16 | AUGUST 2019 | L&L
When you’re pregnant, it’s not just
holding up your organs, but also the
weight of your baby, placenta and all
the extra blood that’s pumping around
your body. “During pregnancy, your
pelvic floor is working harder than
normal,” says Elaine. “So it needs a
bit of help to stop it from stretching.”
When you’re pregnant, your body
releases relaxin to soften up your
ligaments – tough, rope-like tissue – in
your pelvis. Softer ligaments mean
it’s easier for your pelvis to move and
open up, so your baby can work his
way out. But it makes things harder for
your pelvic floor. “Most muscles in your
body are attached to your bones,” says
Elaine. “But not the pelvic floor. Some
of the pelvic floor muscle attaches
to ligaments.” So as your ligaments
become stretchier with the release ofThe easy
squeeze
This simple exercise makes
giving birth easier, and it only
takes one minute a day...
relaxin your pelvic
floor can become
saggy. And
that’s not going
to help push
your baby out.
Start the Easy
Squeeze at any
point in your
pregnancy, and
it will tone up
your pelvic floor
muscles and help
you arrive at the
big day strong
enough to give
you a better birth
experience. One
minute a day
really can make
a big difference.I
f you signed up for the
Comrades Marathon, you’d
find the time to run around
the block a few times
beforehand, right? Well, now
you’ve bagged yourself a ticket
for one of life’s biggest moments- your baby’s arrival – here’s a
simple, one-minute exercise that,
if you do it every day, can help
you have an easier birth. Too
good to be true? No, the Easy
Squeeze exercise tones the very
bit of your body that’s going to
help you push your baby out.
“Toning your pelvic floor
muscles can help make the first
and second stages of labour
quicker,” says pelvic-health
physiotherapist Elaine Miller.
“Not enough research has been
done to know exactly why it has
this effect, but it makes sense
that a firm pelvic floor will help
you push your baby out.”
If you’re pregnant, then right
now your pelvic floor is having
a pretty hard time of it. “Your
pelvic floor sits at the base of
your abdomen, holding in your
organs,” explains Elaine. “It’s like
the bottom of your handbag –
without it, everything would just
fall out.” Imagine three layers of
muscle slung between your pubic
bone and the bottom of your
spine: that’s your pelvic floor.
TRY THIS
If your
pelvic floor
hasn’t had
a workout
before, it can
be tricky to
figure out just
which is the
right muscle.
To make
sure you’re
not using
your bottom
or thigh
muscles,
check your
bum doesn’t
clench. Do
the exercise
on a hard
chair – if you
bump up
and down,
the wrong
muscles
are doing
the work.