Why should I strengthen my pelvic floor muscles?
When you find out you’re pregnant, it’s natural do everything you can to protect your growing baby. However, it’s important to stay as active as you were before you fell pregnant (unless specifically told not to by your GP, obvs.) In many cases, preparing for birth by keeping fit and healthy can even make labour easier – you don’t see athletes jump straight from their sofa to running a marathon, do you?
Staying active (whether it’s through yoga, swimming or thinly veiled “power walking” whilst indulging in some retail therapy) is super important for both you and your baby. Lecture over!
Or not… pregnancy has its side effects and, as you get bigger, you may find that your bladder is no longer your obedient friend. Peeing yourself (just a little) when you laugh, sneeze or cough is common amongst pregnant folk. Try wearing a pad (you thought those days were way ahead!) and work on strengthening your pelvic floor muscles.
The pelvic floor muscles stretch like a very supportive hammock from your public bone at the front of your body right back to the end of the backbone. These muscles can weaken with the added stress of a heavy baby, particularly as your pregnancy progresses. The peeing is known as stress incontinence and can, in some cases, continue long after you’ve had your baby. Hands up how many of you are doing your pelvic floor (or Kegel) exercises now?!
If you’d like to know more about pelvic floor exercises, we recommend that you speak to your midwife and follow their instructions.
Image credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Swanger_vrou2.jpg