Kegel (Pelvic floor) exercises
One exercise you can incorporate into your regular daily exercise routine while you’re pregnant is pelvic floor exercises. One of the beautiful things about these exercises is that nobody but you will know that you’re doing them. This means that you can do them while sitting at your desk, while standing in line at the bank, while lying in bed next to your partner, or while watching TV.
Many women don’t realize how important these pelvic floor exercises are (whether pregnant or not!) until it’s too late – they sneeze (or cough, or laugh) and experience a little urine leakage.
Your pelvic floor muscles are important because they support not only your bladder and bowels, but also your uterus. By doing pelvic floor exercises, you help to keep these muscles strong, so you can avoid incontinence both during pregnancy and after delivery.
There are other reasons to do these exercises not only during pregnancy but also after delivery and for the rest of your life. A weak pelvic floor can result in less satisfying sex, which is not going to make you a happy woman.
The problems of a weak pelvic floor can get worse with subsequent pregnancies, even resulting in a sagging uterus that will push against your vaginal walls.
How to do Kegel (Pelvic floor) exercises
The recommended frequency of doing these exercises is 8 repetitions, 3 times a day.
To begin:
Tighten the muscles you normally use to stop urine flow (in three stopping motions until tight)
Hold this position for several seconds, then let your muscles relax
Tighten the muscles again, faster this time, hold for several seconds, then release
Repeat until you have done eight reps
It’s important to remember that while you are doing these exercises you need to avoid holding your breath, tightening your butt, tilting your pelvis, squeezing your legs together or sucking in your stomach. If you have any questions about how best to do Kegel exercises, you can ask your doctor or midwife for additional guidance or contact a physical therapist for more information.
Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises work best as part of an overall fitness routine. Women who exercise regularly – in addition to practicing Kegel exercises – seem to have an easier time giving birth and a quicker recovery afterwards. Experts recommend 30 minutes per day of moderate exercise during pregnancy.
credit : pregnancy+