Your pelvic floor after birth

Your pelvic floor is a hammock of muscle that supports your bladder, uterus and bowel. Pregnancy loads it for months; birth — whichever route — changes it further.

What is common early on

A feeling of heaviness, a weak stream, needing the toilet more often, and leaking a little when you cough or sneeze are all common in the early weeks. Common is not the same as something you have to accept permanently.

What is worth mentioning

Leaking that has not improved by around three months. A bulge or dragging sensation that gets worse through the day. Pain during sex. Difficulty controlling wind or stool. Any of these deserve a proper assessment, and none of them are "just part of having a baby".

Why generic advice falls short

Pelvic floor exercises help many people, but not everyone, and not always in the form people imagine. Some pelvic floors are weak; some are too tight and need to learn to release. Doing the wrong one can make things worse. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can tell the difference in one appointment, and in many places you can refer yourself.

Gentle starting points

Breathing that lets your ribs widen rather than your shoulders lift. Standing up from a chair without holding your breath. Avoiding heavy lifting while things settle. None of these are exercises so much as habits.

If nobody has asked you about it

Ask them. It is a reasonable thing to raise at your postpartum visit, and if you feel brushed off, it is reasonable to ask for a referral.