Motherhood & Pelvic Floor Recovery

After all the work your body put into creating your little bundle of joy, you’d expect it deserves a rest, but your post-birth recovery has just begun.

Both vaginal and cesarean births birthday can wreak havoc on your pelvic floor – the hammock-like structure of muscles integral to supporting your internal organs – and it’s imperative to your health and wellbeing to work toward their recovery.

Why is Pelvic Floor Recovery so Important?

You’re well aware of some of the major the changes your body underwent throughout your pregnancy, but some might not be so obvious.

Loose Ligaments

Pregnancy hormones loosen your ligaments to allow your body to accommodate the new baby during pregnancy –which can add between 25 and 35 pounds of extra weight to your body that sits squarely on top of your pelvic floor muscles. Having stronger muscles to assist those ligaments, both during and after pregnancy, can protect you from incontinence, vaginal atrophy, and even prolapse when you get older.

Leaking

As your baby grew in the womb, it has pushed your pelvic organs like the bladder and urethra, out of the way (as evidenced by the sprints to the toilet!). After delivery, those organs return to their pre-baby locations, but they can need a little help to get there.

Up to 40% of women – including 16% who gave birth via cesarean – will experience some incontinence after pregnancy. During vaginal childbirth, this is no surprise, your pelvic floor muscles must stretch to at least 10 cm and help push your baby out and into the world.

Your pelvic floor muscles are helping to open and close your urethra and squeeze the urine out of your bladder. By strengthening these muscles, you can regain the strength of your pelvic muscles and avoid a future of crossing your legs whenever you laugh, cough, or sneeze.

Healthy Healing

Your pelvic floor muscles may be weakened or damaged from pushing, and the muscles of your uterus, cervix, and vagina might have also been torn during delivery. Everything needs to heal and those muscles need to be strengthened so you can avoid long term health problems.

Exercising your pelvic floor can increase blood circulation to the area and encourage the healing of any tears or episiotomies you experienced during childbirth, while also creating flexibility in the new tissue.

Sparking Intimacy

A big concern for many new moms is making sure that their bodies can return to their pre-baby shape and fitness, which contributes to their comfort with having sex again. In addition to supporting all of your pelvic organs, your pelvic floor is also partially responsible for the tightness of your vagina.

The stronger your pelvic floor is, the more toned your vagina is, and that means increased sensations for both you and your partner during sex. Stronger pelvic floor muscles have also been linked to more frequent orgasms!

Is Pelvic Floor Recovery Difficult?

You may already be familiar with using Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor, but you may not be aware of how easily these exercises can be performed incorrectly.

Many turn to Kegel exercisers to make sure their recovery doesn’t get neglected in the rush of activity once baby comes home.

Laselle

Made of the highest quality body-safe materials for a safe and hygienic workout, the spherical shaped weight naturally positions itself while providing you with a firm object to flex your muscles around. The advanced design of our Laselle Exercisers encourages the correct technique of lifting upwards and squeezing to ensure the best results.

In addition, each exerciser features a weighted inner ball that offers resistance to efficiently strengthen your muscles and also confirms its correct placement.

KegelSmart

If you want to take the guesswork out of Kegels, look no further than KegelSmart. Just like a personal trainer, it sets a routine that is simple to follow, safe to use, and completely tailored to your individual needs. Simply insert, contract when it vibrates, and then rest when it stops – it’s that easy!

Please note that advice offered by Intimina may not be relevant to your individual case. For specific concerns regarding your health, always consult your physician or other licensed medical practitioners.