Kegal Exercises are used to help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles (attached to the hipbone, tailbone and pubic bone) and your sphincter muscles (anus, vagina, urethra). As your uterus and baby grows during pregnancy, the pressure from your growing uterus can create strain which can lead to problems with bladder control in late pregnancy and after delivery. It is important to strengthen these muscles because they can help you with bladder control, prevent hemorrhoids and lead to an easier delivery and better healing after birth.
Here are some exercises you can try. Start with what you can, but try to work up to doing these exercises for 5 minutes, 2x a day.
DO NOT DO ANY OF THESE EXERCISES WHILE YOU ARE ACTUALLY PEEING.
Pretend to pee in spurts, stopping the flow in mid-stream. Hold for 4 seconds and relax for 4 seconds.
Try to tighten all the sphincter muscles – anal, vaginal, urethral – from back to front. When all three are tightened, hold for 1-2 seconds and then release in a wave like motion, from front to back. (Can be done in any position, but sitting on a hard chair and lean forward with your feet apart on the floor is easiest)
Imagine you are on an elevator going from the 1st to 10th floor of a building. There are 4 steps to this exercise:
1. Contract your pelvic muscles a little at a time, tightening them at each floor until you reach the tenth floor at the count of 10.
2. Descend and then gradually release your muscles, loosening them at each floor. By the time you reach the first floor – and not before – you should be back to normal muscle tension.
3. Now release the muscles even more, moving down to the basement and the subbasement of your imaginary building.
4. Contract the muscles again until you’re back up to the first floor. (Can be done in any position).