Pelvic Floor & Pregnancy
What is your pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and ligaments in your pelvic region that act as a sling to support your organs in your pelvis. It comprises a collection of tissues that span the opening of the base of the pelvis from the tail bone to the pubic bone and out to the sit bones and groin area. Our breathing muscle (the diaphragm), our lower abdominal muscles (transverse abdominus) and our spinal muscles all work together to promote strength and stability from the inside out. For this reason, breathwork is often a component of treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction, along with activation of the pelvic floor muscles.
Pregnancy & Pelvic Floor
During pregnancy, the pelvic floor stretches to make room for the growing baby. Over time, the muscles become weak from being weighed down. You may notice it becomes harder to control your bladder, especially as your pregnancy progresses into the second and third trimesters. This is because a weakened pelvic floor makes it difficult to squeeze the muscles necessary to prevent urine from escaping your bladder. After pregnancy, these weakened muscles may not return to their optimal location. There is also a change in weight distribution of the body, resulting in pelvic floor changes as the muscles work harder to maintain the stability of the spine and the pelvis.
It’s important to keep your pelvic floor as healthy as possible before, during, and after pregnancy. Starting out your pregnancy with strong pelvic floor muscles helps decrease the damage these muscles experience under the strain of carrying a growing child. Whether you give birth vaginally or through a C-section, the muscles of the pelvic floor undergo quite a bit of stretching and strain. A healthy pelvic floor also means you will be better equipped for labour and delivery, which means less stress for your baby.
You can do plenty of things to prepare your core, pelvis and pelvic floor during pregnancy to aid your labour. Let's not forget about taking care of your pelvic health after pregnancy, too. Whether your baby is delivered by c-section or vaginally, your pelvis has dealt with some serious stress and your body needs a little extra love to recover and repair.
Good Toilet Habits
Both constipation and incontinence are very common side-effects of pregnancy as a result of the pressure of your uterus and baby on your bladder and bowel, along with an influx of hormones.
Good toilet habits can help you manage constipation and are also super important for your pelvic floor. We mean only go to the toilet when you need to! Going "just in case" (even during the night) can train your bladder to hold less urine than it should. When you do go make sure you empty your bladder and bowel completely by waiting a few seconds even after you think you’re done. Good toilet habits also means working on your posture, position and breathing so you’re avoiding pushing and straining as much as possible.
So what’s a good position? A squat position is recommended where your knees are higher than your hips (a stool can help), leaning forward with your elbows on your knees, straightening your spine, relaxing and letting your tummy settle onto your thighs.
Pelvic Floor Check-up
Regular pelvic health check-ups are particularly important during this time as the pelvic floor muscles are working harder than normal as they support the weight of the growing baby.
All women should be getting regular pelvic health check-ups but it’s especially important during this time in your life. A Women’s Health Physiotherapist can make sure things are working as they should and resolve any emerging issues. They can help you gain awareness of your pelvic floor and teach you how to connect with and activate it correctly. They can also give you the right pelvic floor exercises for your body.