On the Blog: Preparing Your Pelvic Floor For a Smooth Birth

When it comes to preparing for labour and delivery, your pelvic floor plays a vital role. This group of muscles supports your bladder, bowel, and uterus, and strengthening provides support during pregnancy, whereas during birth it needs to completely relax and get out of the way to allow a vaginal birth to occur minimising the need for assistance. Ensuring your pelvic floor is in optimal condition can lead to a smoother and more empowering birth experience. Let’s delve into how you can prepare your pelvic floor for labour and recovery.

1. Understand Your Pelvic Floor

Before you start any preparation, it’s essential to understand where your pelvic floor is and how it functions. These muscles form a sling-like structure at the bottom of your pelvis, supporting critical organs and working together with your core and diaphragm. During childbirth, the pelvic floor stretches and relaxes to allow your baby to pass through the birth canal.

2. Pelvic Floor Exercises

Performing pelvic floor exercises can strengthen these muscles. However, during pregnancy, it’s equally important to practice releasing and relaxing them in preparation for childbirth. It’s recommended to do 3 sets of pelvic floor exercises per day while pregnant.

• How to Strengthen: Tighten your pelvic floor muscles as if you’re stopping the flow of urine (but don’t actually do this on the toilet). Hold as long as you can without dropping, then allow the muscles to fully relax. Gradually increase the hold time as your strength improves.

• How to Relax: Focus on deep breathing and opening through the pelvic floor and vagina, letting the muscle go like butter melting. Stretching through the pelvic and hip muscles can also help!

This is just a starting point, see my birth prep toolkit for a detailed e-book on pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy.

3. Seek Professional Guidance

A pelvic floor physiotherapist can assess your muscles and provide personalised exercises. They’ll also teach you perineal massage techniques to improve elasticity, reducing the risk of tears during delivery. This personalised approach ensures that you’re addressing your unique needs as every person and pregnancy is different.

4. Stay Active

Low-impact exercises like walking, prenatal yoga, and swimming keep your pelvic floor engaged while preparing your body for labour. Did you know completing 30min of exercise daily can reduce the time it takes to push your baby out? These activities also promote overall fitness, which can contribute to a quicker recovery postpartum. High impact exercise is also usually safe during pregnancy depending on your circumstances so check with your healthcare provider.

5. Prepare for Recovery

Preparation doesn’t end at delivery. Understanding how to care for your pelvic floor postpartum is equally vital. Gentle exercises, proper posture, and gradual activity resumption can make a significant difference.

For comprehensive guidance on preparing your pelvic floor for labour and recovery, enrol in our Pelvic Floor Prep for Birth Course. Learn from experts and gain access to techniques and tips that empower you through every stage of your journey.