What is the Pelvic Floor?

Let's dive into a topic that’s crucial for anyone navigating pregnancy and postpartum: the pelvic floor. You may have heard about it (or not!) but aren’t quite sure what it is or why it matters so much. Let’s break it down!

What is the Pelvic Floor?

Imagine a bowl made of muscles and connective tissue that stretches across the bottom of your pelvis. That’s your pelvic floor! It’s responsible for supporting the contents of your pelvis (bladder, uterus, and more...), it is in charge of bathroom and bedroom functions, and it plays a key role in both your daily comfort and your birthing experience and your postpartum recovery.

Why is the Pelvic Floor Important During Pregnancy?

During pregnancy, your pelvic floor undergoes significant changes. Here’s why it’s important to pay attention to it:

Support and Stability: As your baby grows, your pelvic floor provides crucial support to your uterus and helps manage the additional weight. A well-functioning pelvic floor helps maintain stability and comfort.

Labor and Delivery: A healthy pelvic floor can contribute to a smoother labor and delivery. It helps with the proper positioning of your baby and can impact the ease of pushing during delivery. Ultimately, your pelvic floor muscles need to RELAX to allow your baby to enter into the world. It's important for these muscles to be strong and mobile at the same time and, as a bonus for you, you get to have great awareness of what contracting and relaxing these muscles feels like.

Preventing Common Issues: Training your pelvic floor (which could mean strengthening or down-training it -- Kegels aren't the end all be all for all bodies) can help prevent common issues such as urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. These are concerns that some women experience during and after pregnancy, but with proper care, they can often be minimized.

The Role of the Pelvic Floor Postpartum

Postpartum recovery involves a lot of changes and healing. Your pelvic floor is no exception. Here’s why focusing on it is essential after giving birth:

Recovery and Healing: After birth, especially if you’ve had a vaginal delivery, but even if you've had a C-section, your pelvic floor needs to recover. Exercises and practices that focus on the pelvic floor can aid in healing and restore function.

Managing Postpartum Symptoms: Retraining your pelvic floor can help manage postpartum symptoms like leakage or pelvic pressure, helping you feel more confident and comfortable in your new body.

Enhancing Core Strength: The pelvic floor is part of your core muscle group. Working on it helps with overall core strength, which is beneficial for recovery and physical activity as you transition into parenting.

How to Care for Your Pelvic Floor

Caring for your pelvic floor involves a mix of exercises, awareness, and sometimes professional guidance. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Pelvic Floor Exercises: These include Kegels, which involve tightening and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. They’re easy to do and can be performed anywhere. They help strengthen and support the area, preparing it for labor and aiding recovery. A few things we like you to remember are: 1) your pelvic flood consists of the front (vagina) AND back (anus). It's very important that your Kegels include both of these areas to get proper function throughout the entire pelvic floor vs. having too much strength in one spot, thus throwing off the entire balance of your core's strength and causing dysfunction. 2) Relaxing your pelvic floor is just as important as contracting your pelvic floor. So, you want to move through the full range of motion in these muscles as you work on them the same way you would in a bicep curl or squat, again for the most ideal function.

2. Breathing and Relaxation Techniques: Integrating deep breathing and relaxation techniques helps maintain the flexibility and strength of the pelvic floor. These practices can also assist with managing stress and anxiety before, during, and after pregnancy.

3. Professional Support: If you have specific concerns or want personalized advice, consider seeing a pelvic floor specialist or women's physical therapist. They can provide tailored exercises and guidance to suit your needs. We LOVE pelvic floor doctors! If you need a referral, reply to this email and let us know. (p.s. Did you know that in most of Europe, pelvic floor PT is standard in terms of care for people after they have given birth? Another blog for another time... but, yeah.)

We’re Here for You!

At Freya Movement Studio, we believe that understanding and caring for your body’s needs is key to a healthy and empowered pregnancy journey. We’re more than just a fitness studio—we’re a community that supports you through every step of this magical time in your life.

Feel free to drop us a line at info@freyamovement.com or come chat with us in person. We’re always here to provide the best information and support to ensure you have a smooth and joyful pregnancy.

Happy Friday, and here’s to your pelvic floor health!

Warmly, 

Jenny