Simple Pelvic Floor Exercises After Baby

You go your whole life without ever having to worry about your pelvic floor and then once you have a baby, everything changes. You hear people talking about healing your pelvic floor constantly but know nothing about how to do that. 

As a personal trainer and 28-year-old woman, I had never heard of pelvic floor exercises or how to do them until my son was born. After getting certified, I realized how important it is to strengthen your pelvic floor after having a baby and exactly how to do it!

So if you’re curious about all things pelvic floor, you’ve come to the right place. Find out when you can start exercising, signs of pelvic floor dysfunction, and seven exercises to help heal your pelvic floor postpartum.

How Soon After Birth Can I Do Pelvic Floor Exercises?

After birth, you can do pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel ready. The general rule of thumb is to wait 6 weeks postpartum to begin any type of exercise. However, if you feel ready sooner, then trust your body.

If you start having increased bleeding, extreme fatigue, or feeling uncomfortable with any of these exercises, it’s a sign your body is not ready and needs more time to heal. 

What If I Don’t Do Postpartum Pelvic Floor Exercises?

If you don’t do pelvic floor exercises, you may have symptoms that include:

  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Painful sex
  • Leaking urine
  • Frequent urination
  • Fecal incontinence
  • Frequent UTI’s
  • Vaginal dryness

All of these are signs of a weak pelvic floor and practicing pelvic floor exercises can help resolve these issues. 

It’s very common to feel very weak newly postpartum and it’s not always easy to get right back to your previous workouts. Doing pelvic floor exercises will help you create that mind-muscle connection, strengthen your core, and get you back to your workouts sooner. 

Do I Need To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises Even If I Had A C-Section?

Yes, it is important to do pelvic floor exercises after a cesarean delivery. The pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder, uterus, and rectum, can be weakened during pregnancy as well as childbirth.

Doing pelvic floor exercises can help strengthen these muscles and improve their function, which can help prevent or treat problems such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and fecal incontinence.

It is generally recommended to wait until your postpartum check-up before starting any exercise program, including pelvic floor exercises. This will give your body time to heal from surgery and allow you to get the go-ahead from your healthcare provider.

Once you have the green light to start exercising and you feel ready to incorporate exercise, you can begin by doing pelvic floor exercises a few times a day. It is important to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and frequency of the exercises as you become stronger.

It may be helpful to work with a pelvic floor physical therapist or pre/postnatal certified personal trainer who can teach you the proper technique for doing pelvic floor exercises.

They can also help you develop an exercise plan that is tailored to your specific needs and goals.

What Exercises Can Strengthen My Pelvic Floor Postpartum?

Movements that prioritize activating your pelvic floor muscles through diaphragmatic breathing will be the most beneficial exercises. These exercises are typically slow and deliberate movements that avoid jumping or moving quickly. 

It’s important to really focus on connecting your breath with the abdominals and pelvic floor, which takes time and practice. These moves may seem too easy, but I promise they are harder than you think if you do them correctly.

All the exercises talked about below are perfect for strengthening your pelvic floor. 

How Many Times A Day Should I Do Pelvic Floor Exercises?

As a general guideline, you can aim to do pelvic floor exercises 3 to 4 times a day. However, the frequency of pelvic floor exercises will depend on your individual needs and goals.

In general, it is recommended to start by doing pelvic floor exercises a few times a day and gradually increasing the frequency as you become stronger.

It is more important to listen to your body and not overdo it. If you are feeling pain or discomfort while doing the exercises, you may be doing them too frequently or with too much intensity.

If that happens, lower the frequency and gradually increase it as your muscles become stronger.

It is also important to note that the quality of the exercises is more important than the quantity. It is better to do a few well-executed exercises than a large number of poorly executed ones.

Take your time and learn how to do pelvic floor muscle training before you worry about how often to perform each exercise.

How To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises After Birth

Each movement is slow and controlled to help you create that connection back to your pelvic floor after birth. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to do each exercise and the number of repetitions.

