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The whole process of conception, pregnancy, childbirth is an overwhelmingly incredible thing. But evolution has shortchanged us women somewhat, and while our bodies can do miraculous things, having children can take a toll on our physical selves.

One of the hardest working, and most neglected parts of a woman’s body is the pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor muscles are like a sling that holds up your internal organs. Part of the pelvic floor’s job is to help support the uterus and baby during pregnancy, and especially during late pregnancy, the pelvic floor muscles are under a lot of pressure.

Pelvic floor muscles are also responsible for bladder control and that’s often why many pregnant women, or women who have recently given birth, occasionally pee a little when they sneeze or try to lift something heavy. It’s called stress incontinence. Don’t feel bad if it’s happened to you - it happens to almost every mom at least once.

But, do take it as a sign that your pelvic floor needs a little attention. Doing pelvic floor muscle exercises, commonly known as Kegles, will strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and help reduce the likelihood of stress incontinence.

Here’s how you do kegle exercises.

First, you need to isolate your pelvic floor muscles. You can do this by trying to stop the flow of urine when you go to the bathroom. That’s your pelvic floor muscles working.

So now you know where it is, practice contracting the muscles. Try to relax the rest of your body, and not hold your breath.

Squeeze the pelvic floor muscles for a count of 2, then relax for 2. Repeat 10 times.

That was easy!

As you get more experienced, try to hold the squeeze for longer, try 3, 4, 5, or more seconds.

Try to do a couple of sets of Kegels every day if you are pregnant, if you have a baby, and even if you are trying to conceive. You can do them as you wait for your computer to boot up, or waiting at traffic signals, or as the coffee percolates, or as your toddler tries to make the important decision of frog shirt or truck shirt. Get into the habit, and you’ll be at much less risk of peeing when you sneeze.

Tags: childbirth, exercise, kegels, stress incontinence
Posted in: Pregnancy