day at the Clevedon
Community Hospital North Somerset NHS, where I shadowed a physiotherapy that
specialised in midwifery physiotherapy. I was not sure at first what to expect,
as I did not know much about pregnancy. However it became very clear to me that
physiotherapy is key in the course of pregnancy as it can affect a woman’s body
substantially, making movement inhibited sometimes,
Firstly I sat in on the first
class of the day which consisted of several heavily pregnant women. The physio went
through various different breathing techniques which was fun to join in with,
as they all practised together. The breathing techniques were important as when
giving birth, it is vital to never stop breathing or you are depriving your
body from oxygen. The physio then explained a variety of different birth positions;
it is almost possible to give birth in any position that is most comfortable as
long as the spine and head is controlled and in the correct position. I found
this class incredibly enjoyable as it was interactive and thoroughly
interesting, to discover how physiotherapy can be linked with such a fascinating
thing such as child birth.
I then joined another group to
observe and the physio was giving various tips and pointers for rehabilitation
of the body after birth. The physio explained that their body’s would take a
while to recover and then the physio showed them some exercises that would
gently help them get back to being able to exercise, as it would be unhealthy
and possibly dangerous to the body to go straight back into intense exercise
after child birth.
I am incredibly lucky to have had
this experience of observing such a specialised type of physiotherapy in a
thoroughly enjoyable working environment. It has inspired me to discover and
research different other types of physiotherapy that I could possibly
specialise in, in the future.
