Staying Active During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a journey filled with emotional and physical changes. Staying active during pregnancy can be helpful to support your body and overall health through this process. Learning to protect, strengthen--and most importantly to relax--your pelvic floor muscles can make all the difference in the birthing process and postpartum healing. An ideal routine that incorporates cardiovascular and resistance exercises also incorporates the pelvic floor to help with the strength and flexibility needed to begin preparing your body for childbirth. Exercise can help to minimize complications and aid in your postpartum recovery.

Pregnancy & Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Your pelvic floor muscles work to support your bladder, bowel and uterus, all vital organs that shift positions during your pregnancy. As your baby grows during pregnancy, the pelvic floor muscles are placed under increased weight and pressure. Your body adjusts hormonally, creating large physical changes in preparation for birthing your baby. All of these changes coupled with the added weight and pressure can lead to a number of issues with your pelvic floor.

Some of the more common conditions you may experience are:

Urinary Incontinence

The increased pressure on the bladder from the growing baby can lengthen and weaken the pelvic floor muscles that help control urine flow, leading to stress incontinence. This may occur when you cough, sneeze or laugh or when you are on the way to the toilet.

Constipation

Constipation is common during pregnancy due to the hormonal changes like an increase in progesterone. Straining to go will add additional pressure to your pelvic floor and can influence the likelihood of hemorrhoids or prolapse.

Pelvic Girdle Pain

Hormones released during pregnancy to help prepare the body for birth can make your pelvic joints more lax or "loosey goosey" which can cause discomfort and pain. You may feel pain in the joints of the pelvis, in the front at the pubic bone or in the lower back, hips, or thighs. 

Pelvic Organ Prolapse

During pregnancy, as the pelvic floor muscles may lengthen or weaken under the weight of the baby, pelvic organ prolapse can occur. This is when one of the pelvic organs move from their normal positions, causing a feeling of heaviness or pressure in the pelvis.

Diastasis Recti

Diastasis recti is the separation of the abdominal muscles. During pregnancy and early postpartum, a diastasis is a normal way your body is accommodating your growing baby. However, your abdominals and pelvic floor work together so the lengthening of your abs can increase the likelihood of pelvic floor issues like back pain, leaking, and prolapse.

Check out our other blogs for more helpful information for all of these pelvic floor conditions!

Pelvic Floor Therapy During Pregnancy

Before beginning any exercise routine during pregnancy, it is important to know whether your pelvic floor muscles are weak or tight. If you are experiencing incontinence for example, you may assume your muscles are weak. This may not be the case as leaking can be caused by tight or "overactive" muscles as well. To give birth, your muscles need to open as your uterus, breath, and abdominals push out your baby. If your muscles are tight, they may have trouble opening enough. A common intervention in prenatal pelvic PT is to prepare for birth and learn how to push correctly.

Having a proper assessment completed by a pelvic floor therapist can determine the strength, weakness, coordination and overall health of your pelvic floor muscles. This information will help your therapist develop an exercise routine your body will benefit from the most. 

Staying active during pregnancy is helpful for your physical and mental health as you embark on this journey of pregnancy and parenting. With a strong, well relaxing, and overall healthy pelvic floor you can minimize discomfort and prepare your body for childbirth. Another added benefit of beginning pelvic floor therapy before birth is the wealth of knowledge and information your therapist can share with you to help you navigate early postpartum healing and returning to all of the activities you love. 

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If you have pelvic health concerns and would like to see how our therapists at

Embrace can help, follow the link to schedule your free discovery call.

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