Pelvic floor exercises after birth for a strong core

Congratulations, your baby is here! Now is the beginning of a very special time, and the right support for your body is crucial. Gentle pelvic floor exercises after birth are your key to rediscovering the connection to your body center and laying the foundation for strong recovery.

What your pelvic floor really needs after birth

The postpartum period is a phase of enormous change. Your body has done incredible things. Your pelvic floor in particular was heavily stressed and stretched during pregnancy and birth. So it’s completely normal if this area feels strange, maybe even numb or just weak.

This is exactly why targeted, but above all gentle, exercises are so incredibly important now. And it’s about much more than just being able to do sports again at some point. A functional pelvic floor is the basis for your entire body stability.

It’s best to imagine your pelvic floor as an elastic hammock. It supports your organs, controls the body openings and stabilizes your spine. After birth, this “hammock” is pretty worn out and needs time and the right impulses to get its old elasticity back.

Overcome the first big hurdle

Before you even think about more complex exercises, you have a completely different task: you have to learn to consciously feel your pelvic floor again. This is initially the biggest challenge for many women because the nerve connections can be temporarily disrupted after the birth.

This is not about strength at all, but purely about perception. It’s about interpreting your body’s subtle signals and targeting the right muscles - without using your buttocks or abdominal muscles. Give yourself time, it is a process that requires patience.

These first, gentle perception exercises are the be-all and end-all. They reactivate the muscle-nerve connections and prepare your body for the more intensive training in the postnatal course. Think of it as the foundation on which all your further training is built. Without this foundation, you risk training ineffectively or even incorrectly.

Why early attention is so important

If you specifically address your pelvic floor shortly after birth, you will not only do something for regeneration, but also prevent long-term problems. Many women find it uncomfortable to talk about topics like incontinence, but the numbers show how widespread this challenge is.

In fact, in Switzerland, up to 11% of women suffer from air or fecal incontinence after a vaginal birth. This unwanted loss can occur spontaneously or due to birth injuries and often increases with the number of births. You can find more background information in the SGGG-Infobroschüre 2022.

Give yourself and your body time. Regression is not a race, but a journey back to your strength. Every small step, every conscious tension and every letting go is a big success.

These statistics make it clear why your pelvic floor is not an afterthought, but a central aspect of your postpartum health. Through early and correct exercises, you can actively ensure your continence and minimize the risk of a later prolapse of the uterus or bladder.

Your gentle start to activationThe key to success lies in the perfect combination of tension, relaxation and your breathing. A very common mistake is to just focus on tensing. But it is just as important to be able to completely let go of the pelvic floor. A permanently tense pelvic floor is just as problematic as one that is too weak.

Your breathing is your most important partner. From the beginning, try to couple activation with your exhalation:

• As you exhale: Gently tense your pelvic floor. For example, imagine pulling your ischial bones toward each other or lifting a small bead from the perineum inwards.
• As you breathe in: Let go of the tension consciously and completely. The pelvic floor is allowed to expand and relax downwards.

This synchronization helps you target the deep muscles and at the same time avoid tension. Your first pelvic floor exercises after birth are primarily breathing and perception exercises that you can do in a relaxed manner while lying down.

When is the right time for your training?

The one big question that concerns almost every new mother is: “When can I finally do something again?” In particular, the pelvic floor exercises after birth are at the top of the list. But the answer to that is as individual as your birth and you. There is no universal starting point, but there is a clear roadmap that you can follow.

Your body has achieved an enormous feat and now needs one thing above all: time to heal. But that doesn’t mean you should put your feet up and do nothing for weeks. Quite the opposite – you can gently support regeneration right from the start.

The first days and weeks in the postpartum period

Just a few days after birth, you can and should start with very gentle perception and breathing exercises - of course only if you feel like it. This is not about strength, but rather about building a connection to your body center, your pelvic floor.

This can look very simple: Lie comfortably on your back, place your feet hip-width apart and place your hands on your lower stomach. Breathe deeply and relaxed into your stomach and feel the abdominal wall rise. As you breathe out, let it sink gently back down. This conscious breathing alone stimulates blood circulation and supports healing.

Your body gives you very clear signals. A slight tug, an unpleasant downward pressure or even pain are an unmistakable stop sign. Listen carefully and give yourself a break.

