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Pelvic Floor Exercises: Before and After Birth
What the pelvic floor does, how to do pelvic floor exercises correctly, and when to ask for help.
Before you use this guide: This is general educational information, not an individual medical assessment. We do not identify a clinician reviewer on this page, so please confirm personal health decisions with your doctor, midwife or paediatrician.
The pelvic floor is a sling of muscles at the base of your pelvis. It supports your bladder, womb and bowel and helps you control when you pass urine and stool. Pregnancy and childbirth can weaken these muscles, so exercising them is one of the most useful things you can do.
Why they matter
- They help prevent leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise.
- They support your growing womb during pregnancy.
- They help your body recover after birth and may help with sexual function.
- They may help prevent or improve the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse.
How to find the muscles
Sit or lie comfortably with your knees slightly apart. Imagine you are trying to stop yourself passing wind and, at the same time, trying to stop the flow of urine. The squeeze and lift you feel inside is your pelvic floor. Stopping your urine mid-stream is only a way to identify the muscles. It is not an exercise, and doing it regularly can interfere with emptying your bladder fully.
A simple routine
- Squeeze and lift the muscles, hold for a few seconds, then relax completely. Build up gradually to holding for about 10 seconds.
- Repeat up to about 10 times, and do this a few times each day.
- Also practise quick squeezes: tighten and release quickly, about 10 times.
- Keep breathing normally, and keep your tummy, buttocks and thighs relaxed.
- Try the knack: tighten your pelvic floor just before you cough, sneeze or lift something.
After the birth
You can usually start gentle pelvic floor exercises within days of a vaginal birth, as soon as you feel able, even if you have stitches. After a caesarean you can also begin when you feel comfortable, because pregnancy itself puts strain on the pelvic floor. Do not worry if you feel very little at first. The sensation often returns over the first weeks. Keep going, and ask your doctor or physiotherapist at your postnatal check how you are getting on.
When to get help
See your doctor or a pelvic health physiotherapist if you are still leaking urine or stool after several weeks, feel a bulge or heaviness in your vagina, have pain during sex, or cannot tell whether you are doing the exercises correctly. These problems are common and often treatable, and you do not have to put up with them.
Trusted resources to read next
These public health resources provide additional information. Guidance can vary by country, so prioritise advice from your own care team and local health service.
- NHS: Your body after the birth — Postnatal recovery and symptoms that need medical attention.
- NHS: Early days — Information about early newborn care and postnatal support.
This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every baby is different. Always talk to your doctor, midwife or paediatrician about your own situation, and seek urgent care if you are worried.