Postpartum life is a wild ride. You juggle a million things from diaper changes to deciphering baby cries.
While you’re pouring all that love and energy into your new little one, don’t forget your body has gone through a lot. Now it’s time for some gentle recovery and strengthening.
If there is any organ of the body that undergoes tremendous stress, it’s the pelvic floor muscles. It’s no wonder you notice changes in fecal and urinary continence.
Pelvic floor muscle training can make a huge difference in how you feel day to day. Here, we’ll share how pelvic muscle training can improve your postpartum quality of life.
What is Pelvic Floor Muscle Training?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sit at the base of your pelvis. It consists of muscles and connective tissues that support key pelvic organs, like the bowel (large intestine), bladder, and internal reproductive organs.
Not only that, but these pelvic floor muscles also provide the necessary flexibility for urination, bowel movements, and sexual function.
Pregnancy and childbirth can weaken these muscles, however. During pregnancy, the placenta releases relaxin that softens the cervix as well as increases the flexibility of ligaments in the pelvis. Further, the sheer pressure and stretching during a vaginal delivery tears and damages the pelvic floor muscles.
Pelvic floor muscle training can help strengthen pelvic floor muscles. You just contract and release them in a controlled way to build strength and control. This helps potentially reduce or eliminate symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.
How Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Can Improve Quality of Life Post-Pregnancy
Here’s how pelvic floor muscle training can significantly boost your postpartum quality of life:
1. Regain Bladder Control
Experienced a little leak when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or lift something since having your baby? An overactive bladder is common after childbirth.
In fact, studies show that a large majority of new moms—around 76% in one U.S. survey—deal with bladder leakage during routine activities. About one in four women experience urinary incontinence in the first year after birth.
Pelvic floor muscle training can help you regain bladder control. Stronger muscles mean better closure of the urethra, especially during those moments of increased pressure, like a sudden sneeze or laugh. This improved support helps prevent those surprise leaks, giving you back control and confidence.
It’s a safe alternative to surgical options like vaginal mesh implants, which have been linked to serious complications. According to TorHoerman Law, some of those include bleeding, mesh erosion, perforation, severe pain, and urinary issues.
As a result, there are ongoing lawsuits. Women who have filed the vaginal mesh lawsuit blame the manufacturers for selling defective implants that resulted in severe complications. Bard, Johnson & Johnson, and Boston Scientific are notable defendants in the suit.
2. Better Core Strength
It’s a common thought that your core is all about your abs. But no, your pelvic floor is an important, foundational part of your deep core team. It works together with your abs, back muscles, and diaphragm to stabilize your body.
Childbirth can leave you feeling heavy or achy down there. Some people even describe a dragging sensation in their pelvis, like everything is about to fall out. That’s often due to pelvic organ prolapse. It’s when organs like the uterus or bladder shift downward because the pelvic floor isn’t holding them up properly.
Rebuilding that deep core strength, starting with your pelvic floor, can make you more stable and reduce pesky back pain.
A stronger core means less backache after a long day of baby-holding, and better posture even when you’re running on empty. This foundational strength is also really important if you’re looking to get back to other types of exercise safely. That is because a strong core helps protect you from injury.
3. Boost in Sexual Function
It’s completely normal for things to feel a bit different in the intimacy department postpartum.
Your body has been through a lot of changes. Things might feel different, less sensitive, or even uncomfortable or painful. This is another area where pelvic floor muscle training can be a game-changer.
Stronger muscles can mean more sensation: Just like any muscle, when your pelvic floor muscles are toned, they can contract more effectively. For some women, this can lead to increased sensation.
If you’ve been experiencing discomfort during sex—a condition called dyspareunia—it can be because the pelvic floor muscles are too tense or too weak.
Learning to both contract and fully relax your pelvic floor through pelvic floor muscle training can help ease that pain and make intimacy more comfortable. It’s important to remember that strong muscles are also flexible muscles.
Adding pelvic floor muscle exercises to your daily routine can significantly improve both your physical and emotional well-being throughout the postpartum period.
Taking care of your pelvic floor is a powerful act of self-care. It benefits your overall quality of life, not just now but for years to come. The best part is, you don’t require fancy equipment or a lot of time. Just a few minutes a day can make a noticeable difference.
And it’s never too late to start. Whether you gave birth six weeks ago or six years ago, your pelvic floor will thank you for giving it some attention.