As a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist that mostly treats new and expecting moms, I commonly get asked about which products I recommend to help maintain pelvic girdle support and prevent pelvic floor dysfunction throughout pregnancy and postpartum. While it’s hard to narrow it down to a select few, I always find myself coming back to these 3 products for help with maintaining the health of your pelvic floor muscles, supporting good posture, and protecting your joints during pregnancy.

Squatty Potty

This isn’t the most glamorous purchase but it certainly is the best one that you can make for your pelvic floor health. The Squatty Potty is a simple tool that can be easily placed in any bathroom. It works to optimize your biomechanics so that you can have easier and more regular bowel movements — more specifically it elevates your feet while seated so that your anorectal angle is at the optimal degree, freeing this area of kinks that would otherwise require you to strain to have a bowel movement. By preventing you from straining, it removes excessive pressure on your pelvic floor muscles and helps to prevent haemorrhoids which commonly make an appearance during pregnancy. Yay for the Squatty Potty! Pregnant or not, I think everyone should own one.

Birth Ball

A chair for your desk? A workout bench? A tool for labour and birth? What can’t a birth ball do? With its many different functions, having a birth ball is incredibly useful during pregnancy. I recommend it to my clients who sit at a desk for long periods of time to help prevent sciatic pain and alleviate pressure on the tailbone. I love it for working out at home because it can be used to modify a lot of exercises that would otherwise require you to lie on your back, which isn’t always the most comfortable when you are pregnant. It is also a great piece of equipment for many different labouring exercises and pushing positions during birth, so you can bring it to the hospital with you if your hospital doesn’t provide you with one! Overall, definitely a must-have. For sizing, go big — anywhere from 75-85cm.

Pregnancy pillow

The pregnancy pillow is there to help you sleep comfortably at night. Since the recommendation is to sleep on your side during pregnancy, placing a pillow between your knees allows you to keep your hip joints in a neutral position. This prevents your hip joint from rolling inwards while you sleep, which prevents strain on the muscles of your hip. Depending on how you position your pillow, it can also provide head, neck, and back support and prevent you from rolling onto your belly or back during the night, which a lot of moms worry about. I often find my dog Waffle sleeping on my pregnancy pillow when I’m not around — it’s a household favourite.

I’ve linked the products that I use myself in the caption beneath each photo. For more product recommendations and reviews to help support you during motherhood, click below to subscribe to my mailing list!

My Top 3 Product Recommendations for Pregnancy as a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist

Squatty Potty

Birth Ball

Pregnancy pillow

My Hospital Bag Essentials

My Prenatal Fitness Routine — From First to Third Trimester