The Pregnancy Centre

I might have looked great but!!!!

After having my first child I was feeling great and looking pretty good too. Yes I had stretched abdominals but I fitted soon back into most of my clothes as I had been diligent with exercise, my abdominal bracing and eating well throughout my first pregnancy.

I had also done regular pelvic floor exercises, teaching others how to do the exercises on maternity ward and in antenatal classes meant that it was always on the top of my mind.

There were times though, when I was tired, and so was my pelvic floor. Cooking towards the end of the day was one time when I noticed my pelvic floor, sometimes in the first few weeks in the form of heaviness or an ache while standing.

I spoke to a girl friend who was also in top shape having done ‘all the right things’ and she too said that she had noticed her pelvic floor also towards the end of the day.

Really, after stretching for the birth during a vaginal delivery, there is no way that a pelvic floor, also affected from the hormones of pregnancy and recovering from the extra work it has done during pregnancy, could be expected to be in top shape a few weeks, or even a few months after birth.

Learning to cook and prepare food earlier in the day may have given me the chance to stand less at the end of the day, however often that was the time that ‘other’ things were done. And a baby needing feeding in the late afternoon and evening doesn’t always allow for a good schedule of perfect planning, and a specific rest to give the pelvic floor a break when it is needed.

Something to bear in mind now though is that there are support garments specifically designed to provide extra support for the perineum and pelvic floor, helping with post natal recovery.

Also, ask family and friends for the help that you need, even if you are feeling fit. Interrupted sleep and caring for a newborn, over the first few months or more, is an adjustment. No matter how good you look on the outside, ask for help. This will help you to protect your pelvic floor for the long term, and gives those supporting you the opportunity to contribute too.

 

For more about connecting to your Pelvic Floor

• Share