Hi, I'm Aby Tobin

The Strong MAMA Physio

I was certainly not always the Strong MAMA I now am...this is my story!

I started out as a Sports & Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist having been a competitive 400m athlete. I was very used to pushing my body to the limits and being physically very able. When I became pregnant with my first I followed the guidance and continued with my exercise. I ran into my 3rd trimester and was lifting weights 3 days before I gave birth. My plan was to be running 8 weeks after birth and competing back on track within 9 months. I felt fine at the time, but I had no awareness of my pelvic floor. We don't get taught about the pelvic system in our Physio degree!

My first birth entailed 2 hours of pushing a baby through a pelvic floor that couldn't relax, all ending in 3 tears. Not being someone to be defeated I then went on a 3 mile walk on day 3, a trip to IKEA on day 10 and attended a 30th birthday party on day 13. I kept this up until at 4 months post partum I was physically and mentally broken with a posterior wall prolapse, missed 3rd degree tear and symptoms of these governing my every day life. I then started learning about this thing called the pelvis and everything it contains and is attached to. This is where my journey into Pelvic Health Physiotherapy began...

​All I kept thinking was that if I was struggling, as someone with a pretty in depth knowledge of the human body, then what were other women doing?! Starting to speak to other Mums at baby groups I realised so many were lost when it came to caring for their postnatal body. This is where the passion began. I undertook further training to become a Pelvic Health Specialist Physio. I gradually built myself back up again with everything I was learning before I fell pregnant again at 14 months post partum. 

​This time I was keen to do things differently, so I changed my whole approach looking to combine my Pelvic Health knowledge with my Sports physio brain. I developed a training programme in which my target competition became labour. Everything I did was geared towards my body and preparing it for what labour required and optimising my recovery afterwards. The 2nd birth and recovery was a very different experience. I am now stronger than ever, lifting new PBs in the gym, and I even set a new Long Jump PB this year (after 2 babies!!).

We all have a different story with a unique body, but I believe amazing things are possible in every situation with the right education and support.

The Professional Bit

I qualified as a Physiotherapist in 2015 from the University of Birmingham. I developed in the area of Sports Medicine working with fun runners to professional athletes. When I decided to pursue the Pelvic Health specialism I did further training in assessment and treatment methods, including the Mummy MOT. 

I am now the lead tutor for the Rehab module on the Mummy MOT Practitioner course and founder of the Mummy MOT Fit Pro course. I deliver workshops and lectures to health care and fitness professionals on how to use exercise as an effective treatment in Pelvic Health.