A kegel isn’t just a squeeze but a squeeze AND a lift up.  They are muscles that are deep inside the body so when you do one, no one should be able to tell. Your glutes shouldn’t contract; your abs shouldn’t tighten, your inner thighs shouldn’t contract. And although kegels may not be apart of your specific pelvic floor physical therapy plan, it is important that you are able to understand and coordinate how to do one. 

Urinary urgency is when you are frequently having the urge to pee, even when your bladder doesn’t need to empty.  Typically, it’s considered normal to pee every 2-4 hours. I will say, clinically, I’ve seen if you are someone who drinks a lot of water this can be more frequent and still normal. But it’s not just about how frequently you urinate, but also how much you are voiding.  Usually with urinary urgency someone will get a very strong urge to pee but when they go to empty they will pee for only 4-5 seconds. This is another indication that your body isn’t sending you the appropriate signals!

As pelvic floor physical therapists were here to say although these pains might be common, it’s not something you have to just “deal with”. One of the many benefits of seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist during pregnancy is for prevention and relief from these pains so you can focus on staying healthy and preparing to meet your little one.

Days after going through labor and delivery, whether it was a vaginal or c-section delivery, can make you question what the heck is going on “down there”. Read below for 5 things you can safely do immediately postpartum for your pelvic floor!