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Pelvic Floor Exercises

Small daily habits, lifelong benefits

Your pelvic floor is a layer of muscle that runs from your pubic bone at the front to your tailbone at the back. It supports your bladder, womb and bowel, helps control wee, wind and poo, and plays an important role in sex and posture.

Pregnancy and birth stretch and strain the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor exercises (sometimes called Kegels) are the most effective way to restore strength and prevent or treat common problems, including incontinence and prolapse. You can start them within days of giving birth.

Why pelvic floor exercises matter after birth

Strong, responsive pelvic floor muscles help with:

  • Bladder and bowel control. Reducing leaks and urgency.
  • Support for your pelvic organs. Reducing the risk of prolapse symptoms (a feeling of heaviness or dragging in the pelvis).
  • Sex and sensation. Better tone, better recovery, better experience.
  • Core stability. Working with your tummy muscles to support your back.
  • Long-term health. Pelvic floor disorders are common at midlife and beyond; the work you do now reduces your risk.

The good news: even short, regular pelvic floor sessions make a measurable difference. 2 minutes a day, three times a day, builds significant strength over 6 to 8 weeks.

How to do pelvic floor exercises

Step 1. Find the muscles

Sit or lie comfortably. Imagine you are trying to stop yourself from passing wind, and at the same time, stop the flow of urine mid-stream. The squeeze and lift you feel is your pelvic floor.

(Don’t actually stop the flow of urine repeatedly to “practise”. That can confuse the bladder over time. Use it just once to identify the muscles, then do the exercises away from the toilet.)

Step 2. Practise the squeeze

  • Sit, stand, or lie comfortably.
  • Squeeze and lift the muscles upwards and inwards.
  • Keep breathing normally, don’t hold your breath.
  • Make sure your bottom, thighs and tummy stay relaxed; the work is in the pelvic floor only.
  • Relax fully between squeezes; the relaxation matters as much as the squeeze.

Build two types of contraction (see next section)

Both slow and fast contractions, every session.

Step 4. Do them often

Aim for 3 sessions a day, every day. Build the habit by linking it to something you already do: feeding your baby, waiting for the kettle to boil, brushing your teeth.

The two types of contraction to practise

Slow (endurance)

What to do: Squeeze and lift, hold for 5 to 10 seconds, then relax fully for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat 8 to 10 times.

What it builds: The long-hold strength of the pelvic floor. This is what supports your organs throughout the day.

Fast (power)

What to do: Squeeze and lift quickly and firmly, then release straight away. Repeat 8 to 10 times in quick succession.

What it builds: The fast-reaction strength of the pelvic floor. This is what catches you when you cough, sneeze, laugh or lift.

Do both types in every session, three sessions a day.

Practical tips

  • Start gently. In the first days after birth, do gentle, short contractions. Build up as you feel ready.
  • Quality, not quantity. A few well-done squeezes are far more useful than many sloppy ones.
  • Posture matters. Stand or sit tall, with your weight evenly distributed. Slouching makes pelvic floor work harder.
  • Build into daily life. “Squeeze before you sneeze” (or cough, or lift). This is called “the knack” and protects against leaks.
  • Don’t forget to relax. A pelvic floor that is always gripping is just as much a problem as one that is weak. Relax fully between contractions.
  • Be patient. It takes around 6 to 8 weeks of regular practice to feel a real difference. Stick with it.

Speak to a physiotherapist if

Pelvic floor problems are very treatable. You don’t need to put up with them.

  • You can’t feel your pelvic floor working when you try the exercises.
  • You have leaks of wee, wind or stool that don’t improve with regular exercises.
  • You feel a dragging, heavy, or bulging sensation in the vagina, especially towards the end of the day.
  • Sex is uncomfortable or painful.
  • You had a third- or fourth-degree tear, a forceps or ventouse birth, or a long pushing stage.
  • You are unsure whether you are doing the exercises correctly.

Your GP or midwife can refer you to the postnatal physiotherapy service. It is much easier to fix small problems early than larger ones later.