Pelvic floor exercise for postpartum

The pelvic floor is crucial to address immediately postpartum. Most folks will be dealing with some kind of issue with pelvic floor postpartum. Because muscles are more internal and there can be multiple issues going on, every person should attempt to see a pelvic floor specialist postpartum. 

Addressing pelvic floor health is crucial as pelvic floor health can impact urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence and may cause pain during sexual intercourse. Please know that none of these things are “side effects” of childbirth that should just be accepted. If any of these things are happening, you should definitely see a specialist to help address the issue. Pelvic floor health also impacts the overall functioning of the core and should be addressed in conjunction to healing the core postpartum. If you are beginning to do core work but have weakness in the pelvic floor, pressure from doing core exercises can be displaced to the pelvic floor and can cause further injury or trauma so strengthening pelvic floor along with core is key.

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​Pelvic floor lifts
This can be done lying down with the knees bent, sitting, on all fours or standing. You may find that sitting on a block can be helpful as it can give them awareness of the location of the two sit bones. It can be helpful to think of the pelvic floor as diamond shape that runs between the two sit bones, the pubic bone and tailbone.  It’s this hammock of muscles that we want to pull in and up when we exhale. A block especially can sometimes help you locate the boney landmarks. 
 

• Begin by closing the eyes and observing the inhale and exhale for a few breaths.
• On an inhalation let the pelvic floor muscles soften and relax, it’s not a bearing down or a pushing, just a relaxation.
• On the exhale pull the pelvic floor muscles in and up. The feeling may be a "squeeze and lift.” The pulling in might be thought about as a drawstring bag cinching up around the vaginal opening and the lift might be found through imagining the pelvic floor muscles as an elevator. Imagine pulling the elevator car from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor inside your body.
  • There may be a simultaneous pulling in of the belly muscles that accompanies the action of the pelvic floor muscles.
  • Avoid holding the breath and always lift on the exhale to avoid intra-abdominal pressure.
  • Make sure that glutes and inner thigh muscles are relaxed (though initially you might feel like you are tightening and relaxing your butt muscles).
  • The sensation should feel like a deep and subtler action.
• Slowly release these muscles on the in breath.    
• As you feel comfortable with this, and build strength, the next step is to elevate the pelvic floor muscles and lightly hold this contraction while breathing.