Why you really shouldn’t ignore your pelvic floor
Each week Janine Thomas, prenatal yoga instructor, hypnobirther and mum of two (and a half), investigates a common pregnancy ailment or issue. This week: Pelvic floor problems
HOW many mums do you know who won’t bounce on a trampoline? Actress and mother of three Kate Winslet has openly admitted she can’t, and neither would up to 40% of women in Ireland.
Urine leakage when you cough, sneeze, lift something heavy, exercise or even get a fit of the giggles is no laughing matter. Thankfully we are becoming more open about discussing — and addressing — pelvic floor issues, which can also cause urge incontinence (when you need to go urgently), pelvic pain and discomfort during sex.
The pelvic floor is the sling of muscles between your legs. In pregnancy it helps to support your growing baby and pelvic organs and gives you bladder control. If you know how to contract and relax these muscles properly, this can only help to make labour quicker and easier, as well as speed up postnatal recovery.
However, a study by Trinity College Dublin last year revealed that more than one in three pregnant women leak urine. This embarrassing problem is even more likely to happen postnatally: three months after giving birth, half of mums leak and six months postpartum, one in five still leak urine at least once a month.
The problem is often due to overly tense muscles in this area, not a weakness, says Maeve Whelan, a specialist chartered physiotherapist at Milltown Physiotherapy in Dublin. ‘Pretty much everybody I see needs to learn how to release rather than hold,’ she says. ‘Many women aren’t sure where their pelvic floor is. They can often feel it lift but can’t feel any release.
‘Press down on your shoulder muscles and you feel the tension. The same muscle rules apply to your pelvic floor, we can hold a lot of tension here.’
To find your pelvic floor muscles, locate the muscles that would stop you mid-pee. Now squeeze and release them ten times without holding your breath or tightening your tummy muscles, thighs or bum. Make sure you concentrate on releasing fully.
Shake it up by adding different exercises or more repetitions each week. For example, try working your pelvic floor in sections, like an elevator rising up through the floors of a building and dropping back down again.
Pick a set time to fit these into your day, or you end up lying in bed at night doing them! Maybe do a set when you brush your teeth (stick a Post-it reminder on the mirror) or when you’re stuck in traffic.
If you’re still having problems, see a women’s health physio, they are brilliant. Mammi.ie also has videos that guide you through everything you need to know.
Put the effort in now even if you have no symptoms — I promise it will pay dividends.