Pregnancy Osteopathy & Pelvic Floor Health with FOUR MAMAS

Today we are chatting with the inspiring founders of FOUR MAMAS, and asking Olivia de Maigret, a leading osteopath in women’s health, all about osteopathy and how it can help during and after pregnancy, and the importance of pelvic floor health beyond Kegels.

If you haven't heard of FOUR MAMAS yet , you're missing out. FOUR MAMAS combines clinical expertise and corporate strategy to rebuild how the world supports modern motherhood.

Founded in 2024 by Morgane Besins and Olivia de Maigret, together they are transforming how women are supported before, during, and after birth by delivering expert-led, personalised care to mothers with curated retreats, and also helping companies retain talent, rethink policy, and make motherhood part of their leadership strategy.

Olivia: Move! Mobility is key. However, it is often misunderstood — people think it is just about going to the gym or walking. My little secret in clinic is that I get my patients to do a figure of 8 with their hips for five minutes daily.
Most of us are too sedentary in many ways: driving cars, sitting on the Tube or at a desk, or just moving around the house. Then suddenly we all decide to go to Ashtanga yoga or Barry’s. Keeping your pelvis healthy to prepare for birth is about finding the middle ground in movement. Starts with dancing ;-)

For someone who may not be very familiar with osteopathy, can you please share how osteopathy during pregnancy can help relieve the changes the body experiences from the first trimester up to the birth?

Olivia: It is actually pretty basic. During pregnancy, we try to stay drug-free, and Osteopathy is the perfect therapy because it's work being done with the hands on the body. The surge of relaxin hormones allows your body to change shape, but it can also be really painful and difficult for women. Physically, it is as intense as puberty growth. Osteopathy can support those changes. 

I also recommend massage. Having a good masseuse who understands your body and works on your glutes and the muscles throughout your legs can be incredibly supportive.

Can you explain the difference between a tight pelvic floor and a strong one, and why releasing tension is just as important as building strength before and after baby arrives?

Olivia: Let’s take the analogy of hamstrings. Tight hamstrings are when you cannot touch the floor with your hands while bending forward. Strong hamstrings are what help you run fast or jump high — and both are compatible. You can touch the floor with your hands and still jump really high, but often people focus only on performance and end up becoming very tight.

The pelvic floor and the biomechanics of the pelvis are the same. Strong glutes are great, but strength without mobility and balance can create tension and dysfunction.

For a new mother navigating the early weeks of postpartum, constantly nursing/feeding, carrying, and bending, what are the subtle warning signs that her body needs structural support, and when is the ideal time to book a postnatal osteopathy session, and how often is recommended? 

Olivia: Don’t wait until you are in pain. You can come in anytime, as soon as you feel comfortable leaving the house. Birth is as intense as running a marathon, so getting support for your recovery straight afterwards should be standard practice.

You do not need to wait for your 6-week check to have your body looked at. It is an important medical checkpoint for many reasons, but six weeks is a long wait for your body.

In clinic, I advise women on breathwork and how to sit up properly. We work on lymphatic circulation and on moving the shoulder and hip girdles to help restore function. As a general guide, if you can have three sessions, you can cover a lot. At minimum, one session is beneficial, and if you can have more than six, even better — but it is always case by case.

There is also an honest truth to admit: we never fully know how the body will respond to birth or treatment, and we cannot exactly plan recovery.

FOUR MAMAS has excitingly expanded from classes and a motherhood concierge into offering a groundbreaking maternity retention system for companies. For an expectant mother looking for better corporate support, how can she pitch this robust programme to her employer or HR team—especially if they haven’t heard of it yet?

Olivia: The biggest shift is realising you're not asking for a favour, you're solving a problem your employer probably doesn't even know they have! Poor support pushes around 100,000 mums out of work every year, costing UK businesses £650 million. You're not the cost. You're the fix.

So I'd say something like: "I'm about to go through this, and I'd love for us to do it really well, for me, and for everyone after me." That makes you the champion, not the one asking for special treatment.

And make it easy for them. Don't ask HR to build a policy from scratch, they don't have time. Just point them to us. FOUR MAMAS is ready to plug straight in, so you're taking work off their plate, not adding to it.

Most companies genuinely want to keep you. They just don't have the tools yet. That's all this is.