Kegels not working?
Contents:
- My Postnatal Story
- Proper Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation is Needed
- Kegels are Unlikely to be Effective
- How Hypopressives works
- Getting started with Hypopressives After Pregnancy
Before I go into the reasons why Kegels may not be working for you, I'd like to give you a little background on my birth story and journey to full postnatal rehabilitation.
My Postnatal Story
One particular moment stands out in my memory from the birth of my first child. As I read through the booklet provided by the hospital after returning home, my sense of love and contentment faded quickly. I had suffered a third-degree tear during labour, and as I read about the potential complications, such as incontinence and loss of body control, my anxiety and fear grew. As a professional dancer for 15 years, I had not anticipated losing faith in my pelvic floor post-birth.
Being a new mother is an intense learning experience, but dealing with physical challenges while trying to adjust to a "broken" body only adds to the feelings of isolation and stress that new mothers experience. Unfortunately, the medical system's postnatal care often fails new mothers and prevents them from regaining their strength and bodily autonomy.
It has become too common for women to accept issues such as incontinence, prolapse, and Diastasis Recti (mum tum) as a necessary part of motherhood. As a society and healthcare system, we fail to prepare new mothers for the possibility of major physical and psychological rehabilitation needs and do not provide the necessary support for proper post-birth body rehabilitation.
Proper Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation is Needed
However, it is possible to reverse the damage done, even years later, through a holistic and functional body rebuilding technique known as Hypopressives. As someone who has been trained in Hypopressives, Pilates, and yoga, I have witnessed how the standard model of postnatal care in the UK often disappoints women. The problem arises from the fact that many new mothers are unaware of the specific needs of their body, given vague and outdated guidelines for regaining strength, and misled by the "bounce-back culture" that encourages high-intensity workouts.
Kegels are Unlikely to be Effective
Women need to understand the specific needs of their bodies and be encouraged to treat their pelvic floor like an injured muscle in need of proper rehabilitation. Unfortunately, kegel exercises are unlikely to be effective when given without explanation or proper breathing instructions. Moreover, if a woman’s pelvic floor is too tight, such as having a hypertonic pelvic floor, Kegels may be making their pelvic issues worse.
Many women come to me after accepting that pelvic floor dysfunction is an unavoidable consequence of giving birth. However, this does not have to be the case, and women should not be accepting suboptimal pelvic functioning as a lifelong consequence of motherhood. With the correct guidance, our bodies are incredibly resilient and can heal.
How Hypopressives works
Hypopressives is a combination of breathing exercises and body positions that focus on how the body restores itself from the inside. These postpartum pelvic floor exercises work by lowering intra-abdominal pressure, building core strength from the inside out, and strengthening muscles like the pelvic floor and transversus abdominis. The improved pelvic floor function, reduced waistline, and increased organ support are just the beginning of the positive effects. This leads to refined posture and elevated pelvic health, offering a holistic approach to wellness.
Getting started with Hypopressives after pregnancy
For the Hypopressives classes it is important that you learn the 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.
How re-centre works
Subscribe to a live or on-demand package
Sign-up to a fundamentals class to learn the technique
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Progress to more advanced levels at your own pace
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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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