Pregnancy and childbirth weaken the pelvic muscles. This can cause bladder control problems. These muscles hold the bladder in place and prevent urine leakage. You may experience stress incontinence when you sneeze, cough or laugh. These symptoms become worse with subsequent pregnancies.
Exercise can help strengthen the pelvic muscles. The exercise used for this purpose is also called Kegel exercises. It can take a month or two before you notice a difference. Keep in mind that your pelvic muscles didn’t get weak overnight. You can’t expect an overnight cure as soon as you start exercising to tone the muscles.
The first step is to locate the muscles that need to be strengthened. Do this when you are going to the bathroom. Intentionally stop the flow of urine in mid stream. The muscles you used to do this are the same muscles you need to exercise with kegels. The doctor can help you locate the muscles if you have trouble. Talk with your doctor if you are having problems with stress incontinence or bladder control.
Use care to only tighten the pelvic muscles. Relax your tummy and leg muscles. Tightening the stomach is a common mistake women make. Tightening other muscles at the same time is not effective. Breathe throughout the exercises to keep your tummy relaxed and help concentrate on only the pelvic muscles.
Squeeze the muscles in and hold for three seconds. Release for a few seconds and repeat the sequence. Try to do this at least ten times in a row to start off. Then you can gradually build up to about five minutes per session. Do this three times each day for best results.
You can do these exercises anywhere: lying in bed, sitting in your office chair or standing in line at the grocery store. Use a variety of positions throughout the day or pick the one you like best. I remember my Lamaze instructor when I was pregnant with my first baby. She told us about kegels and suggested we do them at every traffic light. She would say, “Kegels tight at every light.” Since it was my first baby, I didn’t pay much attention. Now that I’m pregnant with number four, I’m listening!