Pelvic Floor Work: not just for postpartum

We often think about pelvic floor as relegated to the postpartum period. But working the pelvic floor during pregnancy is also extremely important. During pregnancy, the weight of the uterus increases, putting more pressure and weight on the pelvic floor muscles. Maintaining strength in the pelvic floor helps to ensure that, as the weight increases, pelvic floor muscles can continue to support the weight of the organs and maintain functionality. If pelvic floor does not remain healthy and strong we may notice a decrease in function as it becomes harder to hold urine in when we need to use the bathroom. Not only that, but studies have actually shown that doing pelvic floor work during pregnancy actually decreases the level of pelvic floor dysfunction postpartum, so we're also setting ourselves up for much better postpartum pelvic floor health too!

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Ready to start doing pelvic floor work at home? This simple practice can be done during pregnancy or postpartum.
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Pelvic floor lifts
This can be done lying down with the knees bent, sitting, on all fours or standing. You may find that sitting on a block can be helpful as it can give them awareness of the location of the two sit bones. It can be helpful to think of the pelvic floor as diamond shape that runs between the two sit bones, the pubic bone and tailbone.  It’s this hammock of muscles that we want to pull in and up when we exhale. A block especially can sometimes help you locate the boney landmarks. 

• Begin by closing the eyes and observing the inhale and exhale for a few breaths.
• On an inhalation let the pelvic floor muscles soften and relax, it’s not a bearing down or a pushing, just a relaxation.
• On the exhale pull the pelvic floor muscles in and up. The feeling may be a "squeeze and lift.” The pulling in might be though about as a drawstring bag cinching up around the vaginal opening and the lift might be found through Imagining the pelvic floor muscles as an elevator,
  • There will be a simultaneous pulling in of the belly muscles that accompanies the action of the pelvic floor muscles.
  • Avoid holding the breath and always lift on the exhale to avoid intra-abdominal pressure.
  • Make sure that glutes and inner thigh muscles are relaxed (though initially you might feel like you are tightening and relaxing your butt muscles).
  • The sensation should feel like a deep and subtler action.
• Slowly release these muscles on the in breath.    
• As you feel comfortable with this, and build strength, the next step is to elevate the pelvic floor muscles and lightly hold this contraction while breathing.

Curious about the changes that happen to your pelvic floor and core in pregnancy and postpartum. Check out Yoga for the Pregnant & Postpartum Core.