Your pelvic floor has a huge role. It holds your bladder, uterus and your bowel in place which is a huge job, and why good pelvic floor health and strength is so important.
It also forms the base of a group of muscles that are referred to as ‘the core’. Usually when people think of their core, they just think of six pack. The abdominals, both the rectus abdominis and the transverse abdominus which sit under underneath are definitely a part of this muscle group, but it also includes pelvic floor muscles, your hip abductors running along your inner thigh, your glutes (your bum cheeks), your lower back (quadratus lomborium), lat muscles (latissimum dorsi) and erector spinae which form the rear section of muscles that make up the core.
During pregnancy, your body shape changes shape, your centre of gravity changes, the positioning of the weight shifts and your pelvic tilts forwards. All of these put more pressure on your core which then weakens as a result. Your body also produces the hormone relaxin which does exactly as you would expect - it relaxes, allowing your body to grow and preparing your birth canal for labour, so muscles that used to be strong have now slackened off and are not as effficient as they were before pregnancy.
A traumatic birth can also add to the condition of the pelvic floor too. Pushing for a long time, forcep deliveries, tearing or episiotomies along with other complications can have a huge impact on your pelvic floor, causing varying degrees of disfunction.
Having a c-section doesn't mean your pelvic floor is unaffected
Some c-section mums may have been in labour and pushing for a long time before the decision was made to operate, others might have had an elective surgery, however, the pelvic floor has still been under the pressure of the increasing extra weight pushing down on it over the 9 months. Imagine a plastic shopping bag, the more you put in it, the more you can see the handles stretching under the pressure. This is exactly what happens to those pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy, whether you have to push or not, so there is still a chance that you would need to work on your pelvic floor strength.
Just like any muscles in the body, the pelvic floor needs to be trained and then maintained to work efficiently. It’s important muscles healthy for when you need them the most (coughing, sneezing, lifting, trampolining or trying not to break wind in the supermarket queue to name just a few).
You’re probably nodding or smiling because one or more of those rings true for you. That's because pelvic floor dysfunction is really common, BUT it’s not normal. You shouldn’t be saying “well, that’s it now I’ve had kids, I’ll never be able to sneeze without crossing my legs”. This is not true and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You shouldn’t feel like you have to suffer with a prolapse forever. You shouldn’t be rushing for the toilet at the slightest urge. You do not have to settle for incontinence and embarrassment.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, make sure you are doing your pelvic floor exercises regularly (kegels are for life, not just for pregnancy). Talk to your GP and if needs be, asked to be referred to a women’s health physio, or try out my 6 week Core and Pelvic Floor programme.
You do not have to “put up with” pelvic floor dysfunction SO DON’T!
OneFitCore is a 6 week online programme which runs through how to perform the pelvic floor exercises (yes, there's more than one!) and also looks at various movements that help strengthen your other core muscles, especially through the pelvis and your lower back.
The classes are progressive, so we will start off with basic exercises and develop them as we move through the weeks. This gives you confidence that you are doing the exercises correctly, and that you are working at a level that suits the degree of dysfunction that you are suffering with.
97% of attendees have reported a marked improvement to their pelvic floor strength having completed the course.
Delivered via zoom, each session lasts approximately 30 – 45 minutes, with full online support between sessions.
Total price is £42.00
To book your place, please email