Pelvic floor exercises

During your pregnancy, the increasing weight of your growing baby places increased pressure on your pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor is made up of a combination of muscles, fascia and ligaments that lie across the base of the pelvis. 

These muscles support the pelvic organs especially when there is an increase in pressure in the abdomen such as when you cough, sneeze, lift, jump or laugh and the muscles prevent downward movement of the pelvic organs.

The pelvic floor muscles surround your urethra, back passage (rectum) and vagina and prevent unwanted leakage of urine, wind and stool, providing bladder and bowel control.

They also help to provide support for the pelvic organs including the bladder, bowel and uterus (womb) and help to improve sexual satisfaction by improving vaginal sensation. 

It is recommended that you exercise your pelvic floor muscles regularly throughout your pregnancy and once you have birthed your baby/babies. 

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How to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles:

Firstly, find your pelvic floor muscles and learn how to squeeze them!

Squeeze the muscles surrounding your back passage (imagine yourself trying to stop passing wind) and then squeeze the muscles around your urethra (where you urinate from, imagine trying to stop passing urine).

Ensure you're breathing normally (not pulling in your stomach) and keeping your buttocks relaxed.

You may find it easier to start the exercises lying down or sitting down and progress to standing.

Long squeezes

Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles and .....

1. Hold the squeeze for up to 10 seconds. To begin with, you may only be able to hold this for a few seconds, but with practice this should gradually build up to 10 seconds.
2. Don’t hold your breath and breathe normally throughout the exercise.
3. Relax fully after each contraction and then repeat up to 10 times. To begin with you may only be able to repeat this a couple of times but this should improve with practice.

Short squeezes

1. Squeeze the pelvic floor muscles quickly and immediately relax again - be sure to fully relax your muscles after each contraction.
2. Breathe normally throughout.
3. Repeat the short squeezes up to 10 times.

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The Knack

'The Knack' describes squeezing your pelvic floor before doing daily activities such as lifting, coughing and sneezing to prevent leakage of urine.

Postnatal Pelvic Floor Exercise Advice 

You can begin to perform pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel comfortable following the birth of your baby (including after a caesarean birth. If you have a catheter in situ for any reason following your birth, please await it to be removed before starting to exercise your pelvic floor.

You can perform them lying, sitting or standing.

Start by squeezing gently, slowly and rhythmically to activate the muscles and build up to normal pelvic floor exercises. They should not be painful.

This will help blood flow to the area and aid healing and recovery.

Pelvic floor exercises should be continued for the rest of your life to maintain the strength of the muscles and prevent symptoms such as urinary incontinence; bowel incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

For further information visit Pelvic Obstetric Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP):

• www.thepogp.co.uk
• PCOG Fit for Pregnancy 
• PCOG Fit for the Future
• PCOG Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises (for women)