What You Should Know About Your Pelvic Floor Before, During and After Pregnancy

In this article, we will explore how you can better strengthen and take care of your pelvic floor before, during and after pregnancy to help ensure avoiding issues when your little one is here.

What is the Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that work together to create a support structure for your abdominal organs. These muscles form a kind of hammock that brace organs such as your uterus, bladder and rectum. Part of its job is to promote healthy bowel and bladder control as well as comfort during sexual intercourse. 

If something goes wrong with your pelvic floor, it can affect a variety of everyday functions. Pelvic floor disorders happen when muscles or connective tissues in this area are weakened or injured. This could cause urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, the inability to fully empty your bladder, or pain during sexual intercourse. 

Because of the toll pregnancy and childbirth have on this region in your body, pelvic floor disorders are not uncommon in women who have given birth. 

Before Pregnancy

If you’re planning on having children, there are some things you can do beforehand to get your pelvic floor muscles ready for the workout they’re about to get. The following exercises will help strengthen the muscles of your pelvic floor and help reduce the risk of disorders later.

1) Kegels

First, you need to identify what these muscles are. The best way to do it is to stop your urine midstream. These are the muscles you want to work out. To exercise them, simply contract these muscles for five seconds and then release for 5 seconds. Repeat this 10 times, 3 times a day.

2) Squats

Squats help engage some of the largest muscles in your body. Simply stand in an upright position with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and push your hips and buttocks back like you’re about to sit in a chair. Straighten your legs and return to an upright position. Repeat this movement 15 times. 

Practicing these exercises prior to getting pregnant will help prepare your pelvic floor for the big job it’s about to take on.

During Pregnancy

As your fetus grows, your pelvic floor muscles are going to work harder than before to support the extra weight. In addition, pregnancy hormones also soften the muscles.

While pregnant, you can still exercise your pelvic floor muscles, but you will probably need to change your routine as the exercises you did before will be more difficult. A couple of exercises you can try include:

1) Belly Breathing

Sitting with your legs crossed and your back supported, slowly inhale through your nose and expand your belly. As you exhale through the mouth, draw in your abdominal muscles, envisioning pulling your navel to your spine.

2) Belly Dancing on All Fours

Get down on your hands and knees. Keeping your back flat, draw your abdominal muscles up and in and hold while breathing normally. Tilt your pelvis under, bringing your pubic bone toward your navel. Hold this position to the count of five. 

Remember that whether you give birth vaginally or by cesarean, your pelvic floors will be greatly impacted. With a vaginal birth, they will undergo considerable stretching and strain. However, during a cesarean, you’ll be experiencing cutting through multiple muscle layers. 

After Pregnancy

Once your little one is here, your pelvic floor is going to need a little extra love. During the first six weeks postpartum, your main focus should simply be recovery. 

The truth is that a little bit of urinary incontinence is very normal when you’re postpartum. But the good news is that once your pelvic floor is no longer strained by the added weight of the baby in utero and the muscle softening hormones, pelvic floor issues usually improve. For some, this may take days, for others, it may take months. 

If you’re still experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms after 12 weeks postpartum, it is advised that you seek the help of specialists like the professionals at Norman Urology. Our team can help guide you through what is normal and what needs to be addressed in a postpartum pelvic floor. 

Contact our office today to discuss with one of our professionals how we can help you get your postpartum pelvic floor strengthened again to help improve your quality of life.