Pelvic Floor Exercises During Pregnancy: Complete Guide for Ev...

Your pelvic floor might not be something you've thought much about before pregnancy, but these hidden muscles are about to become some of the most important in your body. As your baby grows and your body transforms over the coming months, your pelvic floor works tirelessly to support your uterus, bladder, and bowel—all while preparing for one of the most incredible physical feats imaginable: childbirth.

The wonderful news? Taking care of your pelvic floor doesn't require expensive equipment, gym memberships, or hours of your time. With just a few minutes of targeted exercises each day, you can strengthen these essential muscles, reduce uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms, and set yourself up for a smoother birth and faster recovery. Whether you're newly pregnant or approaching your due date, it's never too early or too late to start caring for your pelvic floor.

Understanding Your Pelvic Floor and Why It Matters

Think of your pelvic floor as a hammock of muscles stretching from your pubic bone at the front to your tailbone at the back. These muscles have several crucial jobs: they support your pelvic organs, help control your bladder and bowel, contribute to sexual function, and play a vital role in stabilising your core.

During pregnancy, your pelvic floor faces unprecedented challenges. The hormone relaxin softens your ligaments and muscles to prepare for birth, while your growing baby adds increasing weight and pressure. By the third trimester, your uterus can weigh up to 15 times its pre-pregnancy weight—and your pelvic floor bears much of that load.

Signs Your Pelvic Floor Needs Attention

Many pregnant women experience symptoms that indicate their pelvic floor could use some strengthening:

• Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or exercise
• Feeling a sudden, urgent need to urinate
• Difficulty fully emptying your bladder
• A heaviness or dragging sensation in your pelvis
• Reduced sensation during intimacy

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you're certainly not alone—research suggests that up to 70% of pregnant women experience some degree of urinary incontinence. The encouraging news is that regular pelvic floor exercises can significantly improve or even eliminate these symptoms. If you're unsure whether what you're experiencing is normal, our Symptom Checker can help you understand what to discuss with your healthcare provider.

How to Find and Engage Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

Before diving into exercises, you need to locate these muscles correctly. Many women mistakenly squeeze their buttocks, thighs, or abdominal muscles instead—which won't give you the benefits you're looking for.

Finding Your Pelvic Floor

Try these techniques to identify the right muscles:

The Stop-Start Test: Next time you're using the toilet, try to stop your urine stream midflow. The muscles you use to do this are your pelvic floor muscles. (Note: This is only for identification purposes—don't regularly exercise while urinating, as this can interfere with proper bladder function.) The Squeeze and Lift: Imagine you're trying to stop yourself from passing wind while simultaneously stopping the flow of urine. You should feel a gentle squeeze and lift inside your pelvis. Your buttocks and thighs should remain relaxed. The Internal Check: If you're comfortable doing so, you can insert a clean finger into your vagina and squeeze. You should feel gentle pressure around your finger when you're engaging the correct muscles.

Signs You've Got It Right

When you're correctly engaging your pelvic floor, you should notice:

• A subtle lifting sensation inside your pelvis
• No visible movement of your buttocks, thighs, or stomach
• Normal, relaxed breathing throughout
• The ability to hold the contraction without straining

If you're struggling to find these muscles, don't worry—you're not alone. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can provide hands-on guidance and biofeedback to help you connect with these muscles properly.

Essential Pelvic Floor Exercises for Pregnancy

Now that you can locate your pelvic floor, let's explore the exercises that will keep these muscles strong and supple throughout your pregnancy journey.

Basic Kegel Exercises

Kegels are the foundation of pelvic floor training. Here's how to perform them correctly:

• Find a comfortable position—sitting, lying down, or standing all work well
• Take a breath in to relax
• As you exhale, gently squeeze your pelvic floor muscles, imagining you're lifting them up and in
• Hold this contraction for 3-5 seconds (work up to 10 seconds over time)
• Release slowly and completely, allowing the muscles to fully relax
• Rest for the same amount of time you held the squeeze
• Repeat 10-15 times

The relaxation phase is just as important as the contraction—especially for birth preparation. Your pelvic floor needs to know how to let go completely.

Quick Flick Exercises

These exercises train your pelvic floor to respond quickly—helpful for those sudden sneezes or coughs:

• Contract your pelvic floor muscles quickly and firmly
• Release immediately
• Rest for 1-2 seconds
• Repeat 10-15 times in quick succession

Think of these as building your "emergency response" muscles.

The Elevator Exercise

This visualisation exercise helps you develop nuanced control:

• Imagine your pelvic floor is a lift in a building
• Slowly squeeze, imagining the lift moving from the ground floor to the first floor
• Continue squeezing to bring the lift to the second floor
• Then to the third floor (your maximum comfortable contraction)
• Now slowly lower the lift back down, floor by floor
• Finally, allow the doors to open fully at the ground floor (complete relaxation)
• Repeat 5-10 times

Bridge with Pelvic Floor Engagement

This exercise combines pelvic floor work with gentle core and glute strengthening:

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor (if you're past 16 weeks, prop yourself at an angle or keep this exercise short)
• Engage your pelvic floor as you exhale
• Slowly lift your hips off the floor, creating a straight line from knees to shoulders
• Hold for 5-10 seconds, breathing normally and maintaining your pelvic floor contraction
• Slowly lower back down
• Release your pelvic floor completely
• Repeat 10 times

Trimester-by-Trimester Exercise Guide

Your body changes dramatically throughout pregnancy, and your pelvic floor routine should adapt accordingly.