These very first exercises are so gentle that they do not interfere with wound healing but actually promote it. They help your uterus to recede and can have a positive effect on the weekly flow.

After spontaneous birth or cesarean section

What your path back to strength looks like depends heavily on your birth experience. The healing process varies, and so does the time for more intensive exercises.* After a spontaneous birth: Your pelvic floor was directly and intensively stressed. Possible birth injuries such as a perineal tear or cut take time to heal. Gentle activations are usually possible early on, but anything that creates downward pressure is taboo for now.

• After a cesarean section: The pelvic floor itself was stretched less, but you have a large abdominal wound. The layers of abdominal muscle have been severed and must heal layer by layer. Initially, exercises lying down often feel better because they do not put any pressure on the scar.

No matter how you gave birth, the first six to eight weeks are all about arrival and basic regeneration.

Green light from your doctor

The crucial milestone is your gynecological check-up, which usually takes place six to eight weeks after birth. Here we check whether everything has healed well and whether the recovery is progressing as it should.

If your gynecologist gives the green light, you can start with a structured postnatal course. Only from this point on does the actual strength building begin. You should only attempt any exercises that go beyond pure perception and gentle activation after receiving this medical approval.

This appointment marks the transition from gently rediscovering your body to targeted training. If you want too much too soon, you risk disrupting healing and causing long-term problems such as prolapse or incontinence. Give your body the time it truly deserves.

Safe and effective exercises to get you started

So now it gets practical. Your body has already done a lot of regeneration work in the first few weeks. Now it’s about specifically rebuilding and strengthening the connection to your pelvic floor. The following pelvic floor exercises after birth are designed specifically for this early phase - they are gentle, safe and incredibly effective if you do them correctly.

Everything starts with correct activation. Put aside thoughts of strength or great effort for now. Your most important goal is to feel the three layers of your pelvic floor again and to link their movement with your breathing. This is and remains the basis for everything that comes next.

The art of inner images

Your pelvic floor is not a simple sheet of muscle, but a clever network of three layers that lie on top of each other. In order to target them specifically, inner images often work much better than dry, technical instructions. Your brain loves such ideas and then sends exactly the right impulses to the muscles.

Just try out which of these images “clicks” best for you:* Lift the pearl: Imagine that there is a small, precious pearl on your perineum - this is the area between the vagina and anus. With each exhalation you gently lift this bead and pull it inwards into your body. As you breathe in, gently put it down again.

• Close the ischial bones: Sit on a chair and feel the two bony points under your buttocks. These are your ischial tuberosities. Now imagine that you want to gently move these two bones towards each other as you exhale, without squeezing your buttocks together. As you breathe in, you give in again and the distance becomes larger.
• The elevator is going up: Visualize your pelvic floor as an elevator parked on the ground floor. As he exhales he slowly goes up to the first floor, maybe he even makes it to the second. Hold it there briefly and let it gently sink back down to the ground floor as you breathe in.

Such pictorial instructions help you target the fine, deep muscles instead of accidentally cheating on the large, external muscles like the butt or thighs.

Basic exercises to get you started

The very best exercises to start with are those where you can work without any pressure and in a relaxed position. The supine position is perfect for this because your pelvic floor doesn’t have to fight against gravity.

1. The pelvic swing while lying down

This exercise gently mobilizes your pelvis and at the same time awakens your deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.

• Lie comfortably on your back, place your feet hip-width apart, your knees pointing relaxed towards the ceiling. Make sure that your lower back lies firmly on the floor without arching your back.
• Breathe in deeply through your nose, allowing your stomach to become completely soft.
• As you exhale through your slightly open mouth, gently pull your pubic bone towards your belly button. Your lower back nestles flat against the mat. At the same time you activate your pelvic floor (think of the pearl!).
• Hold the tension for a moment before releasing with the next inhalation. Your pelvis tilts back to neutral position. Repeat 8-10 times at your own breathing rhythm.

2. The bridge with focus

Almost everyone knows the bridge, but with the right focus it becomes a brilliant exercise for the pelvic floor.

*The starting position is the same as the pelvic swing.

