The human body is made of up many different types of proteins and collagen is the most common type. Collagen is the main protein in connective tissue. It connects different parts of the body including muscles, and provides support to organs.

To put it simply, the abdominal wall has two six pack muscles on the left and right (rectus abdominus) that are connected in the middle by connective tissue (linea alba).

The pelvic floor is a combination of the pelvic floor muscles and their connective tissues. The connective tissue or fascia inside the pelvis is made up primarily of collagen and elastin fibres. The role of these fibres are to suspend the pelvic organs (bladder, bowel, uterus) from above and support the pelvic floor muscles.

During pregnancy and birth women may experience a loosening in their muscles, joints and connective tissue due to the hormone relaxin. This hormone is released to help increase the gap between your tummy muscles to make space for the baby as well as widen the pelvis to make delivery easier.

During pregnancy, women may also experience a temporary and reversible loss in bone density as the babies calcium needs increase.

After delivery, the addition of a collage supplement in your diet may help to improve muscles, tendons, joints and bones. It can assist in the healing and recovery of abdominal separation, pelvic floor dysfunction and bone density.

Collagen also has the added benefit on improving skin, hair, nails and the digestive system which can all be impacted by the changes that occur during pregnancy.

Collagen powder can be derived from different sources. Bloom Essentials are stocking a bovine collagen which comes from grass fed and finished cows and a marine collagen which comes from wild caught cod. Both supplements are from NutraViva. The inclusion of this particular company was primarily because their products are 100% pure and natural which aligns with the values of Bloom Essentials.