Can I do pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy?

What’s covered?

The muscles of the pelvic floor can be strengthened using pelvic floor exercises. These muscles experience significant strain throughout pregnancy and labour, and many of these problems may not go away even after the baby is born. When you cough, sneeze, or strain, urine may escape if your pelvic floor muscles are weak. You shouldn't feel ashamed because this is a fairly typical occurrence. This is known as stress incontinence and it can persist even after delivery.

By doing Kegel exercises, which are the most common pregnancy pelvic floor exercises, you can turn your weak pelvic floor muscles into strong pelvic floor muscles. Training the muscles in the pelvic floor will assist the body in handling the rising weight of the baby. Before the baby is delivered, healthy and fit muscles will heal more quickly, which helps to lessen or prevent urinary incontinence following pregnancy. Even if you are young and do not currently experience stress incontinence, all pregnant women should perform pelvic floor exercises regularly.

What are Kegels and how do I begin?

The primary role in training these muscles is to control pressure. Therefore as you breathe, your muscles will move in synchronization as your diaphragm contracts and descends during inhalation, pushing your abdominal organs downward. Our pelvic floor will often relax during inhalation, allowing it to decrease and create more room for our pelvic organs to descend. On the other hand, as we exhale, the diaphragm rises, and the pelvic floor contracts, lifting our abdominal contents. A system of fair and equal pressure results from this.

Kegel is also known as pelvic floor exercise. To do a Kegel, you must force the pelvic floor muscles to contract, which can be difficult for many people. You should be able to feel it when you contract, and you should be able to tell when you relax.

Similar to how your bicep should feel contracted when you contract it, then relaxed when you stop. Here are a few other indications you might consider when you try to feel this:

1. Squeeze as though you're attempting to stop the flow of urine to start. The anterior pelvic floor and urinary sphincter will contract more as a result.

2. Second, squeeze as if you don't want to let any air out. The posterior pelvic floor and anal sphincter will contract more as a result.

3. The third involves imagining a ruby that is at the edge of your vagina near your pubic bone and trying to pull it in. Instead of the sphincters, this will target the deeper pelvic floor muscles.

Since they are all advantageous, you can play with them all and even attempt to do sets with various focuses. Initially, you might not see much of a difference between the cues. Still, as you become more adept at contracting your pelvic floor, you'll be able to synchronize contracting various pelvic floor muscles.

Practising and synchronizing a contraction with breathing can be helpful when you attempt the Kegel for the first time. Take a big breath in and try to relax before beginning the exercise by doing the Kegel and contracting your pelvic floor as you exhale. Try to hold the contraction for three to five seconds before letting go and taking another deep breath. You can eventually start contracting while inhaling and holding the contraction for one to two breaths at a time as you get more effective at Kegels.

What are the different positions of Kegels?

It may be advantageous to switch up your Kegel position.

1. First off, as you alter the relative position of your body, such as from lying on your stomach to sitting up straight, the pelvic floor is put under different pressures to contend with.

2. Second, at various stages of pregnancy, particular positions might be more or less comfortable.

3. Thirdly, certain positions will be more conducive to moving toward more functional responsibilities as your control skills develop.

Laying on the back

Since it relieves pressure on the pelvic floor, supine, or lying on your back, is a frequent position for early pelvic floor training. It might be an excellent beginning point for pregnant people or those who have just given birth. Contrarily, many pregnant women may find it difficult to stay in that posture for extended periods. Hence alternate positions are frequently utilized or advised.

Sitting

Sitting is typically relaxing and can provide women with a lot of feedback about their performance, but it can also be too difficult.

Lying on the left side

Many women find that resting on their left side is perfect for pelvic floor exercises. It lessens the load that is placed on the pelvic floor because our abdomen isn't pressing downward as much in this position. Additionally, most pregnant people find it to be a pleasant position, especially those who are further along in their pregnancy.

Quadruped

Quadruped is a step up from left side laying because it allows us to receive a relative pelvic floor unloading while loading other areas of the pelvis, low back, and abdomen more. You can move up from the quadruped position to more vertical positions like tall kneeling, half kneeling, or sitting. These positions can be significantly more difficult but are worthwhile to aim for because they reposition the pelvic floor to support the weight of the abdomen.

Progressing to pelvic tilts

Then, you can start advancing your Kegel by including movement, keeping in mind that your ultimate goal is to be able to maintain control while performing all tasks.

Try performing pelvic tilts in the posture in which you were performing Kegels, which is a perfect way to start. Consider attempting to maintain your Kegel contraction while moving your pelvis forward and backwards. Contraction, pelvic tilt, complete relaxation, and reset are the steps you should take.

Example:

If you were a quadruped at first, try moving back and forth on both hands and knees to utilize your upper and lower bodies. Start with tightening the muscles in your pelvic floor, then bounce back and forth while moving forward, and finally reset. The number of reps per contraction can be increased gradually. Try mastering it, and then you can move on to pelvic tilt exercises stand too.

To conclude

Women can benefit greatly from pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy. Training the pelvic floor to develop its strength, durability, and energy is crucial because it will be under more strain throughout pregnancy and childbirth. We can ensure that the muscles are optimally activated and coordinated by using the right cueing. To start, adjust the postures in which you do Kegels according to your needs, and then gradually advance the movements. As you advance, gradually introduce new movements to increase the functional efficiency of these muscles.

Here at Welzo we offer various tests and products to assist you with your pregnancy.

To order our Pregnancy Process Test, click here. To view our range of products to assist with pregnancy-related concerns, click here.

To learn more about fertility click here.

For more information about Women's Health, read our health hub here.