• Breathe out and activate your pelvic floor first. Only then do you slowly lift your pelvis off the floor, vertebra by vertebra, until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Stay up for two to three breaths and concentrate fully on maintaining pelvic floor tension.
• With the next exhalation you roll downwards again slowly and in a controlled manner, vertebra by vertebra. Only let go of the tension in the pelvic floor at the very end. Repeat this exercise 5-8 times.

These two exercises are a perfect introduction. You can easily integrate them into your everyday life, for example in the morning immediately after waking up in bed or in the evening to wind down.

The following process will show you how to safely increase your training over time.

The graphic makes it clear: recovery is a journey in stages. It starts with gentle awareness immediately after birth, moves on to structured development after the doctor’s approval and finally leads you safely back to more demanding sports.

Exercises for everyday sitting and standing

Once you feel comfortable lying on your back, it’s time to bring gravity into play. Exercises while sitting or standing place greater demands on your pelvic floor because it now has to actively support the weight of your organs.

• Sitting: Sit upright on the front edge of a chair with your feet firmly on the floor. With every exhalation you tense your pelvic floor and grow in length, as if a thread on your head was pulling you towards the ceiling. When you breathe in, you let go again.
• Standing: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your knees slightly bent. As you exhale, activate your pelvic floor and imagine pulling an inner zipper from your pubic bone up to your belly button. This “zipper exercise” stabilizes your entire core.

You can make these short activations unnoticed anywhere - while waiting at the supermarket checkout, brushing your teeth or while rocking your baby in your arms.

Important: It’s not about how long you train for at a time, but rather how often you consciously control your pelvic floor throughout the day. Regularity beats intensity, especially in the beginning.

In Switzerland, pelvic floor training is strongly recommended for all women after childbirth as it has been proven to reduce the risk of urinary incontinence. Studies show an impressive risk reduction of at least 60%. Targeted training also helps women who don’t (yet) have any problems to avoid them in the future. You can find out more about the scientific background in Expertenbrief der SGGG zum Thema Beckenboden.

Progression and adjustment of your exercises

Your body will quickly become stronger. That’s why it’s important that you let the intensity of your training slowly increase with you. This is called progression.

• Increase the duration of tension: Try to hold the tension in the pelvic floor longer. Start with 5 seconds, then 8 and finally 10 seconds.
• Increase reps: Start with 8 reps per exercise and slowly work up to 12-15.
• Add dynamics: Incorporate pelvic floor activation into movements. For example, while lying down, alternately lift one leg very slightly while exhaling and tensing.

However, it is just as important to adapt (modify) an exercise if it still feels too difficult. If you notice that you can’t maintain the tension during the bridge, just don’t lift your pelvis quite as high. Does training while standing still feel weird? Then take a step back to the seated exercises.

Your body sets the pace. Good training is always built on a solid foundation. If you feel like you’re ready for more and would benefit from connecting with other moms, a course like Pilates mit Baby could be the perfect next step for you. There you can safely continue to work on your strength under professional guidance.

Common training mistakes and how to avoid themFinally! You feel a connection to your pelvic floor again and are fully motivated to really get started with the pelvic floor exercises after birth. This is fantastic! But be careful, especially at the beginning there are a few typical stumbling blocks that can slow down your progress or, in the worst case, even harm you.

When it comes to pelvic floor training, the following definitely applies: less is often more, as long as the quality is right. It’s not about pushing with brute force. The secret is to activate the right muscles specifically and in harmony with your breathing.

Mistake 1: Tensing the wrong muscles

This is the classic mistake. Instead of targeting the fine, deep pelvic floor muscles, you unconsciously accelerate with the large, external muscle groups - i.e. your butt and thighs. The result? You train everything possible, just not what really matters.

What it feels like: You automatically squeeze your buttocks tightly together. You may also feel your inner thighs getting hard or your stomach sucking in as if you were trying to slip into jeans that were way too tight.

The correction: When practicing, place your hands very loosely on your bottom and thighs. Do they stay soft and relaxed? Super! Concentrate fully on the inner idea of ​​gently pulling your ischial tuberosities towards each other and upwards, without any movement being seen from the outside.

A great trick is to do the exercise while sitting on a soft ball or a rolled up towel. You should feel a slight pressure that pulls inwards and upwards - and not a gripping of the butt muscles.

