So as soon you feel ready, hang on, what do I mean by as soon YOU feel ready? I mean somewhere between 2-6 days after delivery, really depends on your actual delivery experience and complications. You might think right now, you must be kidding! But believe me, you can start with this little exercises, which you might not even feel like you exercising but still do. For those who have had C-section I would advise to start somewhere between 7-14 days, if you are pain free and without any complications.Pelvic floor exercises are often also called Kegel exercises, that’s when I always got confused and kept questioning myself, am i supposed to do pelvic floor exercises or Kegel ones? ( after their originator, Dr Arnold Kegel and are widely promoted as the starting point for building pelvic floor strength.)What does pelvic floor do?
It supports your pelvic organs and the contents of your abdomen
It supports your bladder to help it stay closed. It actively squeezes when you cough, sneeze, laugh as well when you do crunches, jumping or lifting heavy objects to help avoid leaking.
It helps to increase sexual awareness both for yourself and your partner during sexual intercourse.
You might not be able to feel them at first after delivering your baby thanks to perineal numbness, but with the regular exercising, it will improve. You can practise them in any position, any time during the day. I was usually doing mine while going for a walk or breastfeeding.How to activate pelvic floor muscles?
If you are not sure where to find those muscles, it’s good idea to start when you go to toilet.
Test you pelvic floor muscles by trying to stop your urine flow half way. (Tense the muscles around your vagina and anus and hold.) This should ONLY be done to identify which muscles are needed for bladder control.
If you feel your stomach tensing or your thighs or buttocks contracting, your pelvic doesn’t get its full workout. In this case try to find a more suitable position like for example squatting or lying on your back with your legs pulled toward your chest.
Start by contracting your Pelvic floor muscles and at the same draw your belly button in ( by drawing your belly button in you also will activate transverses abdominal muscles)…this is optional:)
Try to squeeze those muscles slowly 10-15 times.
Once you get hold of it, try to hold for 5s, before you slowly relax.
Try to aim for 4-6 times, 5 times during day.
Once you master the art of contracting your pelvic floor muscles, try holding the inward squeeze for longer up to 10 seconds ( but no more than 10s), before relaxing.
After several weeks the muscles will start to feel stronger. You may find you can squeeze the pelvic floor muscles for much longer without the muscles feeling tired.
Little help here: If you are having still problems identifying the correct muscles or how to actually work those important muscles, imagine you are picking up blueberries with your vagina or trying to sip a milkshake. I know it sounds strange but sometimes visual clues help ☺…
A word of caution: Some people feel that they can speed up the progress by increasing the number of repetitions and the frequency of exercises. However, over-exercising can instead cause muscle fatigue and increase urine leakage.
Another PFE you can do at home:
Do the same exercise quickly for a second or two. Repeat at least five times. These are called fast pull-ups.
Lay down on the mat and place a towel or small ball between your knees. Place your arms alongside your body. As you exhale squeeze and push your knees against each other causing ball to squash and relax.
It is advised that you do these exercises for at least three months to start with. You should start to see benefits after a few weeks. Depending on your type of labour, your physical level and number of sets you do, the healing process should take anywhere from 8-20 weeks for most improvement to occur.
If you stop doing them after this time, your muscles can lose their strength. If you are over 35, and it is your first baby, it may take your pelvic floor muscles longer to recover after the birth.Good to know… Pelvic floor exercise can help ease pain from perineum tears, episiotomy stitches or haemorrhoids. If you have haemorrhoids or have stretched your anus it’s recommended to do a set after you have a bowel movement.What else do I need to know about my pelvic floor?
After you have tightened your pelvic floor muscles, relax them fully, before tightening them again. For some women, a gentle push out at the end of each pelvic floor contraction.DID YOU KNOW?...Weak pelvic floor muscles are very common. A new US study shows that 25% of women suffer from moderate to severe pelvic floor muscle weakness, with the figure rising to 30% or more of obese and older women. (Nygaard and others, 2008).
Hope this info helps a bit☺…
If you have any questions feel free to email me I am more than happy to answer your questions olga@ohpt.co.uk