Do you get scared at the thought of sneezing while jumping? This is a concern I hear all too often! Here are three tips to help regain control of your pelvic floor muscles after having a baby. I’ve also included a couple of activations you can begin today!
Restablish The Mind-Body Connection
Before we can strengthen our pelvic floor, we must first re-establish the neural connection to our inner-core unit. During pregnancy, many of the neural connections were either weakened or cut entirely (due to tearing, episiotomy, c-section) so any connection to our deep abdominals – such as our Transverse Abdominus (TVA) and pelvic floor region – becomes compromised.
When there is a disconnect between neural pathways and muscle, muscle groups become weak or imbalanced. Therefore, the first thing we need to do to regain strength in our pelvic floor, is to re-establish that connection.
Make the brain talk to the muscles down there once again… like they did long before we had kids! When we could run, jump, and play without messy consequence!
As a pre & postnatal corrective exercise specialist, I find that it is important to first connect to our inner-core-unit – the TVA and the Diaphragm to be more specific – then, we can work to rehab the pelvic floor. Once we make those connections, we can pair these muscle groups to work together as one unit.
Poor Connection Leads To Muscle Imbalance
A compromised core and pelvic floor connection is a path toward dysfunction throughout the body down the road. Weak neural connection equals weak muscle which leads to muscle imbalance.
Muscle imbalances lead to other muscle groups trying to compensate for any weaknesses in movement and mobility and the situation snowballs.
Once we start reactivating these weak muscle groups and get the neurons and muscle fibers firing again we can rebuild a solid connection.
How Can I Connect To My Core?
The good news is, once you start doing activities designed to rebuild these neural pathways, the brain can create new pathways… and repetition is key to making them stronger until you no longer have to think about them.
One of the best and most natural exercises to reconnect to your core is to learn how to breathe with your diaphragm. Click here for tips and exercises to connect with your diaphragm.
Connect And Activate Your PF
There are many simple exercises and movement patterns out there to re-establish that connection and to start activating the above-mentioned muscle groups.
Some of my favorites include diamond holds (think of a more complex kegel), elevator holds, and pelvic tilts.
DIAMOND HOLDS:
Diamond Holds
To first try this move, sit on a pillow or an exercise ball.
Think about your pelvic floor like a diamond. Your front and back make the top and bottom points and hips are the sides.
Take a deep diaphragmatic breath in. As you exhale pull in your core and think about pulling the front and back of the diamond together.
Now, try this again, but this time on the exhale, pull the sides of the diamond together.
Try this one more time, and this time, as you exhale, pull all four sides of the diamond together and up. Think of this as 1 rep.
If you are at least six weeks postpartum, repeat this process for 10-15 reps at least 3-4 times a day until you establish a strong connection to your PF.
If you are less than six-weeks pp, consult with your doctor to see if this is ok for you to try, with fewer reps. It is important to make the neural connection as soon as you feel comfortable.
Always remember to listen to your body and your doctor’s advice.
ELEVATOR HOLDS:
Elevator Holds
Just as we did with the, diamond holds, first try this move while sitting on a pillow or an exercise ball.
Remember, your pelvic floor is a muscle than can be contracted and relaxed. As you contract, most women try to contract the muscle as tight as they can right away, which can cause some strain or discomfort, especially when the muscle is weak.
Rather than trying to fully contract the muscle – or squeezing to the “top floor” of your elevator – first try a 50% contraction of the muscle… consider this the “first floor”. Hold the first floor for a few seconds and then relax.
When you feel comfortable, try adding a floor or two. For example, contract about 30% for the first floor, 60% for the second floor, and 100% for the third floor.
Play around with this and remember to practice both the contraction and relaxation phase as you move up and down between floors.
If you are at least six weeks postpartum, repeat this process for 10-15 reps at least 3-4 times a day until you establish a strong connection to your PF.
If you are less than six-weeks pp, consult with your doctor to see if this is ok for you to try, with fewer reps. It is important to make the neural connection as soon as you feel comfortable.
Always remember to listen to your body and your doctor’s advice.
As you get better with these activations, challenge yourself by combining your diaphragmatic breathing and pelvic floor activations. This combo will provide a solid foundation as you rebuild muscle, stability, and balance throughout the body!
Come back to this post soon for a video on how to execute some of these activations.
After you get comfortable with these activations, you can add them into your daily movement without even having to think about them. Once you accomplish this step, you’re well on your way regaining control of your PF!
Time To Build Strength
You’ve reconnected, rebalanced, and reactivated the muscles of your core and pelvic floor. Now it’s time to build strength so that you don’t have to fear taking a HIIT class that has a lot of jumping in it… or going for a run in light-colored leggings in a public park!
It’s All About The Squat!
Simple exercises such as the deep squat, lunges, and hip bridges will help to build strength in the pelvic floor area. It is important to focus on both the activation and the relaxation phase during these exercises to establish optimal connection and movement.
Be Careful!
Whether you are six weeks postpartum or several years postpartum, it is important to listen to your body and to gradually increase physical activity, especially as you adjust postpartum.
Note: If you ever have any pain in your pelvic floor area, is is important to speak with your care provider and to explore what might be causing it.
Also, it is important to understand that your hormones are shifting and transitioning for a whole year (more if breastfeeding) after delivery and you are likely to have the hormone Relaxin still present. Relaxin can cause weakness in your joints, leading to pain, discomfort, or weakness throughout your body, especially in your pelvis and hips, during pregnancy and your first year postpartum.
Always consult with your medical provider when considering new physical activity or if you have any concerns about how you feel – physically, mentally, and emotionally – postpartum.
