Pelvic Floor Health

Good Health of your Pelvic Floor is essential if you are planning to give normal birth.

WHAT AND WHERE IS IT?

The pelvic floor consists of 3 layers of muscle as well as ligaments and
connective tissue, which lines the bottom of the pelvis acting as a “hammock” or floor.
It stretches from the pubic bone in the front to the sacrum and coccyx at the back (between your legs).

The main muscle of the pelvic floor, the PC muscle (Pubococcygeus) lies in a figure of eight
around the openings of the urethra, the vagina and rectum and provides sphincter control.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION?

The pelvic floor supports the pelvic organs.
A well toned pelvic floor can enhance your sex life, prevent you from leaking urine, help maintain good posture and also assists in guiding your baby’s head through the birth canal during labor.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A WELL TONED PELVIC FLOOR?

• Prevents dribbling or leaking of urine when laughing, coughing or sneezing.

• Decreased discomfort during internal examinations

• Increased chances of having an easier second stage (birth of baby) of labor
  

• Perineum more likely to heal faster in the case of a cut or tear and less chance of hemorrhoids
  

• Greater pleasure during sexual intercourse

• Improve chances for a healthy pelvic floor later in life and less chance of surgery to correct prolapsed of uterus and other pelvic organs.
  

• Less backache, as a strong pelvic floor aids the back in maintaining good posture
  

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT DURING PREGNANCY AND LABOR?

Many changes take place in your body during pregnancy, more fluid retention, increased blood volume and the growth of the baby and the uterus. The added weight and pressure on the pelvic floor may affect the normal muscle tone of the pelvic floor.

During labor the pelvic floor will stretch as the baby moves down the birth canal to exit through the vagina. The perineum may tear or be cut during this stage. Pelvic floor awareness and exercise may reduce your chances of this happening.

HOW TO FIND YOUR PELVIC FLOOR

To identify the correct muscle, sit on the toilet with your legs wide apart. Begin to urinate, and then stop midway by contracting the muscle that halts the flow. Hold - then release. The muscle that you use to do this is the PC muscle. Do this once or twice only – so that you can locate
this muscle.
This is not to be done often, as there may be a chance that you could cause your bladder to retain urine. Using visualization is another way to help yourself get in touch with your pelvic floor.
Imagine that you are squeezing a tampon really tightly and then release. It’s important to feel the difference between the contracted muscle and the relaxed muscle. This will help you learn to release the pelvic floor during labor.

EXERCISING THE PELVIC FLOOR

Muscle fibers that are exercised become more elastic with careful and repeated contraction and relaxation. It’s important that the pelvic floor has a good muscle tone and elasticity. They will stretch better and more easily if they are strong. Pelvic floor exercises will strengthen your
muscles, and should become a lifelong exercise for all women.

Strengthening the pelvic floor is one aspect when preparing for labor.
But the ability to release them is as important, especially during pushing.
A tense pelvic floor that is rigid can slow down the birth of your baby.
During delivery the pelvic floor should relax and stretch to thin out rather like a polo-neck jersey.
There are may extra folds of skin in the vagina, called ruggae that allows the extra stretching that will take place during delivery.

HOW DO I DO THIS INVISIBLE EXERCISE

You need to isolate the action of the pelvic floor muscle as much as possible. When doing this, you must be careful NOT to tighten the muscles of the buttocks and the muscles of the inner thigh. The position you adopt when doing these exercises will help. If you are really isolating these
muscles properly, NO ONE will be able to see you doing anything.

LET’S DO IT!!!

1. Start by sitting comfortably on a hard chair slightly forward, with your legs apart.

2. Contract the pelvic floor, concentrating on the muscles of the vaginal sphincter. “Try pulling these muscles up as high into the vagina as you can, and feel the pelvic floor lifting up and away from the seat of the chair.”

3. Pause and hold it.

4. Slowly release, and be aware of the feeling of release, and how different the feeling is to the contraction.

5. Consciously release the muscles more, or gently ‘bulge’ them in a downward direction.

6. Be sure not to hold your breath as you do these exercises. Once you are comfortable doing this basic exercise, you can become a little more creative or imaginative.

Imagine that your pelvic floor is a lift, and that you are drawing up the pelvic muscles floor by floor. You can pause at each floor pretending people are getting in and out of the lift, and then moving to the next floor. Moving into the basement would be when you’re ‘bulging’ the muscles
at your lowest point.

You could have fun by pretending to write your name holding an imaginary pencil with the muscles of the vagina. Or you could pretend to ‘pick a grape’ from a bunch, one by one. Pulling it up and chewing then release the pips.
Be sure to perform fast contractions, as well as slower, more controlled contractions. This will ensure that both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers are worked.
Doing these exercises in a squatting position is even more effective.

HOW MANY CAN I DO?

Don’t do too many and don’t hold the contractions for too long. Practice for as long as you are comfortable, keeping the same strength of muscle contraction. Stop the exercise as soon as you feel the effort becoming greater and contractions becoming weaker.

Rather do a few when you remember them then practice for ages every day.
This will strain the already strained pelvic floor. Do about 5 slow contractions holding for the count of ten. Do two sets of live exercises up to ten times a day.

HOW DO I REMEMBER?

Place a few colored dots in strategic places around your environment.
Good places are the gear lever in your car, the mirror where you brush your teeth or do your make-up and one on your phone. In this way you will remind yourself to do your exercises.

Do these exercises especially if you’re experiencing problems with your pelvic floor. Don’t do too many and don’t hold the contractions too long.
Pelvic floor exercises should be done by all women, for life – not only during pregnancy and post par tum.
Perineal massage may decrease your chances of tearing or being cut.