The traditional pelvic floor exercise is the squeeze and lift action.
Pelvic floor exercise machine during pregnancy.
Prolonged bouncing as this can overstretch the pelvic floor muscles.
Hay smith et al 2008.
Stretching and strengthening your pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy can help relieve your aches and pains and alleviate stress and tension too.
This can cause incontinence.
During pregnancy and after childbirth your pelvic floor muscles are lengthened and weakened.
Exercise should make you feel good gently increase your fitness and be fun.
Doing pelvic floor muscle exercises kegels from early pregnancy onwards can stop those accidental wees in late pregnancy and within six months of childbirth.
This loosening along with your growing baby pressing on your bladder may cause you to leak urine when you cough laugh sneeze or exercise.
Just as with any exercise programme it s down to you to put in the work.
If any exercise causes pain stop it immediately or advise the instructor if you are in a class.
Practicing these exercises will help you feel connected to what happens inside your body as well as increase your strength and resistance to prevent problems related to this area.
Pelvic floor exercises can also prevent prolapse which is where the pelvic organs drop down into the vagina hay smith and dumoulin 2006.
8 great pelvic floor stretches to do during pregnancy.
Pelaez et al 2013.
Kegel exercises are pelvic floor exercises.
More tips for exercise during pregnancy.
Continue doing your kegels all the way into your t hird trimester.
Pelvic floor stretches will also help you have an easier delivery and decrease your risk of urinary incontinence later on.
During your pregnancy your pelvic floor muscles will loosen due to hormonal changes in your body.
Doing pelvic floor exercises will strengthen these muscles and help you control any accidents.
