Im pregnant, what now? Part 6 - Pelvic floor exercises

Pelvic floor exercises are a great way to curb a leaky bladder during and after pregnancy. The pelvic floor is the muscle that holds in all your abdominal organs and kees them all in place. It is also a very important muscle when giving birth, knowing how to identify it

To perform a pelvic floor exercise (also known as Kegel exercises), you simply tighten up your internal muscles as if you are trying to stop a wee. Keep in mind this does not mean to say that you tighten any of your abdominal muscles or buttock muscles, only the muscle that stops a wee. When you tighten the muscle, you should feel a 'lifting' feeling. To know for sure if you have 'the knack', a midwife once told me to insert a finger into the vagina whilst doing my exercises, and then squeeze. If you tighten up, you are doing it right. Hold the squeeze for about 5 seconds, and release. Then repeat 5 times and stop. The quicker you can do these in succession, the stronger your pelvic floor will become. Eventually keep it up moving from 5 repeats, to 10 then 15 and 20, and I guarantee you will notice a difference. Another tip a midwife told me is to go around the house putting little stickers on things you do regularly, eg open the fridge, flush the toilet, even on the remote to your tv. Each time you see a sticker, do your excersises. By doing these exercises as much as you can (without exerting yourself of course) you will soon notice a dramatic increase in strength and control.