Mummy MOT in Littlehampton: postnatal physiotherapy after birth

Amelia Altenburger, HCPC-registered physiotherapist at Littlehampton Natural Health Centre

A Mummy MOT-style appointment is a structured postnatal physiotherapy check: tummy muscles (including any gap), pelvic floor, posture and how you are coping with lifting, feeding, walking and exercise. At Littlehampton Natural Health Centre it is provided by Amelia Altenburger, an HCPC-registered physiotherapist who has completed additional training with Mummy MOT and POGP (Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy).

There is a dedicated Mummy MOT in Littlehampton service page. Appointments are booked as pelvic floor physiotherapy; the current pelvic floor physiotherapy in Littlehampton page has the wider clinical picture.

This is not a luxury add-on, and it is not a substitute for your GP six-week check. It is clinical physiotherapy time for the body that has been through pregnancy and birth — including caesarean.

Book a free short assessment

Book a new-patient appointment

Call 01903 734373

Who it is for

People come from Littlehampton, Rustington, East Preston, Angmering, Arundel, Bognor Regis and Worthing with symptoms such as:

  • A tummy gap (diastasis of the abdominal muscles) that still domes or feels unsupported
  • Leaking with a cough, laugh, sneeze, run or jump
  • Heaviness or bulge (prolapse symptoms)
  • Pain with sex, or discomfort around a perineal or caesarean scar
  • Back, pelvic or hip pain that started in pregnancy or after birth
  • Uncertainty about when it is sensible to return to running, HIIT, Pilates or heavy lifting

Mummy MOT materials often suggest a first specialist check around six to eight weeks after birth, once you have had your GP postnatal appointment. Amelia also sees people months or years later. “I had my baby three years ago” is a valid reason to book.

You do not need a GP letter to book privately. If something needs your GP or a specialist referral, Amelia will say so.

What Amelia actually checks

Amelia Altenburger during a pelvic health physiotherapy appointment in Littlehampton

A typical first visit is a conversation and an examination, never without consent. Amelia takes a history of pregnancy, birth, bladder, bowel, scars, feeding positions and what you want to get back to. She looks at posture, breathing and the abdominal wall, including any separation. Pelvic-floor assessment may include an internal examination because that is the most accurate way to judge lift, tone and tenderness. You can decline and still receive education and external work. You may bring a chaperone or your baby if that helps you attend — tell reception when you book so we can plan the room.

You should leave with a clear sense of what is going on, what to stop doing (for example, poorly timed sit-ups or running through leakage), and a home programme matched to your day with a baby, not a generic printout.

Return to exercise is individual. Leaking, heaviness or a widening tummy gap on impact is a reason to pause and be assessed, not to “get back to it”. Amelia will advise when running or loaded work is sensible for you. This clinic will not give a one-size return-to-sport date in a blog post.

Where EmSella fits — and where it does not

The EmSella chair is at this clinic, not a Chichester referral. It can later help load a weak pelvic floor in a clothed 30-minute session. It is not the first appointment if you also have tummy-gap, scar, pain or coordination problems. EmSella is not automatically right for pelvic pain, a tight floor, or every bladder problem. Amelia consults before any course of chair sessions (free preliminary call, then a £45 consultation).

Fees and how to book

There is no separate Mummy MOT price on our list. Appointments are booked as physiotherapy. A free short assessment is available. A new-patient appointment is £60. Follow-up 30-minute sessions are £50; a plan of six is listed at £270. Reception can confirm the most suitable slot. Some physiotherapy can be claimed on private medical insurance; cover varies, so check your policy. EmSella is not claimed as physiotherapy.

Amelia’s training and approach are on her practitioner profile. Littlehampton Natural Health Centre, 10C Granville Road, Littlehampton BN17 5JU. Monday to Thursday 09:00–12:30 and 14:00–18:00; Friday 09:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00; Saturday and Sunday closed. Free on-street parking.

Book a free short assessment

Book a new-patient appointment

Call 01903 734373

reception@lnhc.co.uk

Pelvic floor physiotherapy vs EmSella: assessment, coaching or loading?

People often ask whether they need pelvic floor physiotherapy or the EmSella chair. They are not the same appointment, and one is not a cheaper version of the other. At Littlehampton Natural Health Centre both are provided by Amelia Altenburger, an HCPC-registered physiotherapist. Many people do both. The useful question is which to start with.

