Must-learn during pregnancy: Tips to easily protect your pelvic floor health!

Author: Lin Tangdi, Lou Wenjia, Zhang Xue, Wei Huanhuan, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Reviewer: Zhu Lan, Chief Physician/Professor, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Pregnancy is an important stage in a woman's life, and pelvic floor health is particularly important during this period. It is not only related to the comfort of pregnant mothers, but also affects the entire delivery process and postpartum recovery. There are many ways to protect pelvic floor health. In addition to the pelvic floor muscle function exercises that everyone is familiar with (such as Kegel exercises, etc.), there are also some tips for pelvic floor health.

1. Pay attention to pelvic floor symptoms

Pelvic organ prolapse (or "bulging") is a problem that cannot be ignored. It is often accompanied by a heavy feeling in the perineum, the illusion of the baby falling, and possible urination and defecation problems. These symptoms not only affect the daily life of pregnant mothers, but also directly reflect the health of the pelvic floor. The appearance of bulging symptoms is often closely related to the pressure that pregnant mothers deal with inside and outside the body in their daily lives.

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In order to better understand and monitor the condition of their pelvic floor, pregnant mothers can use self-examination to understand the following three aspects.

(1) Defecation habits: Pay attention to whether you rely mainly on your abdominal muscles when defecating, and whether you push your abdominal muscles downwards. This incorrect way of exerting force may increase the burden on the pelvic floor muscles and affect their function. The correct way is to assist defecation by adjusting your breathing and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles.

(2) Lifting heavy objects and body posture: When lifting or pushing heavy objects or performing other activities that require physical exertion, pregnant mothers should pay attention to the movement of the lower abdomen and belly button. The ideal state is that the lower abdomen is tightened, strong and flat, and the belly button is slightly lifted, which helps to reduce the pressure on the pelvic floor muscles. On the contrary, if you clench your teeth, a "small pouch" appears in the lower abdomen, or you feel pressure hitting the pelvic floor muscles downward, it indicates that you need to adjust your force.

(3) Getting up: When getting up from a supine position in bed, the posture of pregnant mothers and the state of their rectus abdominis are also important indicators of pelvic floor health. The correct way to get up is to get up slowly and in a controlled manner, sideways, and avoid using waist strength to sit up suddenly. At the same time, pay attention to the changes in the middle seam of the rectus abdominis. If the separation of the middle seam increases or the navel bulges outward more obviously when getting up, it may mean an increased risk of rectus abdominis separation or insufficient pelvic floor support.

2. Pay attention to your posture

Pregnant mothers should pay special attention to their body posture during pregnancy, because the pelvic girdle to which the pelvic floor muscles are attached is not only the core pillar of the human body, but also acts like a bridge, supporting the spine upward to keep the spine stable, and is closely connected to the joints of the legs downward, forming a stable cornerstone for the body.

In order to evaluate the rationality of their body posture, pregnant mothers can think about the following three key questions.

(1) Head and shoulder posture: Do you find yourself unconsciously leaning your head forward with rounded shoulders? This posture may increase stress on the neck and shoulders and is not conducive to overall body balance.

(2) Weight-bearing method of joints: When bearing weight or standing, do you rely entirely on the joints themselves to bear the weight, causing the joints to be overextended or even "locked"? For example, the elbows, knees or hips are pushed forward, and the upper body is tilted backward to lock the hip joints for support? This posture not only increases the burden on the joints, but may also cause unnecessary pressure on the pelvic girdle and pelvic floor muscles.

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(3) Center of gravity distribution and abdominal activation: Do you feel that your center of gravity is too far forward, so that your abdominal muscles cannot be effectively activated and participate in the distribution of force? This may cause excessive force on the waist, which in turn affects the stability and function of the pelvic floor muscles.

3. Learn to accept emotional changes

Learning to accept emotional changes is also crucial to maintaining pelvic floor health during pregnancy. As hormone levels fluctuate during pregnancy, pregnant mothers often experience emotional ups and downs, coupled with the expectation, anxiety and even temporary helplessness of the arrival of a new life, complex emotions are intertwined, quietly affecting the balance of body functions, which may indirectly affect pelvic floor health. Pregnant mothers can adopt the following strategies to nourish their emotional garden.

(1) Take care of your body and mind, starting with adequate rest: Make sure you have high-quality rest and sleep. This is not only a gentle embrace for the body, but also an important source of rest and recovery for the mind.

(2) Gentle exercise to stimulate the vitality of pregnancy: Choose a gentle exercise method that suits you, such as walking, yoga, etc., to regulate your mood during pregnancy and promote overall physical and mental health. However, remember to avoid excessive fatigue and strenuous exercise to avoid counterproductive results.

(3) Build an emotional support network: You may want to actively seek out and rely on people or things that can give you strength and comfort, such as the company of your partner, the support of your friends, the care of your family, and the resonance and understanding of the pregnant mothers’ mutual aid group. When necessary, you can seek the help of a professional psychologist to help you get through the fog of emotions with the help of professional power.

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4. Continue to pay attention to the fatigue state of the body during pregnancy

During pregnancy, as the hormone stage is rearranged, the body may experience unprecedented fatigue. By cleverly arranging a small amount of light activities multiple times, you can not only effectively relieve fatigue, but also inject new vitality into the body. It is recommended that pregnant mothers actively seek help from professional sports instructors, or flexibly adjust exercise strategies according to personal circumstances. It is recommended that you implement an appropriate aerobic exercise plan.

(1) Frequency: It is recommended to perform aerobic exercise three times a week (flexibly adjusted according to personal fatigue conditions).

(2) Intensity: Maintain 50% to 75% of maximum oxygen uptake and avoid high-intensity exercise exceeding 90% to ensure safe and effective exercise.

(3) Time: Each exercise session should last 30 to 45 minutes, which should include 10 to 15 minutes of relaxation and recovery time.

(4) Type: Choose gentle aerobic exercise such as walking, brisk walking, jogging, yoga, etc., and remember to warm up and stretch thoroughly before and after exercise to reduce the risk of injury.

(5) Total amount: Ensure that the total exercise time per week reaches 150 minutes. This should also be adjusted according to individual fatigue levels.

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Of course, pregnant mothers should pay special attention to some matters during exercise: if there is preeclampsia, cervical insufficiency, placental abruption, risk of premature birth or continuous bleeding, please stop exercising immediately and consult a doctor; if symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, decreased fetal movement, extreme fatigue, pain or high blood pressure occur, stop exercising immediately and seek medical help.

In addition, it is equally important to maintain good habits during exercise, such as increasing rest time, ensuring adequate water intake, and avoiding exercising in high temperature environments. These are key factors in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of exercise during pregnancy.