Resources
Videos
These videos grew out of the conversations I have with women every day in clinic. The models I use to show anatomy, the exercises I find myself returning to again and again. I wanted to make them available here so that anyone can access them, not just the women who come to see me in person.
They’re not polished productions. It was just me, a friend, a light and a camera. But the content is genuine, and I hope it’s useful.
Not everything here will be relevant to you, and some exercises may not be right for your body or where you’re at right now. Treat this as a resource to explore at your own pace, something you can come back to after an appointment, or simply to browse if you’re curious.
As always, if something raises questions or you’d like to explore any of it in more depth, I’d love to hear from you.
Anatomy
Your pelvis is made up of several bones that move and adapt, especially during labour. Here’s an introduction to what they are and how they work.
The organs of the pelvis: the bladder, uterus, bowel, sit within a web of connective tissue called fascia. This video looks at where everything lives, how it’s connected, and why that matters for birth.
The ligaments and muscles of the pelvis do a remarkable amount of work supporting your growing uterus, stabilizing your joints, and playing a central role in birth and recovery. This video introduces the key ones and what they do.
Exercises
This is a technique for your own hands -- a way of connecting with your pelvic space, learning to soften with pressure, and building the conversation between your brain, your breath, your pelvis, and your hands. It works on more than just the perineum, and it's worth getting familiar with well before labour.
A tight psoas can affect how freely your baby moves and how much space they have in your belly and hips. This video introduces a gentle release technique that helps ease that tension, settles your nervous system, and often brings welcome relief to the hips and lower back.
This one looks deceptively simple. Jiggling works on the fascia and the nervous system, helping the body release tension and shift into a more relaxed state -- useful throughout pregnancy, and particularly valuable during labour.
This gentle inversion comes from Spinning Babies, and works on the ligaments supporting your uterus, helping to create space and balance for your baby. It can feel wonderful on the back, and is a technique worth knowing for pregnancy and for labour.
This video describes a simple belly massage technique for partners. You can help create more comfort and softness in the belly by using slow pressure that feels like a good stretch.
This video is a brief introduction to internal pelvic release (IPR) -- soft tissue work done through the vagina, addressing the fascia, muscles, and ligaments of the pelvis. The focus is mostly on the back wall, though work around the cervix is sometimes part of a session too. IPR can be valuable in pregnancy for birth preparation, and at any stage of life for healing, scar tissue, and other pelvic issues. One of the particular gifts of doing this work with a therapist is having someone to guide you through a space that many women have never been supported to explore. The level of intensity is always in your hands. More information about IPR is available on this website.
For Midwives
This video describes a very simple way midwives can help soften the belly during a palp. We make contact with the broad ligament, uterine muscle and abdominal muscles, as well as softening the space between hips, ribs and uterus. It should feel good for the woman and often improves comfort and reduces tension in the hips, back and belly.
Podcasts
These conversations explore the work I do with women preparing their bodies and minds for birth: pelvic anatomy, internal pelvic release, and the quieter art of learning to soften and connect before labour begins.
Transform Your Birth — Preventing Birth Injury Through Pelvic Preparation, Episode 123 with Tracey Anderson - Askew
A conversation about why preparing the pelvis before birth matters, and what that preparation can look like practically -- from understanding your anatomy to working with the soft tissue of the pelvic space.
The Women Who Guided Me — Preparing for Birth and Postpartum with Internal Pelvic Release, Episode 3 with Parris Burtenshaw-Davies
A wider conversation about internal pelvic release work, birth preparation, and the quieter side of getting ready for birth -- learning to connect with and trust your body before labour begins.