Pelvic floor exercises for childbirth and postpartum

The pelvic floor is a set of muscles (which we almost always don’t know we have) of fundamental importance for childbirth and postpartum and which should be properly exercised.

To locate it in a very simplistic way, the pelvic floor is located “between the legs”. The perineum is the muscle that supports, welcomes and contains the rectum, anus and the posterior wall of the vagina.

The woman who takes care of her perineum improves not only her childbirth but also her sexuality and posture.

Structure of the perineum

The pelvic floor is a set of muscles and each muscle has a very different job.

The muscles are arranged in three layers, which slide over each other.

• The first layer is the outer one that closes the anus and the vagina.
• The middle muscle layer supports the urethra, bladder, and anterior vaginal wall.
• The deep layer supports the rectum, anus and posterior wall of the vagina.

The perineum is closely related to breathing. It is the place linked to the functions of a woman’s life: sexuality, reproduction, evacuation, breathing.

Knowing this part of the body is essential for all women.

Exercising and massaging the perineum facilitates childbirth, prevents injuries, helps in postpartum, in menopause it contains any uterine prolapse.

Pelvic floor exercises

Kegel exercises

Kegel exercises are very specific techniques for the pelvic floor , introduced by Kegel to help recover from urinary incontinence (discomfort that can occur after childbirth).

Elevator exercise

A very simple visualization exercise that can be done daily is the elevator : imagine that your vagina is an elevator that starts from the ground floor and wants to go up to the third floor. Make the elevator go up by contracting the perineal muscle more and more.

Increase the pressure every time you go up a floor. Remember to breathe. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Be careful not to pull your shoulders up when you go up a level and not to squeeze your buttocks. And now he goes back to the ground floor, pushes the perineum down and starts again.

More exercises

I propose  some simple alternative exercises for the pelvic floor that you can perform daily during pregnancy and after

• With the perineum imagine eating cherries and spitting out the stone, feel the muscles moving as if to chew the soft parts of the cherry.
• Imagine “making an egg”
• Squeezing a wet sponge by forcibly contracting the muscles of the perineum
• To write your name in italics
• And finally conclude with a smile of the perineum

The massage of the perineum

As for the massage for the perineum, a natural oil (olive or wheat sprouts) should be used.

1. Rest one leg on the edge of the tub. He wets his fingers with the oil and insert two fingers into the vagina and massage in a U shape for 5-10 minutes.
2. Perform circular movements with your thumb on the labia majora and minora to increase circulation. Continue with the massage until the oil is absorbed. As soon as the oil has been absorbed by the skin, introduce the index and middle fingers of both hands into the vagina and make an opening movement, pressure, to the right and left.

This massage can also be done by a mother who has had a previous episiotomy.

The massage should not be painful , in this case it means that you are not relaxed enough.

The pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of overwork for a woman’s perineum because the muscles are stressed all the time by the weight of the belly which contains the fetus, the amniotic fluid and the placenta.

A well-toned perineum before childbirth is a perineum that regains its tone more easily once you have given birth.