Best Pelvic Floor Exercises While Pregnant

Pregnancy is a beautiful, life-changing journey — but it also places incredible demands on your body. As your baby grows, your pelvic floor works hard to support your bladder, bowel, and uterus. Preparing this part of your body before birth can make a huge difference in both your birthing experience and your postnatal recovery.

In this podcast episode, we’ll explore why pelvic floor exercises while pregnant are so important, which types are most effective, and how you can practise them safely. You’ll also learn when to seek extra support and get a guided exercise set you can try at home.

1. Why Pelvic Floor Exercises Are Helpful for Birth and Recovery

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissue at the base of your pelvis. During pregnancy, these muscles carry the extra weight of your growing baby and expand to allow your baby to pass through during birth.

A strong and functional pelvic floor can:

• Support smoother birth by helping your body adapt to labour.
• Reduce intervention risks such as forceps delivery, which can increase the chance of perineal trauma or prolapse.
• Aid recovery after both vaginal and caesarean births, supporting your bladder, bowel, and pelvic organs.
• Promote long-term wellbeing by reducing the risk of leakage or pelvic floor dysfunction later in life, including through menopause.

2. Which Pelvic Floor Exercises Are Helpful for Birth and Recovery

It’s not just about doing endless “kegels” or squeezes. The most beneficial pelvic floor exercises while pregnant are those that create balance — building strength, flexibility, and control.

The four key elements are:

• Strength: Building the ability to lift and hold the pelvic floor when needed.
• Responsiveness: Training the muscles to switch on quickly when you cough, sneeze, or lift.
• Relaxation: Learning to fully release and soften the pelvic floor, which is vital for birth.
• Coordination: Connecting your breath with your pelvic floor movements to support your body holistically.

3. How to Exercise Pelvic Floor for Optimising Birth and Recovery

Pregnancy is the perfect time to start focusing on your pelvic floor, even if you’ve never thought much about it before.

• Start early: The second trimester is a great time to connect with a pelvic floor physiotherapist who can assess your muscles and create a tailored plan.
• Work around challenges: If you’re experiencing pelvic girdle pain, fatigue, or nausea, you don’t need to push through long, exhausting workouts. Even 10 minutes of gentle, safe exercises at home can add up to big benefits over time.
• Keep it consistent: Small, regular sessions can make a big difference by the time you reach your due date.

4. When to Seek Help with Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy and After Birth

While pelvic floor exercises are safe and beneficial for most women, there are times when professional guidance is especially important. You may want to see a women’s health physiotherapist if you experience:

• Pain or discomfort in the pelvic area
• Pain during sex
• Bladder or bowel leakage (incontinence)
• Sensations of heaviness, bulging, or prolapse
• Difficulty contracting or relaxing your pelvic floor muscles
• Ongoing constipation

If you’re unsure whether you’re doing the exercises correctly, an internal pelvic floor assessment with a physiotherapist can help you gain confidence and learn the right techniques.

5. Set of Pelvic Floor Exercises to Help with Birth and Recovery

Here’s a simple guided set of pelvic floor exercises while pregnant that you can try in a comfortable seated or side-lying position:

1. Start with relaxation – Take a deep breath in through your nose, feel your ribcage expand, and as you breathe out, gently let your tummy and pelvic floor soften, relax, and “drop and flop.”
2. Quick lifts – Gently contract your pelvic floor (like you’re stopping yourself from passing wind or urine) for 1 second, then release for 3 seconds. Repeat 5 times, focusing on the release phase.
3. Strength holds – Squeeze and lift your pelvic floor as strongly as you can. Hold for up to 10 seconds while breathing normally, then relax fully. Repeat 3–4 times.
4. Endurance hold – Gently lift your pelvic floor halfway and hold for up to 60 seconds while continuing to breathe. If that feels too much, hold for as long as you can with good form.

Remember: quality is more important than quantity. Always release your muscles fully after each contraction.

Doing pelvic floor exercises while pregnant is one of the most effective and proactive ways to prepare your body for birth and recovery. Whether you give birth vaginally or via caesarean, these exercises can help you feel stronger, support your pelvic health, and reduce the risk of issues like leakage or prolapse in the future.

At FitNest Mama, we’re here to guide you every step of the way. Our Fitness Mama App offers safe, physio-led pregnancy and postnatal workouts that fit into your busy life — and you can start with a free 7-day trial today.

You don’t have to do this alone. Taking time to care for your pelvic floor is a powerful investment in your health, your birth experience, and your recovery.

** This podcast has general information only. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health or medical condition. 

Links

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