During pregnancy, your body undergoes numerous changes. After delivery, it can take some time to regain your old shape. Pelvic floor training after birth is particularly important. We reveal why this is the case, what you need to look out for, and how you can train your pelvic floor muscles from home.
Pelvic floor training after birth: What is the pelvic floor exactly?
The pelvic floor is a network of three very strong muscle layers, ligaments, and connective tissue – and it fulfills several important functions in your body. It closes the pelvis, connects the inside of the bones with each other, and ensures that organs stay in place. In addition, one of the three muscle strands in the female body surrounds the vagina, urethra, and anus. A firm pelvic floor ensures that the bladder and bowel cannot empty spontaneously – and prevents incontinence. What's more: the uppermost muscle layer encases the cervix and vagina. If the pelvic floor is active and well-supplied with blood, this contributes to sensitivity during sex.
In short: The pelvic floor has these three "core functions":
- The pelvic floor muscles close the urethra and are responsible for counter-pressure – for example when sneezing, lifting objects or laughing.
- It closes the pelvis and holds the organs in place.
- It encases the cervix and vagina and can increase sexual sensation.
Why pelvic floor training after birth is sensible and important
Due to pregnancy, many tendons, ligaments, and muscles loosen to prepare the body for birth. The pelvic floor also loosens – but at the same time has an enormously important role during pregnancy. This is because it carries the uterus and baby. You may already notice this strain during pregnancy and also afterwards. Coughing, sneezing, jumping, running, laughing: you might unintentionally leak a few drops of urine. During birth, the entire musculature is then severely overstretched once again. The whole area can therefore be unstable at first after delivery. And that is completely normal and natural.
It is then all the more important to stabilize that very musculature again. Pelvic floor training after birth is not about hardcore training, but about targeted breathing exercises and tension techniques. This way, you know how to reactivate the pelvic floor and the entire musculature again and can counteract possible feelings of numbness.
Postpartum recovery: What you should look out for
The most important info first: You should not start your uterine regression training and pelvic floor training too soon after delivery. First of all, you need rest and recovery during your postpartum period. Spend a lot of time lying down. This already contributes to healthy regression. Too much walking and running puts too much strain on your stressed pelvic floor shortly after birth.
You can – even during the last weeks of your pregnancy – look around for a good postpartum recovery course in your area. For example, there are courses for pelvic floor training after birth in midwifery practices near you. These are usually covered by health insurance. You can then start your course, depending on whether you had a spontaneous birth or a C-section, 8 to 12 weeks after delivery. Or even later. In any case, speak with your gynecologist or your midwife before you start training.
There are also digital options so that you can do postpartum recovery training from home – for example, when your little one is currently slumbering relaxed in the swing2sleep. The courses aim to effectively tighten the pelvic floor, but also to strengthen the chest and back as well as the stomach, legs, and buttocks to support the body stressed by breastfeeding and carrying your baby. The units build up week by week. This ensures that you do not overexert yourself. Because the abdominal area in particular should not be strained again too early. Otherwise, there is a risk that the muscle gap, the so-called rectus diastasis, which was created by the growing baby bump, will open up again.
Pelvic floor training after birth: Three smart exercises for at home
If you want to do something for your pelvic floor at home in addition to your postpartum recovery course, then these three exercises can help. Important: Here too, you should consult with your gynecologist or midwife beforehand.
Unless otherwise recommended, you can repeat each of these exercises five to ten times. If the recovery is already further advanced, it is best to increase the repetitions to 15 rounds. Try to only tense the pelvic floor for each exercise and focus on it, and continue to breathe evenly.
Grasping the praline
Sit on a stool or a chair with an upright, straight back and slightly spread legs. Do not lean back. Now feel your sit bones and, with every exhalation, bring the two bones together in their center. Imagine you are grasping a large praline with your sit bones. Pull it into your lower abdomen. Pull in your belly button. Hold the abdominal tension for a few seconds. And now mentally let the praline slide out slowly again.
The bridge
The classic in pelvic floor training after birth is this exercise: You lie on your back and place your legs up. Now press your heels into the floor and tense your pelvic floor. Arms lie loosely to the right and left of the body. Lift the pelvis up until your upper body and thighs form a line. Hold for a few seconds and be sure to keep breathing. Slowly lower again without putting your bottom down completely, and repeat the exercise.
Leg lift
You can actually do this exercise anywhere and every now and then. Stand upright. Feet are about shoulder-width apart. Now stretch your arms out horizontally to both sides and pull your right leg bent towards your chest. The left leg is not fully extended, but very slightly bent at the knee. Hold the position and balance. Your pelvic floor is automatically activated in the process.
Postpartum recovery training with aids
By the way: There are also little helpers that you can incorporate into your pelvic floor training after birth at home. For example, Kegel vibrators or Yoni eggs, which you insert into the vagina and have to hold. With Kegel training, you can further intensify the pelvic floor exercises. However, it is not a must for successful recovery.
The silicone or metal balls are available in a wide variety of designs, sizes, and weights. When buying, be sure to look for skin-friendly material. Medical silicone is usually a good recommendation for Kegel vibrators. It is hypoallergenic and particularly easy to clean. Yoni eggs, on the other hand, usually consist of rose quartz. They are also available in different sizes.
The following applies to both options: The smaller and heavier the balls, the more the muscles in your pelvic floor are promoted. Start with the lightest weights and then gradually increase the weight of the balls. If you are unsure, it is best to discuss it again with your midwife.
By the way, the balls do not replace a postpartum recovery course. However, after completing a course, you can incorporate Kegel vibrators and Yoni eggs into your everyday life to strengthen the pelvic floor even further. You can either do the exercises mentioned above or simply wear the balls during everyday tasks. While hanging up laundry, doing your tax return, shopping, or tidying up, you can do something good for your pelvic floor on the side. It is only important that the balls inside you always stay slightly in motion to strengthen the muscles.
How long does postpartum recovery take?
This question cannot be answered in general terms. How quickly your body finds its way back to its old form also depends on your individual fitness before pregnancy and, of course, the course of the birth. In general, however, it can be said: The regression of the uterus and the strengthening of the pelvic floor take their time. Usually several months. There is even a rule of thumb that what grew for nine months needs just as long for recovery.
Don't put yourself under pressure and give your body time. More important than a flat stomach or a slim waist are the physical changes that are not visible to your eye anyway. If your pelvic floor muscles are not sufficiently strengthened, long-term consequences such as back pain, incontinence, or uterine prolapse can occur after birth. That's why targeted training in combination with sufficient rest time after birth is so sensible, so that you can get through everyday life with a baby strengthened in the long term.
