Pelvic Health Navigator

Pregnancy and Childbirth awareness student

Pregnancy and Childbirth Awareness?

Pregnancy

Pelvic floor problems, also called pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), can affect anyone who is pregnant.

These problems may include:

    • Leaking urine (wee) or faeces (poo)

    • Trouble controlling wind

    • A heavy feeling or bulge in the vaginal area

These issues happen when the pelvic floor muscles are not working properly. Being aware of how pelvic floor problems can occur and what you can do to reduce them is important.

During pregnancy, your pelvic floor muscles carry extra weight from your growing baby, amniotic fluid, placenta, and your expanding womb.

The extra downward pressure, combined with pregnancy hormones, can stretch and tire your pelvic floor muscles. This stretching means your muscles may not work as well as usual.

 

Childbirth

During childbirth, your pelvic floor muscles stretch to allow the baby to be born. Some people may have tearing in the perineum (the area between the vaginal opening and the back passage), which affects the muscles and takes time to heal.

The nerves that help your pelvic floor muscles work may also be affected, which can make the muscles feel weak after birth.

It is very important for the midwife or obstetrician (doctor) to examine you after birth. You will be asked for your consent to examine your vagina, perineum, and anus to check for tears and treat them if needed.

If you have a severe tear, you may be referred to pelvic health physiotherapy because your risk of pelvic floor problems is higher.

 

Separated Stomach Muscles (Diastasis Recti)

During pregnancy, it’s common for the two muscles that run down the middle of your stomach to separate. This is called diastasis recti or divarication.

The separation happens because your growing womb pushes the muscles apart, making them longer and weaker. The amount of separation varies between people.

Usually, the muscles start to come back together by around 8 weeks after birth. You can check the separation using this simple method:

    1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

    1. Lift your shoulders slightly off the floor and look at your tummy.

    1. Use your fingertips to feel between the edges of the stomach muscles above and below your belly button. See how many fingers fit in the gap.

    1. Check regularly to see if the gap is gradually getting smaller.

If the gap is still obvious 8 weeks after birth, contact your GP, as you may be at higher risk of back problems. Some people also feel abdominal pain or discomfort.

A GP can refer you to a physiotherapist, who can give you exercises to help strengthen your stomach and pelvic floor muscles.

Tips to help recovery:

    • Regular pelvic floor and deep stomach muscle exercises can help reduce the separation. [CHANGED → simplified, teen-friendly]

    • Stand up tall and pay attention to posture to support your muscles.

This content is reproduced for research purposes only. Source material © The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, https://www.sath.nhs.uk/privacy-cookies/. All rights reserved. Not for public distribution.

Note: Certain terminology has been adapted to ensure age appropriateness.