Post Pregnancy Pelvic Floor Exercises
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This can cause incontinence.
Post pregnancy pelvic floor exercises. Pelvic floor exercises are also commonly called kegel exercises. This loosening along with your growing baby pressing on your bladder may cause you to leak urine when you cough laugh sneeze or exercise. The rib cage slides backward out of the way of the pregnancy resulting in short shallow chest breaths. Practicing these exercises will help you feel connected to what happens inside your body as well as increase your strength and resistance to prevent problems related to this area.
I have four informative videos below that discuss everything from your pelvic floor pelvic girdle pain overactive pelvic floor and even a video at the end dedicated to pf exercises. The gp can refer you to a physiotherapist who will give you some specific exercises to do. The pelvic floor often weakens under the weight of the fetus. Basic pelvic floor exercises maintain muscle tone in the pelvis and promote recovery after pregnancy and delivery.
During pregnancy and after childbirth your pelvic floor muscles are lengthened and weakened. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and ligaments which support the bladder uterus womb and bowel. Regular pelvic floor and deep stomach muscle exercises can help to reduce the size of the separation between your stomach muscles. Pelvic floor exercises can also prevent prolapse which is where the pelvic organs drop down into the vagina hay smith and dumoulin 2006.
Doing pelvic floor exercises will strengthen these muscles and help you control any accidents. They are exercises that you can do to make the muscles of your pelvic floor stronger. During your pregnancy your pelvic floor muscles will loosen due to hormonal changes in your body. It is important that all women exercise their pelvic floor muscles everyday throughout life to prevent weakness or improve strength.
Post pregnancy pelvic floor exercises video. Pelaez et al 2013. Hay smith et al 2008. Continue doing your kegels all the way into your t hird trimester.
Kegel exercises are pelvic floor exercises. Even the diaphragm changes to accommodate the growing belly affecting breath mechanics. Doing pelvic floor muscle exercises kegels from early pregnancy onwards can stop those accidental wees in late pregnancy and within six months of childbirth. If the gap is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth contact the gp as you may be at risk of back problems.