The Best Pelvic Floor Exercises for Pregnancy
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy can lead to an easier childbirth experience and a lower risk of incontinence.
Reviewed by Yamel Belen, R.N., IBCLCReviewed by Yamel Belen, R.N., IBCLC
Many experts recommend pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy. That's because pregnancy puts a strain on the pelvic floor muscles but strengthening them can help prepare your body for carrying and delivering a baby. Strong pelvic floor muscles are not only beneficial during pregnancy and childbirth but can also lower the risk of urinary incontinence by promoting bladder control.
What Is the Pelvic Floor?
The term pelvic floor refers to a group of muscles that stretch like a hammock from the pubic bone to the tailbone, and it functions to support your bladder, bowel, and uterus. The urethra, vagina, and colon all pass through the pelvic floor.
We rounded up four pelvic floor exercises for pregnancy you can try at home, from Kegels to squat combinations. These exercises are generally considered safe during pregnancy but talk to your health care provider before incorporating them into your everyday routine.
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Pregnancy-Safe Pelvic Floor Exercises
The following pelvic floor exercises for pregnancy were designed by former Fit Pregnancy fitness editor Teri Hanson based on the Tupler Technique.
These exercises will teach you how to work the pelvic floor muscles, so you can strengthen them to support the growing weight of your baby during pregnancy and relax them to allow your baby to pass through during vaginal delivery.
How To Find Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Are you having trouble locating your pelvic floor muscles? Try this trick: Stop urinating in the middle of your stream to feel the muscles tighten up. This urination exercise isn't great for your bladder, so don't do it often. Once you recognize the feeling, simply recreate the muscle activation when you're not on the toilet.
The best part? You can do these exercises discreetly any time. To build a routine, try to pair the exercises with an activity you do every day. You can do a few reps when sitting at a red light, doing the dishes, or watching a TV show.
Kegels
Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, helping to prevent the urinary incontinence that's common after childbirth. To do Kegels properly:
Squeeze the muscles around the vagina as if you are stopping the flow of urine or gripping a tampon. (Your muscles in and around your vaginal opening and anus should feel like they are lifting up inside your pelvis.)
Hold the muscle contraction for about 10 seconds and breathe normally.
Slowly release the contraction and rest.
Work your way up to about 20 reps five times a day.
Tip
Try to keep the muscles in your thighs and buttocks relaxed as your contract your pelvic floor and lower abdominal muscles.
Squat combo
To do a squat combo:
Hold a fixed object such as a post or a sturdy chair and stand with your feet farther than hip-width apart.
Lower your body into a deep squat, keeping your weight over your heels. (If your heels don't touch the floor, place a towel under them for support.)
Do a Kegel and draw your abs in as you exhale.
Repeat combo five times.
Belly breathing
Belly breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, stretches your pelvic floor muscles. Like other pelvic floor exercises in pregnancy, it might help urinary incontinence. To do belly breathing:
Sit with your legs crossed and lower back supported, hands on your belly. You can also lie down.
Keeping your back and shoulders still, slowly inhale through your nose as you expand your belly.
As you exhale through your mouth, draw in your abdominals, feeling them deflate.
Bridge
This exercise strengthens your pelvic floor and the glute muscles. To do a bridge:
Lie down on the floor and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle, feet flat on the ground.
Push through your heels, drawing your hips into the air.
Maintain this position for a few seconds before returning your buttocks to the ground.
Repeat 10 times, and complete one or two more sets.
Why Should You Do Pelvic Floor Exercises While Pregnant?
When you're pregnant, the payoffs for developing strong pelvic floor muscles are plentiful, says Julie Tupler, RN, creator of Diastasis Rehab in New York City and author of Maternal Fitness and Together Tummy.
Pregnancy strains the pelvic floor muscles due to your baby's growing weight and hormonal changes that relax your muscles.
If your pelvic floor muscles were weak before pregnancy, you might develop stress incontinence, characterized by leaking when you cough, sneeze, or strain. Pelvic floor exercises can train these muscles to become stronger, so there's less risk of pregnancy and postpartum incontinence.
A weak pelvic floor can also make childbirth more difficult. Researchers have found that pelvic floor muscle training can decrease the amount of time spent in the second stage of labor (pushing), which is another benefit of exercising the pelvis floor while expecting.
Supporting the Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy
You can take care of your pelvic floor during pregnancy in ways besides exercise. Keep those muscles strong and supported by following these tips:
Rest when you feel a strain in your pelvic area.
Prevent or manage constipation with a healthy diet.
Practice prenatal yoga.
Keep your body aligned with good posture.
Strengthening the Pelvic Floor After Delivery
Pelvic floor exercises can also be useful after pregnancy and childbirth. In fact, your health care provider might recommend them for perineal healing, postpartum incontinence, and recovery from pelvic floor disorders. Pelvic floor exercises can also treat pelvic organ prolapse, which involves the organs in the pelvis (like the uterus, bladder, or rectum) slipping down into the vagina.
Ask your health care provider (or your postpartum support person) for the best postpartum pelvic floor exercises for your unique situation.
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