Mistake 2: Hold your breath and push

Many of us tend to reflexively hold our breath when we exert ourselves. However, this is absolutely counterproductive when it comes to pelvic floor training. If you hold your breath and press down, you create massive pressure in the abdominal cavity. This pressure puts direct pressure on your already weakened pelvic floor. So you work against it instead of strengthening it.

How ​​you can tell: Your head turns red, maybe even the veins in your neck stand out, and your breath catches as soon as you tense up. You feel a clear downward pressure instead of a gentle upward lift.

Here’s how to do it correctly: Always link the tension to your exhalation. Breathe out very calmly and audibly, for example with a quiet “pfff” or “ssss” sound. Exhaling automatically activates your deep abdominal muscles, which support your pelvic floor, and prevents dangerous clenching.

Mistake 3: Training too quickly and without feeling

Pelvic floor training is not a cardio workout. Fast, jerky repetitions have absolutely no effect here. Your pelvic floor consists largely of muscle fibers that respond best to slow, conscious and sustained tension.

The quality of each individual repetition is much more important than simply “working through” a certain number.

• Wrong: 15 quick reps in 20 seconds where you can barely feel the tension.
• Correct: 8 slow repetitions in which you hold the tension for 5-8 seconds and then consciously and completely let go.The relaxation phase is at least as important as the tension itself. Only a pelvic floor that can completely let go is truly healthy and functional. Too much ambition can quickly lead to overload. Read our article about the signs of Übertraining to learn more about how to correctly interpret your body’s warning signals.

When to take a break

Your body is sending you clear signals - you just have to learn to listen. If you notice certain symptoms, you should stop your training immediately and, if in doubt, it is better to seek professional advice if you do too much rather than too little.

Watch out for these warning signs:

• Pain: Training should never hurt. This applies to the pelvic area, the back and also any scars.
• Sensation of pressure: A feeling of heaviness or as if something is pressing down is a clear stop signal during or after the exercises.
• Incontinence: If you suddenly lose urine during exercises, the strain is definitely too high.
• Weekly flow: If your weekly flow increases after training or even becomes bloody again, it was too much of a good thing.

If you experience any of these symptoms, slow down immediately. Take a break for a day or two and then try a simpler exercise or significantly fewer repetitions. If problems persist, please do not hesitate to contact a physiotherapist who specializes in the pelvic floor or your midwife. You can use touch to check whether you are targeting the right muscles and put together a tailor-made program for you.

This is how you integrate your pelvic floor training into your everyday life

Everyday life with a newborn turns your own schedule completely upside down. Fixed dates for a one-hour workout? To most new moms, this sounds like science fiction. But here’s the really good news: your pelvic floor benefits much more from short, regular pulses than from rare, long training sessions.

The greatest success lies in continuity. The key is to incorporate your pelvic floor exercises after birth so cleverly into your everyday life that they become a habit - without any additional time investment.

Small moments with a big impact

Your day is full of opportunities for an invisible mini-workout. You just have to learn to recognize these moments and use them to your advantage. This works best if you link new routines to existing habits.

Here are a few concrete examples from practice:

• When breastfeeding or feeding: This is usually a quiet, sedentary activity. Use this moment to consciously tense and release your pelvic floor a few times. Try linking activation to your exhalation and releasing to your inhalation.
• While waiting: Whether at the supermarket checkout, in front of the red light or while the coffee is running - these are perfect little windows of time. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, activate your pelvic floor as you exhale and imagine that you are pulling up an inner zipper.
• When brushing your teeth: Two minutes, twice a day. An ideal time to practice some held tension. Try to hold the tension for 10 seconds and then consciously relax for another 10 seconds.

These little “training snacks” add up over the course of the day and make a huge difference to your stability and body awareness.### Protect your pelvic floor in everyday life

In addition to active strengthening, it is at least as important to protect your pelvic floor from unnecessary pressure. Certain everyday situations seem like a strong burden from above - here you can learn to actively counteract it.

Your pelvic floor is your inner trampoline hero. It absorbs shocks and reacts quickly. Give it the chance to do its job by proactively activating it.

This principle is called “counterholding” or preventive tension. So you tense your pelvic floor just before a strain occurs. This trains his reflexes and protects him from overload.

