Beyond Kegels: Expanding your Pelvic Floor Exercise Routine During Pregnancy
Contents:
- Keeping your Postural Muscles Strong During Pregnancy is Really Important
- Practise the Right Breathing Techniques for Optimal Pelvic Floor Coordination
- Diversify Your Pelvic Floor Exercise Routine with these exercises
- Getting Started
- FAQs
Pregnancy is an immense experience that brings about many changes in a woman's body, especially those to the pelvic floor. While Kegels are usually recommended during pregnancy, it's essential to diversify your exercise routine and incorporate a more extensive approach to pelvic health. As a specialist instructor running Hypopressives classes, this post will explore how you can integrate a more holistic approach to your pelvic floor health during pregnancy.
Keeping your Postural Muscles Strong During Pregnancy is Really Important
There is a direct and important connection between maintaining strong postural muscles and pelvic floor function. Strong postural muscles provide essential support to the spine and pelvis, reducing the risk of pelvic floor strain. It is essential to learn effective exercises to keep your postural muscles engaged throughout pregnancy, promoting stability and preventing undue pressure on the pelvic floor.
Practise the Right Breathing Techniques for Optimal Pelvic Floor Coordination
While your body is undergoing many changes during pregnancy it is important to get into a routine of mindful breathing as this will support your pelvic floor health and coordination post pregnancy. Explore diaphragmatic breathing with a specialist as they can help you learn the technique in the correct and safe manner. Remember that this lateral and mindful breathing technique not only enhances oxygenation for both mother and baby but also contributes to better pelvic floor coordination, reducing the likelihood of issues like incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunction.
Diversify Your Pelvic Floor Exercise Routine with these exercises
While Kegels have their place, diversifying your pelvic floor exercise routine is key to addressing the multifaceted changes during pregnancy. In this section I will introduce a range of exercises that target different muscle groups and promote better posture and overall pelvic floor strength and flexibility.
Bridge Pose: The Bridge Pose strengthens the back, buttocks, legs, and pelvic floor. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Breathe in. Breathe out and lift your hips up. Hold, then lower slowly.
Cat-Cow Pose: The Cat-Cow Pose makes the spine flexible, eases back tightness, and works the core. Get on your hands and knees. Breathe in and arch back down, looking up (Cow Pose). Breathe out and arch up, tucking your chin in (Cat Pose).
Standing Pelvic Tilts: This exercise strengthens the back and pelvic floor. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Gently tilt your pelvis forward and back, matching your breath.
Squats: Squatting opens the pelvis for birth. Stand with feet wider than hips, toes slightly out. Squat down deeply. Press your hands together near your chest to stay balanced.
Kegel exercises: Kegels build pelvic floor strength. Tighten pelvic muscles as if stopping to pee. Hold it for a few seconds, and then release.
It's important to pay attention to breathing and posture during exercises. Deep breathing supports the body during pregnancy and birth. Matching breath and pelvic exercises help after birth recovery.
Getting started with Hypopressives
For the Hypopressives classes it is important that you learn the Breathing/Apnea technique properly so that you can get the most out of the classes and the time you invest in yourself. Each week Simone runs Fundamentals sessions on Zoom where she explains the technique and guides you through all the steps.
She will also give you feedback to make sure that you're doing it correctly. For some, the technique may come more quickly than others. Some of her clients, who are tighter in the ribs and thoracic spine do tend to take a little longer. And here's the golden rule - for impactful change, Simone recommends at least three 15 to 20-minute workouts per week. Consistency is your best friend on this journey towards wellness.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does Hypopressives differ from more traditional core training and Pilates?
Pilates is an excellent technique for bringing stability back to a destabilised postpartum body, but a lot of the traditional Pilates exercises, specifically curl ups (used often in mat-work repertoire) can be detrimental if pelvic floor dysfunction and diastasis recti are present. Unfortunately, at the 6-week postnatal checkup these issues are not properly assessed, and many women may not even realise they themselves are affected by these concerns.
There is a general acceptance of pelvic floor dysfunction with mothers often accepting that they may leak when running, sneezing or coughing. Also, the term “mum-tum” leads many women to unwillingly accept their new relationship with their bodies. LPF is a completely safe way of working a postnatal body and many of the women I work with have managed to reverse prolapse and drastically improve a diastasis.
What was your personal experience of Hypopressives after having children yourself?
I did the LPF training before having my second child and started practising postpartum after my second child. The difference in my recovery after my first labour where I only did Pilates was markedly different to when I practised LPF with my second. Within a few weeks my core was stronger than it had been before being pregnant with my second, and my pelvic floor was as strong as it was pre-kids!! If I hadn't seen the change with my own eyes or felt it in my body, I wouldn’t have believed it. It literally felt like the more I practised the more internal strength I developed. This was something I hadn’t felt since I was a professional dancer. I also loved that the technique doesn’t require hours of training. Only 10-20 minutes, three times a week will get visible results.
