Finding your pelvic floor muscles

Sit comfortably with you knees slightly apart. Now imagine that you are trying to stop yourself passing wind from the bowel. To do this you must squeeze the muscle around the back passage. Try squeezing and lifting that muscle as if you really do have wind. You should be able to feel the muscle move. Your buttocks and legs should not move at all. You should be aware of the skin around the back passage tightening and being pulled up and away from your chair. Really try to feel this squeezing and lifting.

Now imagine that you are sitting on the toilet passing urine. Picture yourself trying to stop the stream of urine. Try doing this now while you are reading this. You should be using the same group of muscles that you used before, but don’t be surprised if you find this harder.

• Pelvic floor exercises
• Check you are doing the exercises properly

Pelvic floor exercises

Now you can find your pelvic floor muscles, here is how to make and keep them strong:

• Your pelvic floor muscles need to have stamina. So: sit, stand or lie with your knees slightly apart. Slowly tighten and pull up the pelvic floor muscles as hard as you can. Try lifting and squeezing them as long as you can. Rest for 4 seconds and then repeat the contraction. Build up your strength until you can do 10 slow contractions at a time, holding them for 10 seconds each with rests of 4 seconds in between.
• These muscles also need to react quickly to sudden stresses from coughing, laughing or exercises that put pressure on the bladder. So practise some quick contractions, drawing on the pelvic floor and holding it for just one second before relaxing. Try to achieve a strong muscle tightening with up to ten quick contractions in succession.

Aim to do a set of slow contractions (exercise 1) followed by a set of quick contractions (exercise 2) six times each day.

Check you are doing the exercises properly

• If you do not check, you may easily be tensing the wrong muscles! So check: if you place a finger in your vagina you should be able to feel the pelvic floor muscles squeeze, or you should be able to see the "lift and squeeze" effect in a small mirror.

If you do find you have trouble with controlling either your bladder or your bowels after your baby is born, do not despair! The chances of a cure are good if you get the right advice.

Do not suffer in silence: call the Continence Foundation Helpline and talk to a specialist nurse, talk to your GP or obstetrician or to your health visitor or the local specialist continence service – you can get their details from the helpline number.

Enjoy having your baby! There is no reason to fret or worry: these points are just a few to help you avoid trouble and get the best for your baby and the best for yourself.

More information

• For more information and support, call the Continence Foundation on 020 7831 9831. Lines are open from 9.30am to 4.30pm every weekday and staffed by specialist nurses
• Click here to visit the Continence Foundation website