5 Basic Pelvic Floor Exercises For Pregnant Women

Basic pelvic floor exercises help you maintain the condition of the muscles in the pelvis and improve recovery after pregnancy and childbirth.

Performing these exercises will help you feel in touch with what is happening in your body, and it will increase your strength and resilience to prevent problems related to this area.

It is also recommended that you perform pelvic floor exercises  during pregnancy and after childbirth, as they will help you prevent urinary incontinence in those situations.

5 effective pelvic floor exercises for pregnant women

Below are 5 basic pelvic floor exercises.

If you are interested in starting any of these exercises, it is important that you first talk to your doctor to see if there are any related warnings, advice or recommendations.

1. The butterfly

This simple exercise opens the pelvis and keeps the lower back moving. You can perform it during all stages of pregnancy.

To do this, sit on the floor and put your soles together.

Then move your legs up and down until you feel the muscles stretch. You can also let your partner participate so that you get some resistance so that you get a deeper stretch.

2. Source

To perform this second exercise, lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat against the floor, separated by the same distance as the width of your hips. 

Then inhale, tighten the pelvic floor, and lift your hips in the air. Hold for 10 seconds.

Finally, lower your hips and relax the pelvic floor. It is best if you can do 10 repetitions.

3. Slope of the pelvic floor

This third exercise is very gentle and can even be performed when your doctor has prescribed rest.

You can actually perform it from the first day of pregnancy until the day of delivery.

It involves lying on your back with your feet on the floor and your knees bent. Your hands should be close to your hips and act as fixed anchors.

If you try to place a hand under your back, you will notice that it slides easily under because there is an area of ​​the back that does not touch the floor. 

To do this exercise, press this part of your back against the floor at ten-second intervals. It can be repeated up to eight times, and you should continue to breathe normally at all times.

If after 30 weeks you want to try to turn the baby over, make these pelvic floor slopes when you feel the baby move. 

The baby may be trying to get in a better position before the birth, and you can facilitate this process by making pelvic floor slopes.

It is recommended that you do this exercise three times a day for a total of 20 minutes a day as you enter the third trimester.

4. Leaning forward position

Given all the time we spend leaning backwards every day, it is important to lean forward as well . Whether you are leaning against a workbench, a table, or a human – whatever works.

In this case, an exercise ball can be an excellent aid for pregnant women who want to perform this exercise. This exercise is beneficial not only before, but also during childbirth.

Place your arms and upper body on the exercise ball and turn around when the pelvic floor is lifted into the air.

In this way, you prepare the lower part of the body for a natural birth.

5. Reverse forward-leaning position

This movement helps to relax the lower ligaments of the uterus. 

Due to poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle, the uterus can become twisted and narrow. This causes the fetus to run out of space and find it difficult to get into the right position.

To perform this exercise, kneel against the edge of a sofa or bed and slowly lower your hands and forearms to the floor. You can use a stool or ask your partner for help if you need it.

Then, let your head hang free and hold in your chin. 

Straighten your back and hold the position for 30 seconds before raising your hands again. Then get up again in a kneeling position, using a stool or someone to help you.

You can do this one to three times a day.

Remember that you should not do this exercise if you have stomach or uterine cramps, if you have high blood pressure, or if your baby moves a lot.

These 5 basic pelvic floor exercises that we have gone through bring countless benefits to moms. Do them, and you have made a very important contribution to your well-being during pregnancy.