How many weeks postpartum can I begin?
It is recommended at least 6-8 weeks after a vaginal delivery and 12 weeks after a c-section.
How often should I practise weekly to see results?
You will start to see results by practising 2-3 weekly sessions of 10-20 minutes. It is safe to practise daily once your body has adjusted to the practice which will take around 2-4 weeks.
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What our members say
The best post-partum class, it really helped with my recovery. Simone is a great teacher, so knowledgeable and kind. I recommend her classes to all my friends who had a baby. Thank you Simone!
Anna
1/11
I’ve only been doing Simone’s classes for a short time but have noticed huge improvements in my core strength and posture. Great value and high quality recordings combined with live classes make it really easy to fit into your life. Highly recommended.
Clare
2/11
I cannot say enough good things about Simone’s classes - they have been really transformative for me. Her explanation of what are often unusual and specific techniques is so good that you never feel lost, and she has a wonderful way of connecting with the class on a really human level, as well as being a real expert in her field. Her classes are challenging, mindful, and have helped amazingly with my pelvic floor issues - I started seeing results after only 4 weeks of classes! Highly recommend.
Millay
3/11
Simone's classes are amazing. She combines her skills in pilates, yoga and hypopressives to provide a very holistic practice. I've seen a great improvement in my postnatal body thanks to her classes. I would recommend her to any woman who has had a baby.
Jazmin
4/11
I love Simone’s Low Pressure Fitness classes, they have helped with my prolapse symptoms and are something I turn to daily if I’m having a hard day. Simone is a great communicator and teacher, she explains everything very clearly and I have no trouble participating in the class even over zoom.
Jerry
5/11
Simone and re-centre were a saviour for me over lockdown. A great chance to just be in my body and switch on to what I was feeling. As a pelvic health physio I can highly recommend Simone and her method as a great form of rehab for many postnatal conditions.
Maternity Physio
6/11
I got to know about Low Pressure Fitness through Simone, in a workshop that I'm so lucky I attended. It was about 2 months after giving birth and I felt really weak, thinking that I could never get back to my strength before the pregnancy. Simone's help completely changed my perspective and with her brilliant classes slowly I got back my confidence and strength. I was worried that these exercises will be tricky with online classes, but she has been great in giving clear instructions and adjusting poses for everyone based on their needs. I don't know how she does it but she even gives individual feedback and helps you correct your pose in a group online class. Thanks Simone!
Sarah
7/11
Simone's classes and on-demand videos are excellent. She's such a good teacher, always learning new things herself to expand her teaching horizons. Would most definitely recommend to anyone with a postpartum body regardless how long it's been since you gave birth.
Ana
8/11
Simone is a great teacher, I highly recommend her work. Her online platform is well curated and excellent value and she gracefully manages to teach & give individual attention in her live Zoom classes.
Clio
9/11
I attend re-centre classes with Simone weekly and have noticed a huge improvement in my core strength and tone. Simone has a thoughtful and inclusive approach to her classes, they vary which means I stay focused and the relaxation time at the end is much needed in the life of a busy mum!
Alice
10/11
Simone is a brilliant teacher, she takes the time to check in with her students and work through exercises to fit individual injuries. She’s also really knowledgeable and supportive for post natal bodies. Doing hypopressors are a total life changer and I love the way this is incorporated into Pilates and stretching.
Beela
11/11
Learn the technique and get started
Hypopressives is an effective technique toward relieving symptoms related to Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Diastasis Recti and Urinary Incontinence. Hypopressives also improves poor posture, pelvic floor weakness and back pain. I offer a flexible approach to memberships and a 14-day free trial.
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About the Author
Simone Muller is the founder of re-centre and has over 22 years of teaching experience across Pilates, Low Pressure Fitness and Yoga.
She launched the online platform to make Low Pressure Fitness and Hypopressives more accessible to more women around the world so that they can become the strongest and most functional versions of themselves.
As the first level 3 instructor in London, she has witnessed transformative postnatal rehabilitation results in clients, addressing issues like Diastasis Recti, prolapse and incontinence.
Simone has written articles for the re-centre blog 'Kegels not Working?', 'The connection between menstruation and prolapse symptoms' and 'Why I love teaching postnatal rehabilitation?'.
Simone has also written guest posts for The Shala 'What is Low Pressure Fitness', Yana Active 'Prioritising your Pelvic Floor Health After Giving Birth and Nurturing the Core' and for The Pelvic Academy 'Empowering Women's Health - The Power of Collaboration Between Hypopressives, Physiotherapists and Osteopaths'.
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