Practice counter-resistance specifically with these actions:

• Before sneezing or coughing: Quickly pull the pelvic floor inwards before the pressure surge occurs.
• When lifting your baby: Exhale and engage your pelvic floor as you lift your child from the crib or floor.
• When standing up: First tense the pelvic floor and then push yourself up over the side instead of sitting up suddenly with the rectus abdominis muscles.

By making this conscious activation a habit, you create a protective shield for your core. This is practical regression that goes far beyond isolated exercises.

Find the right support for you

Even if training is the basis in everyday life, a structured course can work wonders. Under professional guidance, you will not only learn the correct technique, but also stay motivated. In addition, exchanging ideas with other mothers is worth its weight in gold - you quickly realize that you are not alone with your challenges.

If you’re ready to take the next step and want to combine core strengthening with other exercises, a dedicated class may be just the thing. Check out our guide to Fitness mit Baby und Kleinkind to find the perfect option for you and your needs. This means your pelvic floor naturally becomes part of your new, active life as a mother.

The most frequently asked questions about pelvic floor training after birth

After giving birth, the world turns upside down and your own body often feels foreign. Countless questions arise, especially when it comes to regression and the pelvic floor. Don’t worry, this is completely normal! I have collected the most important answers for you here so that you feel safe and well informed.

How often and for how long should I practice daily?

The following applies here: regularity beats length. Your pelvic floor benefits much more if you briefly activate it several times a day than if you power through a long training session once a week. It’s about creating a new habit and continually refreshing the connection between mind and muscles.

A great place to start is to exercise three times a day for around five minutes. The great thing about it? You can easily incorporate these mini units into your everyday mom life. For example, imagine doing one lap while brushing your teeth, one while breastfeeding or feeding your baby, and perhaps another just before falling asleep. This is how you build a strong connection to your center without overwhelming yourself.

What is the difference between regression and pelvic floor training?The terms are often lumped together, but they do not mean the same thing. It’s best to imagine it like this: Pelvic floor training is the absolutely crucial foundation for your entire recovery. Without a strong foundation, the whole house is shaky.

• Pelvic floor training focuses specifically on the perception and strengthening of these deep, important muscles.
• Postnatal gymnastics is the total package. In addition to the pelvic floor, it also takes care of strengthening your deep abdominal and back muscles, helps close diastasis recti and restores stability to your entire torso.

In short: Your pelvic floor training is the first and most important building block on which everything else is built.

I can’t feel my pelvic floor at all - what should I do?

First of all: take a deep breath. You are absolutely not alone with this feeling! After the enormous stress and stretching of childbirth, it is completely normal for the area to feel numb or somehow “out of place”. The nerve connections first have to regenerate. The most important thing now is to be patient with yourself and your body.

Work with inner images to slowly bring back perception. For example, imagine you want to gently pick up a small marble with your vagina and pull it inward. Or try gently moving your two sitting bones towards each other. If you still don’t feel anything after a few weeks, don’t hesitate to get professional help. A physiotherapist who specializes in the pelvic floor can feel from the outside whether you are controlling the right muscles and give you specific help.

Patience is your most important training partner. The feeling for your pelvic floor returns - sometimes it just needs a little more time and targeted support.

When can I jog or do other sports again?

I can understand the desire to finally slip back into my running shoes and get started. But caution is advised, especially in high-impact sports such as jogging, jumping rope or classic sit-ups. Every jump creates enormous downward pressure - a strain for which your pelvic floor has to be fit again.

The rule of thumb is: You should slowly start again at the earliest three to five months after the birth and only when you have completely completed a postnatal course. The basic requirement is that your pelvic floor is “shockproof”. This means that you don’t lose any urine while jumping and you don’t feel any pressure or foreign body feeling downwards. A professional pelvic floor check by a specialist gives you the green light and the security you need to get back to work.

The time after birth is a phase of big changes, not just physical. Professional questions also often arise. It can be very helpful to find out about wichtige Informationen zur Schwangerschaft am Arbeitsplatz early on so that you are well prepared.

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Are you ready to strengthen your core under professional guidance and exchange ideas with other mothers? At Templeshape GmbH you will find specialized courses such as our Mama Workouts that will accompany you safely and effectively on your journey. Find the right course for you now at https://templeshape.com.