There is no equipment needed for this and it can be done on the floor while your baby enjoys tummy time, or they can even be on your chest for most of these movements. 

Ball Squeeze Breathing

  • Begin on your back with your knees bent and a pilates ball, yoga block, or pillow in between your legs.
  • Inhale through your nose, expanding your back and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor muscles.
  • Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor muscles.
  • While exhaling, squeeze the ball between your legs for 5 seconds.
  • Relax and repeat for 10 breaths.
woman doing breathing exercise post baby

Rolling Hip Bridge

  • Begin on your back with your knees hip-width apart, bent, and feet flat on the floor.
  • Inhale through your nose, expanding your back and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor muscles.
  • Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor muscles. While exhaling, slowly bring your back off the floor one vertebrae at a time until your back is in a straight line
  • Slowly roll your back down to the floor, one vertebra at a time.
  • Repeat for 10 breaths.
woman exercising her glutes after pregnancy

Clamshell

  • Begin lying on your right side with your right arm stretched out and your head resting on it. Your knees are bent 45° and stacked. 
  • Place your index and middle fingers inside your left hip bone to check for core engagement. 
  • Engage your core by pulling your stomach towards your spine and breathing normally.
  • While keeping your feet together, raise your left knee as high as possible without shifting your hips and keeping your right leg on the floor. 
  • Once you’ve reached your max height, bring your leg back to the starting position. 
  • Repeat for 10 repetitions and then perform the same on the left side. 
postnatal woman strengthening her abdominals

Pelvic Clocks

  • Start lying on your back in a neutral position with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Inhale in this position relaxing your pelvic floor and pushing your pelvis down. Your pelvis will point downwards at 6 o’clock. 
  • Exhale, bringing your pelvic floor up and in while pushing your pelvis toward the ceiling. Your pelvis will point upwards toward 12 o’clock.
  • Continue to repeat this motion with each breath for 2 minutes.
woman fixing her posture after giving birth
woman doing posture exercise after pregnancy

Knee Fall Out

  • Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and your back completely flat on a mat.
  • Brace your core by bringing the pelvic floor up and in, and breathe normally. 
  • Bring your right knee out to the side about 45° or as far as it is comfortable for you while holding that brace, and then bring it back to the center. 
  • You can place your hands on your hips, pointing upwards to ensure they are not rotating during the movement. You want to focus the movement only in your legs. 
  • Alternate bringing your left and right knees out while keeping your core braced. If you don’t feel your core engaged anymore, reset and begin again. Periodically check to make sure your glutes not are activated through this movement. You don’t want your glutes taking over the exercise. 
  • Perform this movement for 20 repetitions, 10 on each leg.
postpartum woman healing her core

Bent Leg Raise

  • Lay down with your back flat,  knees bent with your feet flat on the floor. 
  • Begin with a 360° breath, exhale, engage your core bringing your pelvic floor up and lift one leg towards your chest, keeping it bent. 
  • Bring your leg back to the starting position and switch to the other leg. 
  • Repeat for 20 repetitions, 10 on each leg.
pelvic floor movement for women after pregnancy

Toe Taps

  • Begin with your back flat on the floor and your legs at a 90-degree angle, knees parallel to your hips. 
  • Inhale, relaxing your pelvic floor and on the exhale, engage your core and pelvic floor muscles, dropping your foot to the ground until your toe taps the floor. Once you reach the floor, inhale and bring your leg back to the starting position. This movement is slow and controlled.
  • Alternate each leg for 20 repetitions total.
woman doing postpartum ab exercise
female performing ab exercise after pregnancy

Heal Your Pelvic Floor Postpartum

Taking care of your pelvic floor post-pregnancy is very important to avoid dysfunction. Although it may seem like it’s not a workout, it’s foundational for you to exercise efficiently after having a baby. Add these simple exercises into your daily routine for just a few minutes and see how quickly you feel stronger in your new postpartum body. 

If you tried these exercises, let me know how they worked for you in the comments!