If you’ve ever wondered just how much pregnancy and childbirth actually asks of your body, here’s a comparison that puts it into perspective. Researchers at Duke University found that pregnant women burn energy at a rate that matches elite endurance athletes running the equivalent of six marathons a week, every week, for four months straight! In fact, the scientists behind the study called it the single most physically demanding thing a human body can do…and that’s all before you even get to childbirth, or the months of recovery that follow!

So, it’s little wonder, after such a momentous physical undertaking, that so many of us are left dealing with issues most of us were never warned about. Maybe there’s an ache that’s been hanging around since pregnancy and you’ve just decided it’s probably nothing, or you’ve stopped yourself mid-stretch wondering if it’s still safe to move the way you used to. Maybe you’ve googled whether it’s okay to keep lifting your toddler this far along, or found yourself hesitating before a walk because you’re not sure what your body can actually handle right now. Maybe you’ve laughed at something genuinely funny and had to cross your legs at the same time, or maybe you noticed months ago that your tummy still domes a bit when you sit up and you’ve never quite got around to asking anyone if that’s normal. And maybe nobody’s actually checked your pelvic floor since the day you left hospital.

The chances are you’ve just assumed this is what your body is like now, or you’re too embarrassed to bring it up, or the cost of seeing someone feels hard to justify when there’s a hundred other things the money could go to, or you’re simply too flat out looking after everybody to make an appointment for yourself. So instead of getting help you make adjustments instead: spare undies in the bag just in case, a visit to the toilet before every car trip whether you need to go or not, standing side-on in the mirror trying to work out if this is just how your stomach looks now.

But, here’s the thing — none of it needs to be something you just live with! A women’s health physio sees these exact issues all day, every day, and for most women, the right support resolves them. The trouble is getting that support when you need it.

A six week check usually covers the basics: how you’re healing, a look at your mental health, a chat about contraception, and if you’re breastfeeding, a check of your breasts. It’s a genuinely important appointment, but it’s not designed to be a deep dive. Research into Australian GP practice has found that while most doctors will examine the abdomen and general wellbeing, pelvic floor checks and questions about bladder or bowel symptoms don’t happen nearly as often, which means that some issues slip through without ever being raised. EMLI Health was built to close that gap, and this October we are giving one lucky Mums Lounge reader a full year of access, completely free!

The Story Behind EMLI Health

EMLI Health was created by a mum, for mums. Amy is a pharmacist who assumed her professional background meant she’d know how to navigate her own body through fertility struggles, a difficult pregnancy and close to a year of pelvic pain afterwards. Instead, she found herself just as lost as everyone else, unable to find consistent, trustworthy  guidance on how to move safely at any stage of the journey. She began seeing Ali, a women’s health physiotherapists, and although the sessions helped, fitting appointments around work and a baby quickly became exhausting, and the time between each appointment began to stretch longer than either of them would have liked.

Ali had seen the same pattern play out with patient after patient in the clinic, women arriving confused, some having pushed through exercises that made things worse, most just wanting guidance that was actually safe rather than a generic instruction to rest and wait it out. Between Amy’s lived experience and Ali’s clinical background, the idea for EMLI took shape. They built the thing they’d both wished existed, a space where clinical expertise meets real empathy, so that women moving through fertility, pregnancy and postpartum recovery could get expert-led support whenever they actually need it. Today, EMLI covers everything from preparing the body for conception through to pregnancy and full postpartum recovery, all designed by people who have lived it as well as studied it.

What You Could Win

One winner will receive a 12-month EMLI Health membership, valued at $288, giving full access to every program and resource on the platform. That includes the pregnancy program Birth Prep and Recovery, alongside the full suite of postpartum support: Foundations of Postpartum Recovery, Return to Impact Exercise Safely After Birth and Return to Running. Whether you’re preparing for birth, easing back into exercise, or just want to feel like yourself again after having a baby, there’s a program built for exactly where you are. Everything runs from your phone or laptop, so you can work through the sessions during your baby’s nap window, at 6am in your PJ’s before anyone’s awake, or whenever you actually have a spare twenty minutes, rather than trying to get bub dressed and out the door for an appointment that clashes with the one nap of the day you both need. And because it’s something you can come back to daily rather than waiting weeks for the next available slot, progress doesn’t stall in the time between appointments the way it so often does with traditional in-person care.

On top of the membership, the winner will also receive an initial Telehealth consult with a women’s health physio valued at $200. This is the kind of appointment so many of us don’t even realise we need until something doesn’t feel right.

Altogether, this prize is worth $488, but the real value is what it gives you access to. Proper guidance makes a measurable difference to postpartum recovery, both physically and mentally, yet it’s often the first thing that falls away once you’re home from hospital and back to the demands of a newborn.

Enter Here for Your Chance to Win

For your chance to win, simply complete the entry form below. Good luck!

For those of you who don’t want to leave it to chance, EMLI Health also offers a free 7-day trial so you can start exploring the programs straight away. Sign up here for instant access.

Win 12 Months of Expert Backed Pregnancy and Postpartum Programs (Plus a Free Physio Consult) Valued at $488