Postpartum pelvic floors and prepping for the return of periods

Any new mum will tell you that having a baby has the ability to change your body quite dramatically. While it’s easy to spot the external changes (like your belly stretching out and your feet swelling up), internal changes can be a little trickier to track - with many mums ignoring their postpartum pelvic floor.

During labour and birth your pelvic floor has to stretch to allow for your baby’s head to pass out of your uterus and through your vagina. As this is quite a mammoth invasion to that area, childbirth can leave you with serious bruising, swelling and soreness. This situation is only worsened if the stretching of your pelvic floor muscles have also stretched the nerves connected to it - leaving you with numbness down there.

Many doctors will recommend that you kick start your pelvic floor exercises again after giving birth to help you heal quickly and guard against accidental urine leaks - but the truth is that even if you’re doing your ‘puss-ups’ every two seconds, leaks are simply going to happen.

And the likelihood is that before you’ve even started to get a handle on your leaks, your periods will be back in town! Juggling both of those and a brand new baby is a lot to deal with, so we have a little something to help you out… All Modibodi underwear comes with built-in absorbency so it has you covered for little leaks and periods (as and when they come). You can have a look at what's on offer here.

However, to tick you over in the meantime these are the doctor recommended methods for pelvic floor exercises:

• Squeeze and draw in the muscles around your back passage and your vagina at the same time. Lift them UP inside. You should have a sense of 'lift' each time you squeeze your pelvic floor muscles. Try to hold them strong and tight as you count to 8. Now, let them go and relax. You should have a distinct feeling of 'letting go'.

• Repeat 'squeeze and lift' and let go. It is best to rest for about 8 seconds in between each lift up of the muscles. If you can’t hold for 8, just hold for as long as you can.

• Repeat this 'squeeze and lift' as many times as you can, up to a limit of 8 to 12 squeezes.

• Try to do three sets of 8 to 12 squeezes each, with a rest in between.

Do this whole training plan (three sets of 8 to 12 squeezes) each day while lying down, sitting or standing. But always keep these things in mind while doing your pelvic floor muscle training:

• Keep breathing
• Only squeeze and lift
• Don't tighten your buttocks
• Keep your thighs relaxed