A Mummy MOT-style appointment at Littlehampton Natural Health Centre is a postnatal physiotherapy assessment: tummy muscles (including any gap), pelvic floor, posture, scars, and how you lift, feed, walk and exercise. It is provided by Amelia Altenburger, an HCPC-registered physiotherapist with additional pelvic-floor training through Mummy MOT and POGP (Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy).
This is not a spa treatment, and it does not replace your GP postnatal check. It is clinical time to find out what your abdominal wall and pelvic floor are doing after pregnancy and birth — including caesarean — and to set a plan you can follow with a baby in the house.
There is no separate Mummy MOT fee on our price list. We book these visits as pelvic floor physiotherapy. A free short assessment is available if you are unsure. A new-patient appointment is £60; follow-up 30-minute sessions are £50. Reception can confirm the most suitable booking.
Book a new-patient appointment
Who it is for
We see people from Littlehampton, Rustington, East Preston, Angmering, Arundel, Bognor Regis, Felpham and Worthing who want a private postnatal check without a long wait.
It may be appropriate if you have:
- A tummy gap (diastasis of the rectus abdominis) that still domes, feels slack, or worries you on exercise
- Leaking with a cough, laugh, sneeze, run or jump
- Urgency, frequency, or difficulty emptying bladder or bowel
- Heaviness or bulge (prolapse symptoms)
- Pain with sex, or discomfort around a perineal or caesarean scar
- Back, pelvic girdle or hip pain that started in pregnancy or after birth
- A wish to return to running, gym classes, Pilates or lifting, and you want someone to check you are ready
Mummy MOT guidance commonly points to a specialist check around six to eight weeks after birth, after your GP appointment. Amelia also assesses people months or years later. You do not need a GP letter to book privately. If we find something that needs your GP or a specialist referral, we will say so.
If your main question is a clothed chair session for a weak pelvic floor, see our EmSella pelvic floor treatment in Littlehampton page. For a wider pelvic-floor problem that is not specifically postnatal, see pelvic floor physiotherapy in Littlehampton. Amelia can advise which booking fits.
What happens at the appointment
History. Pregnancy, birth (including tears, instruments and caesarean), bladder and bowel, feeding and lifting, what you have already tried, medications, and your goals.
Examination. Usually starts with breathing, posture, abdominal wall and scars, and how you try to recruit the pelvic floor. An internal vaginal examination may be offered because it is the most accurate way to judge lift, tone, endurance and tenderness. It is optional. You can say no and still receive education and external work. You may bring a chaperone. Wear comfortable clothes; you may be asked to undress from the waist down for part of the assessment, with a cover. We do not offer a rectal examination.
Plan. Amelia explains what she found in plain English. Treatment may include teaching a correct pelvic-floor contraction and a correct relaxation (tight is not the same as strong); abdominal-wall work for a tummy gap, including what to stop (for example poorly timed sit-ups); scar and soft-tissue work where appropriate; advice on the car seat, buggy, feeding positions and constipation; and a home programme matched to your day. EmSella is added later only if the pelvic floor needs loading rather than calming, and there are no contraindications.
You should leave knowing what is safe this week, what to build towards, and when to review.
Tummy gap, pelvic floor, return to exercise
A tummy gap is common after birth. Many people also have pelvic-floor weakness. Neither is something you should simply put up with, and neither is automatically fixed by a generic “get your body back” class.
Amelia checks whether the midline is loading well, whether the pelvic floor lifts and relaxes, and whether impact is making symptoms worse. Return to running or high-intensity exercise is individual. Leaking, heaviness, or a widening gap on impact is a reason to pause and be assessed. Amelia will give you a range after she has seen you.
Meet Amelia Altenburger
Amelia graduated from the University of Chichester with a BSc in Physiotherapy and is HCPC-registered. She treats musculoskeletal problems and pelvic health, with further training in Mummy MOT and POGP pelvic-floor courses. She has a particular interest in women’s health, postnatal recovery and pelvic-floor dysfunction.
EmSella after a postnatal check
The EmSella chair is at this clinic on Granville Road. It is a clothed 30-minute treatment that uses electromagnetic energy to load the pelvic floor. Manufacturer materials describe thousands of contractions per session (often compared with “11,000 Kegels”) and quote research figures such as 95%, 75% and 66% in studied groups. Those are manufacturer and published-study figures, not this clinic’s cure rates.
EmSella is not automatically right for pelvic pain, a tight floor, untreated tummy-gap problems, or every bladder symptom. If you need a postnatal check, start here. If Amelia later thinks extra loading would help, we begin with a free preliminary telephone consultation, then a £45 consultation, before any course of sessions.
Fees
Booked as physiotherapy. Reception can confirm if a longer first visit is more appropriate.
- Free short assessment
- New-patient physiotherapy appointment — £60
- 30-minute follow-up — £50
- Plan of 6 × 30-minute sessions — £270
Some physiotherapy appointments can be claimed on private medical insurance. Cover varies by insurer, excess and authorisation — check your policy and speak to reception if you plan to claim. EmSella chair sessions are not billed as physiotherapy.
Practicalities
Littlehampton Natural Health Centre, 10C Granville Road, Littlehampton BN17 5JU. Free on-street parking. 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.
Arrive a few minutes early; first visits often need forms. You may bring a baby — tell reception when you book.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a branded Mummy MOT® hour with a written report?
Amelia has completed Mummy MOT training and structures postnatal physiotherapy around that assessment (posture, abdominal wall, pelvic floor, function). Appointments are booked as physiotherapy. Ask if you want a written summary; do not assume a branded paperwork pack unless we confirm it for your visit.
Will I have an internal examination?
Only if you consent and it would change the plan. You can say no. We do not offer a rectal examination.
I had a caesarean. Can I still come?
Yes. Scar, abdominal wall and pelvic floor are all part of the same postnatal picture. Amelia also sees people whose youngest child is at school.
Do I need EmSella as well?
Not always. We suggest it when extra loading is likely to help and there are no contraindications.
How many sessions will I need?
Often a short block rather than open-ended weekly care. Amelia should give you a range after the first visit.