It’s so important to remember your pelvic floor muscles! Here are some our pregnancy exercises to keep your pelvic floor strong
Remember your pelvic floor exercises!!
Your pelvic floor is a sling of muscles that runs from your pubic bone at the front to the base of your spine at the back, supporting your bladder and bowels as well as your uterus. The weight of your growing baby puts increased pressure on these muscles and they can become weakened, leading to potential stress incontinence when you laugh,cough or sneeze. Pelvic floor exercises are so important for pregnant women and should be worked on regularly throughout your pregnancy to maintain their strength – but the good news is that you can exercise you pelvic floor at any time or place and no-one will even know!
Simple, regular exercise for your pelvic floor really does make a difference. Try to do three of the exercises below five to seven times a week (ideally more often) throughout your pregnancy, starting again immediately after your baby is born. Ideally get into a routine of doing them at a set time each day; maybe when you sit down at your desk, after your dinner or before you have a shower.
To do a pelvic squeeze pull up around your bottom as if you were trying to stop a bowel movement and around your vagina as if you were trying to hold in a wee. The contraction should pull up the whole ‘sling’ of muscles in between your legs. This will help you remember!
How to do pelvic floor exercises:
Standard contractions
Pull in your pelvic floor muscles. Hold for two to three seconds (as tightly as possible) and release. Do this ten times. Repeat three times. This may be hard to start with, but try to build up to ten repetitions.
Elevator contractions
Pull in your pelvic floor muscles one-third of the way and hold. Pull them in another third and then hold. Pull them in all the way as tightly as you can and hold. Release using the same three steps. Repeat ten times.
Wave contractions
Pull in the muscles around your bottom, then all the way along to your front pelvic floors. Hold, then gradually release in a wave motion. Repeat ten times.
Pregnancy pelvic floor exercises aren’t the most sexy, exciting exercises in the world and you don’t get a buzz from doing them in the same way you do from a good workout, but they really are an essential and fundamental part of your exercise programme, so do your best to fit them in and you should prevent any lasting damage. Combine these exercises with the rest of your pregnancy workout and prenatal cardio sessions!
Gym workouts or home workouts – choose activewear designed for pregnancy!
You deserve to look good and feel great mamma! Supportive Maternity Sportswear to keep you training together 💪🤰
