Although you may feel great – and I hope you do!
Pregnancy and birth are still MAJOR events for your body. That alone heightens your risk of pelvic floor dysfunction.
We still must take the time to lay the foundation of function, strength, and strategy.
Here are some of the reasons why we still need to focus on the health of the pelvic floor after birth:
The downward pressure of your baby on your pelvic floor muscles and connective tissues in pregnancy and birth can stretch these soft tissues leaving them more lax than normal.
Your expanded uterus puts pressure against your other pelvic organs, including the bladder and rectum, and can disrupt their normal function.
Scarring: C-section incisions and scars can impact pelvic floor function, leading to such things as urethral burning, feeling like you need to pee more often than usual, leaking urine, and/or pain in the clitoris and labia.
The alignment changes that happen during pregnancy and postpartum (for example, constant standing with your bum tucked under or with your ribcage thrusting upwards) can affect the tone of your pelvic floor muscles, potentially creating high tension in them.
Tightness in the pelvic floor can lead to a loss of strength.
There are hormonal changes that occur in pregnancy and postpartum (particularly if breastfeeding) that can affect the function of connective tissues, potentially making them more lax. This could affect pelvic floor and pelvic organ support.