How To Prepare Your Core And Pelvic Floor For Birth
High intensity exercise has an impact on how the core and pelvic floor function and adding a baby in the mix places additional pressure on the way your body functions and this is where your core and pelvic floor work for you. Sure, it’s possible to jump around, do an unassisted pull-up or kick box during pregnancy, we’ve all seen the videos online...but are the risks greater than the reward?
First, it’s important to understand that Relaxin, which is the hormone responsible for making our ligaments and joints lax, weaken the pelvic floor for birth and stretch the core as well as the linea alba (connective tissue that runs through the midline of your body) to make way for baby.
I understand that women want to remain in their favourite activities during their pregnancy, and they absolutely can, but we can make some modifications and incorporate breathing and movement techniques that will prepare your core and pelvic floor to optimize your birth and postpartum recovery.
>>And there’s a lot more information in my Barbell Training For Pregnancy: Your 3 Step Guide For Maximizing Performance During and After Pregnancy. It features simple and actionable steps to maximize your core and pelvic floor function, improve performance, and most importantly, avoid the complications that can arise from postnatal exercising. Click here to access your free guide today.<<
As your pregnancy progresses your alignment shifts, throwing your spine out of neutral and your pelvic shifts forward. As your baby grows and you belly gets bigger, your core and pelvis become unstable. Reducing your pelvic tilt and keeping your spine in neutral the best that you can will help to minimize diastasis recti (ab separation) and the impact on your pelvic floor because it’s not compensating for the muscles that should be working like your glutes.
Breathing is a fantastic way to keep your pelvic floor functioning well during your pregnancy and postpartum recovery. My favourite breathing technique is Breathing For Birth. I even use this to help my clients warm up and cool down for their workouts, release tension, engage deep core muscles and prepare them for birth.
Work your glutes and your deep glutes. Pregnancy fitness is HUGE on social media and we see women who are 40 week pregnant competing in physically demanding competitions and other activities. Although this looks impressive it has a negative impact on the core and pelvic floor. Our glutes become inactive, again taking our spine and pelvis out of it’s neutral position. We need our glutes to better support our core and back.
Here Are A Few Great Butt Moves For Your Pelvic Floor.
Hip Thrusts
Body Weight Squats
Glute Bridge
Releasing tight muscles can also be beneficial when it comes to preparing your pelvic floor for birth while receiving some of your aches and pains. To learn how to use soft tissue release techniques, click here.
Additionally, a smart overall strength training program will also be an asset provided that you're experiencing and uncomplicated pregnancy. Pregnancy and birth requires strength, endurance and mobility as it places a lot of additional demands onto your core and pelvic floor. To read more about how you can maximize your strength training during pregnancy,
Love your baby body,
Terrell