Physiotherapy answers “what is going on, and can you use the muscle well?”. EmSella is one way to load a weak pelvic floor once that question is answered. Neither is automatically right for pelvic pain, a tight floor, or every bladder problem. Amelia consults first.

Service detail lives on the two existing pages: pelvic floor physiotherapy in Littlehampton and EmSella pelvic floor treatment in Littlehampton. This article is the comparison.

Amelia Altenburger during a pelvic health physiotherapy appointment in Littlehampton

What pelvic floor physiotherapy is for

A physiotherapy appointment is clinical time: history, examination and a plan you can follow at home. Amelia looks at breathing, the abdominal wall, scars, posture and how you try to “do a Kegel”. An internal vaginal examination may be offered because it is the most accurate way to judge lift, tone and tenderness. It is optional. You can decline and still receive education and external work. You may bring a chaperone.

Treatment may include teaching a correct contraction and a correct relaxation — tight is not the same as strong — plus strength or endurance work, or down-training for an overactive floor. Manual therapy to the abdomen, pelvis or pelvic-floor muscles is used where appropriate, with advice on bladder and bowel habits, lifting, running return and sex.

Start here if you cannot find the muscle, have pain, prolapse symptoms (heaviness or bulge), scarring, postnatal tummy-gap concerns, or you have never had a proper assessment.

A free short physiotherapy assessment is available. A new-patient appointment is £60. Follow-up 30-minute sessions are £50; a plan of six is listed at £270. Reception can confirm the most suitable booking.

Some physiotherapy appointments can be claimed on private medical insurance, depending on your policy. Cover varies by insurer and by treatment. See our private medical insurance page and speak to reception if you plan to claim. EmSella chair sessions are not billed as physiotherapy, and we do not invite you to claim them as physio.

EmSella chair at Littlehampton Natural Health Centre

What EmSella is for

EmSella is a clothed 30-minute chair session. High-intensity focused electromagnetic energy makes the pelvic-floor muscles contract while you sit. It does not diagnose. It does not teach technique. It does not replace an examination when one is needed.

It can help when weakness is the problem, you can tolerate electromagnetic treatment, and you want additional loading — including when Kegel exercises have been hard to do well. The manufacturer’s “11,000 Kegels” comparison, and published figures such as 95%, 75% and 66% in research summaries, are manufacturer and study figures, not this clinic’s cure rates.

EmSella is not automatically right if the floor is tight, painful or poorly coordinated. Loading a muscle that cannot relax can aggravate symptoms. That is why the booking path is a free preliminary telephone consultation, then a £45 consultation, before any course of chair sessions. Individual sessions are £80; maintenance £66; a 6-plan £396; a 12-plan £792; a review with Amelia £25.

When people do both

A common pattern is physiotherapy first: restore awareness, reduce aggravating habits, and confirm that the muscle needs strengthening rather than calming. EmSella is then added to load the muscle in a clothed session, while you continue the home programme Amelia has set. Some people later use occasional maintenance chair sessions and self-manage with exercise.

The reverse order is less useful if nobody has checked why you leak. We will not sell a chair package before a conversation.

Men are seen in both pathways, including after prostate treatment.

How to choose a first booking

Unsure whether this clinic can help, and you mainly have a physiotherapy question: book a free short assessment. Ready for a full physiotherapy assessment: book a new-patient appointment, £60. Specifically asking about the chair: start with a free EmSella preliminary call, then the £45 EmSella consultation if Amelia agrees it is in the right territory.

If you have tummy-gap, scar or return-to-exercise questions after birth, physiotherapy — including a Mummy MOT-style check — is usually the better first appointment. The chair can wait.

Book a free short assessment

Book a new-patient appointment

Book a free preliminary call

Book an EmSella consultation

Call 01903 734373

Clinic details

Amelia Altenburger, HCPC-registered physiotherapist at Littlehampton Natural Health Centre

Amelia’s profile sets out her training. Littlehampton Natural Health Centre, 10C Granville Road, Littlehampton BN17 5JU. Phone 01903 734373. Email reception@lnhc.co.uk. Monday to Thursday 09:00–12:30 and 14:00–18:00; Friday 09:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00; Saturday and Sunday closed. Free on-street parking.

Read Amelia’s profile