Pelvic floor exercises during and after pregnancy

Pelvic floor exercises – which involve contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor – aren’t just helpful throughout pregnancy and in the months after childbirth, they’re also beneficial for all stages of life, which is why experts recommend doing them every day.

Your pelvic floor goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy, which can have an impact on your bladder. 

 

Hormones such as progesterone and relaxin help to loosen and relax your muscles, joints and ligaments to allow your body to stretch and prepare it for delivering a baby. This also weakens the muscles that control urine flow, so leaks (also known as incontinence) can become more common.

 

Throw in the weight of a growing baby and constipation, which we can also be prone to during pregnancy, and there’s even more pressure on the pelvic floor. This weakens the support around your urinary tract, which can mean you experience light leaks – especially when you laugh, cough or sneeze. The weight of your baby pushing up against your bladder also causes you to feel the urge to pee more frequently.

Your pelvic floor has been weakened, but since it’s a muscle, it can be trained again. Pelvic floor exercises can help to reduce leaks by strengthening the muscles in your pelvic floor. 

 

This gives you the support you need to carry the extra weight of a baby whilst also counteracting the softening effect that those pregnancy hormones have on your muscles and ligaments. They also help to keep the pelvic floor elastic with good blood circulation, which can improve recovery time after childbirth. 

The next time you are peeing, focus on stopping the flow of urine midway through emptying your bladder. Stop the flow for a second or two, then relax and finish emptying as normal. This is a great way to help you identify your pelvic floor muscles if you’re having trouble finding them, but this is not a pelvic floor exercise, so only do this if you need to understand which muscles to engage.

 

The best way to most effectively engage your pelvic floor while pregnant is to lie on your side. This allows you to concentrate on strengthening the muscles whilst avoiding the extra degree of difficulty that gravity throws in when you’re sitting or standing. 

The technique behind pelvic floor exercises isn’t difficult, but it does take a bit of practice before you can perform it effectively.

 

Start by tightening the muscles gently so you can feel the pelvic floor muscles lifting and drawing together and squeeze for as long as you can – you might only be able to hold for a couple of seconds , or you might make it to five seconds – then relax for the amount of time. And repeat.

Be careful not to tighten the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. You should only engage the pelvic floor muscles and try not to hold your breath as you do it. If you’re in any doubt about your technique, it’s a good idea to contact a healthcare professional for advice.

 

There are a few different pelvic floor exercises you can try. If you can, try to do three pelvic floor exercises a day and mix up the types to work your pelvic floor in different ways.