Pelvic floor training after childbirth

There are many myths and unanswered questions surrounding the pelvic floor after childbirth. Unfortunately, the subject is still far too often treated as taboo, trivialised, overdramatised or ignored. MyPelvi wants to change this and shows you exactly what happens to your pelvic floor during pregnancy, childbirth and afterwards.

During and after pregnancy, your body changes in many ways, and your pelvic floor plays a central role. It is placed under considerable strain during and after pregnancy and therefore needs special attention and regular training sessions before childbirth and for several weeks afterwards, for example with MyPelvi.

During pregnancy, your pelvic floor is placed under considerable strain by the baby's additional weight. The additional weight presses on the pelvic floor and gradually stretches it. This supports your organs and the growing baby.

In addition, pregnancy hormones such as relaxin and progesterone make your muscles and ligaments softer and more flexible – including the pelvic floor. These changes are important for birth, but they also weaken your pelvic floor muscles.

Childbirth itself places enormous strain on your pelvic floor. During a vaginal birth in particular, it has to stretch considerably to allow your baby to enter the world. Unfortunately, this can have serious consequences that may lead to a longer recovery period. These include:

- Overstretching of the muscles - Pelvic floor injuries caused by compression - Partial or complete tearing of nerves, connective tissue fibres or muscles - Incontinence - Sensations of a foreign body - Pelvic organ prolapse - A feeling of weakness or heaviness in the pelvic floor area [2]

Three to six months after giving birth, around 1/3 of women experience urinary incontinence, 1/10 experience faecal incontinence and 1 % experience prolapse. However, the risk of prolapse after vaginal birth increases with each additional birth [4].

These consequences vary from person to person and, in many cases, can be alleviated or even fully resolved through targeted pelvic floor training before the birth and a few weeks afterwards. Give your body time to recover while supporting it with targeted pelvic floor training once your midwife gives you the go-ahead:

With MyPelvi, you can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles using state-of-the-art technology. All you have to do is sit down on the MyPelvi chair and lean back. The magnetic field stimulation technology does the work for you, training your pelvic floor in a highly targeted way with up to 25,000 muscle contractions:

Ready to begin?Learn more about MyPelvi before and after pregnancy

Why is pelvic floor training so important after giving birth? Your pelvic floor is the foundation of your body. A strong pelvic floor supports your organs, prevents incontinence and improves your posture.

After giving birth, pelvic floor training is particularly important for strengthening your weakened muscles and alleviating possible problems such as involuntary urine leakage or a feeling of discomfort.

Alongside precise guidance, it is vital that training after giving birth becomes a regular part of your everyday life. Ideally, consistent pelvic floor training should already form part of your physical activities before pregnancy [3].

The sooner you start gentle training, the better you can support your body's recovery. It is best to discuss the exact timing with your midwife so that you can regain your fitness quickly while also giving your body enough rest.

In the first few weeks after childbirth, your pelvic floor needs one thing above all: rest. How long your pelvic floor feels weak after giving birth depends on many factors, such as the type of birth, your physical condition before pregnancy and whether there were any complications.

As a rule, the pelvic floor is at its weakest during the first six to eight weeks after childbirth. During this time, you should avoid heavy lifting and intense exercise and give it plenty of rest.

You can often begin gentle pelvic floor exercises just a few days after giving birth – ideally in consultation with your midwife or doctor. The aim is not to train the pelvic floor intensively straight away, but to slowly become aware of it again and promote blood circulation.

Give yourself and your pelvic floor at least six weeks of rest before beginning targeted training. Gentle postnatal recovery exercises or walks are suitable in the phase immediately after giving birth.

After six to eight weeks, you can provide your pelvic floor with targeted support through MyPelvi pelvic floor training. The best thing? You do not have to exert yourself for this training; you can simply lean back in your everyday clothes for 22 minutes:

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The longer you wait to begin pelvic floor training, the more difficult it may become to strengthen the pelvic floor fully again. Although in theory it is never too late to start training, the effort required increases over time, and it takes more discipline and patience to achieve noticeable results.

If the pelvic floor is neglected for too long, consequences such as persistent incontinence or even organ prolapse may occur, which are often more difficult to remedy.

So start early to support your body after childbirth with MyPelvi pelvic floor training.

It is important to seek support with your pelvic floor training after giving birth, regardless of how “fit” you were beforehand. Your specialist can ensure that your pelvic floor, abdominal and back muscles work together functionally and help you strengthen your core.

You should pay particular attention to the following points during the first few weeks of training:

- Your pelvic floor is weakened and desensitised, and it may take a few days before you can properly feel and tense it again. - Avoid heavy carrying, pushing, lifting, jumping or intensive strength training because excessive physical strain makes it difficult for your muscles to recover and return to their previous form. - After giving birth, there is increased pressure in the abdominal cavity, which pushes the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles downwards or outwards. Avoid breath-holding and straining, heavy straining during bowel movements, forceful coughing and sneezing (especially in a hunched posture), and intensive exercise. - Your body signals overloading as follows: severe pain in the neck, spine and pelvis that does not subside, as well as a feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen [1].

If you notice anything unusual, seek medical or therapeutic advice or consult your midwife.

Ready to begin?You can find more information about MyPelvi training here

When the body feels “normal” again after childbirth, injuries have healed and the muscles regain tone varies considerably from person to person. For some women, the pelvic floor feels “normal” again after just three to six months, while for others it may take up to a year or longer.

It is important to listen to your body and give it the time it needs. With regular training, such as MyPelvi pelvic floor training, and enough patience, you will notice your pelvic floor gradually recovering.

Your pelvic floor is exposed to enormous strain during and after pregnancy. But the good news is that targeted pelvic floor training can do a great deal to help it feel stronger again and make you feel comfortable in your body. It is never too late to start – whether six to eight weeks after childbirth or months later. Your pelvic floor will thank you!

Learn the right technique with guidance — free of charge at your MyPelvi studio.