Your six-week appointment: what gets checked, and what often gets missed
A plain guide to the postnatal check, the questions worth bringing, and why feeling "signed off" is not the same as a recovered core and pelvic floor.
Quick answer
In the UK, the NHS offers every new mum a postnatal check with a GP around 6 to 8 weeks after birth. It usually covers your mood and mental health, bleeding, stitches or caesarean wound healing, blood pressure if needed, and contraception. It does not usually include a physical check of your tummy muscles or pelvic floor, so leaking, heaviness or a tummy gap can go unnoticed unless you raise them. Bring a short list of symptoms and ask directly about pelvic health physiotherapy if anything feels wrong.
What is the 6-week postnatal check?
The postnatal check is a GP appointment for you, separate from your baby's own 6 to 8 week examination (although many surgeries book them back to back). The NHS describes it as a chance to make sure you are feeling well and recovering after the birth. In England, the GP contract has included a dedicated maternal postnatal consultation since 2020, so your own health should get its own time rather than a few minutes at the end of the baby's check.
Timing and format differ by country. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that postpartum care be an ongoing process rather than a single visit, with contact within the first 3 weeks and a comprehensive visit no later than 12 weeks after birth. In Australia, RANZCOG and local health services generally advise a postnatal check with your GP or care provider around 6 weeks.
when the NHS offers the maternal postnatal check with a GP
ACOG's recommended window for first postpartum contact with your care provider
ACOG's latest point for a comprehensive postpartum visit
What is usually checked
Every surgery runs the appointment a little differently, but the NHS lists these as the typical topics:
- How you are feeling: your mood, anxiety and signs of postnatal depression. This is one of the most important parts of the check.
- Physical healing: bleeding (lochia), and how any stitches, tear or caesarean wound are healing.
- Blood pressure: especially if you had high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnancy.
- Contraception: your options, including while breastfeeding.
- Other follow-ups: such as cervical screening if it is due, or conditions like gestational diabetes that need a later test.
What often gets missed
Many mums leave the appointment feeling "signed off" for exercise, but the check is not usually designed to assess the muscles that took the biggest load in pregnancy and birth.
- Your tummy gap. Diastasis recti is not routinely measured. That matters because it is common at exactly this stage.
- Your pelvic floor. Strength and function are rarely examined, and leaking or heaviness may never come up unless you mention them. Our guide on why you might leak when you sneeze after birth explains why this is common and treatable.
- Return to exercise. Being cleared to exercise is general advice, not a personal plan for how to rebuild your core safely.
60%
45.5%
32.6%
Source: Sperstad et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016.
In other words, more than half of women in that study still had a gap at the point when most postnatal checks happen. For the wider picture, see our roundup of diastasis recti statistics.
Questions worth bringing to your appointment
Appointments can feel rushed, especially with a baby in your arms. Writing a few questions down beforehand helps:
- Can you check my tummy for a gap, or show me how to check it myself?
- I leak when I cough, sneeze or lift. Can I be referred to a pelvic health physiotherapist?
- I feel heaviness or dragging down below. Should this be examined?
- Is my caesarean scar or tear healing as expected?
- When and how should I build back up to exercise?
- I am not feeling like myself. What support is available?
If you are referred, our guide to getting a GP referral for postpartum physio walks you through the process. Some mums also choose a private postnatal assessment; we look at the pros, cons and costs in is a Mummy MOT worth it.
After the check: rebuilding at your own pace
If you feel well and have no leaking, heaviness or pain, the weeks after your check are a good time to start gentle, progressive core work. Begin with a home diastasis recti self-test so you have a baseline, then build from breathing and deep core activation before anything harder. Our article on when you can work out after birth covers the typical sequence.
If symptoms appear or get worse at any point, pause and get assessed. Recovery timelines vary widely, and results vary from mum to mum.
Want a simple plan for the months after your check?
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Frequently asked questions
What happens at the 6-week postnatal check?
Your GP usually asks how you are feeling emotionally, checks on bleeding and the healing of any stitches or caesarean wound, may take your blood pressure, and discusses contraception. It is a general health review rather than a detailed physical assessment of your core or pelvic floor.
Does the 6-week check include a pelvic floor examination?
Not usually. If you have leaking, heaviness, pain or any concerns about your pelvic floor, raise them and ask to be referred to a pelvic health physiotherapist, which is free on the NHS.
Will my GP check for diastasis recti?
It is not a routine part of the appointment, so ask if you would like it checked. This matters because Sperstad et al. (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016) found 60% of women had a tummy gap at 6 weeks postpartum.
Does being signed off at 6 weeks mean I can do any exercise?
Not necessarily. Clearance is general advice. It is safer to build up gradually, starting with breathing and deep core work, and to get assessed if you notice leaking, heaviness, pain or doming along your tummy.
What if I did not get a 6-week check?
Contact your GP surgery and ask for your maternal postnatal check, even if it is late. You can also raise physical recovery concerns at any later appointment, whether that is months or years after birth.
Sources: NHS, Your 6-week postnatal check; NHS England, GP contract 2020/21 (maternal postnatal consultation); American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Committee Opinion 736: Optimizing Postpartum Care, 2018; RANZCOG, postnatal care information; Sperstad JB et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016.
This article is general education, not medical advice. Mumma Glow is not affiliated with any programme or organisation named here. Results vary from mum to mum. If you have leaking, heaviness, pain, low mood or any concerns, see your GP, midwife or a women's health physiotherapist.