First Trimester

This is an excellent time to establish your pelvic floor exercise habit. You may not feel very pregnant yet, but the hormonal changes affecting your pelvic floor have already begun.

Focus on:

• Learning to correctly identify and engage your pelvic floor
• Building a daily routine (link your exercises to existing habits like brushing your teeth)
• Starting with 3 sets of 10 repetitions daily
• Including both slow holds and quick flicks

As you track your pregnancy journey with our Week by Week Guide, you'll see how your baby—and your pelvic floor needs—develop together.

Second Trimester

Many women find this trimester the most comfortable for exercise. Your energy often returns, and your bump isn't yet large enough to limit movement.

Focus on:

• Increasing hold times to 8-10 seconds
• Adding the bridge exercise and other combination movements
• Practising exercises in various positions (standing, sitting, on hands and knees)
• Beginning perineal massage preparation (from around 34 weeks)

Third Trimester

As your baby grows heavier and your due date approaches, your pelvic floor faces its greatest challenges—but also its most important preparation period.

Focus on:

• Maintaining consistency (even if you need to reduce intensity)
• Emphasising the relaxation phase to prepare for birth
• Practising bulging and releasing (imagining your pelvic floor opening and expanding downward)
• Combining pelvic floor awareness with birth breathing techniques

If you haven't already, now is a perfect time to use our Due Date Calculator to count down to meeting your little one.

Beyond Basic Kegels: Advanced Techniques

Once you've mastered the fundamentals, you might want to expand your practice with these additional approaches.

Diaphragmatic Breathing with Pelvic Floor

Your pelvic floor and diaphragm work as partners. This exercise helps them coordinate:

• Sit comfortably or lie on your side
• Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly
• Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly rise and your pelvic floor naturally descend
• Exhale slowly, feeling your belly fall and your pelvic floor gently lift
• Focus on this natural rhythm for 5-10 breaths

This coordination will serve you well during labour and recovery.

Squatting with Pelvic Floor Awareness

Deep squats are excellent for birth preparation and pelvic floor flexibility:

• Stand with feet wider than hip-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward
• Slowly lower into a deep squat (use a wall or chair for support if needed)
• At the bottom of the squat, consciously relax your pelvic floor
• As you rise, gently engage your pelvic floor
• Repeat 5-10 times

Cat-Cow with Pelvic Floor Integration

This gentle movement combines pelvic floor work with spine mobility:

• Start on hands and knees with a neutral spine
• Inhale as you arch your back (cow position), allowing your pelvic floor to relax
• Exhale as you round your back (cat position), gently engaging your pelvic floor
• Move slowly and rhythmically, focusing on the connection between breath, movement, and pelvic floor
• Repeat 10-15 times

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the best intentions, it's easy to develop habits that reduce the effectiveness of your pelvic floor exercises.

Holding Your Breath

Breathing should continue normally throughout every exercise. Holding your breath increases abdominal pressure, which works against your pelvic floor rather than supporting it.

Overtraining

More isn't always better. Overworking your pelvic floor can lead to muscle tension and actually worsen symptoms. Stick to the recommended daily routine and focus on quality over quantity.

Forgetting to Relax

A pelvic floor that can only contract—but not release—will struggle during birth and may contribute to issues like painful intercourse or difficulty urinating. Always give equal attention to the relaxation phase.

Poor Posture During Exercises

Slouching or arching your back excessively can make it harder to engage your pelvic floor correctly. Maintain a neutral spine position, with your natural curves intact.

Only Exercising in One Position

Your pelvic floor needs to work in various situations—standing in a queue, sitting at your desk, walking to the shops. Practice your exercises in different positions to build functional strength.

When to Seek Professional Help

While pelvic floor exercises are safe and beneficial for most pregnant women, some situations call for professional guidance.

Consider seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist if you:

• Can't locate or feel your pelvic floor muscles despite trying various techniques
• Experience pelvic pain during exercises
• Have significant urinary or faecal incontinence that isn't improving
• Notice a bulging sensation in your vagina
• Have a history of pelvic floor problems or prolapse
• Had pelvic floor trauma from a previous birth

Always consult your midwife or doctor if you experience:

• Vaginal bleeding during or after exercise
• Abdominal pain
• Dizziness or shortness of breath
• Decreased foetal movement

These professionals can provide personalised guidance, internal assessments, and specialised treatments like biofeedback to help you get the most from your pelvic floor training.

Preparing Your Pelvic Floor for Birth and Beyond

The work you do now will pay dividends during labour and in the weeks and months after your baby arrives. Research shows that women who perform regular pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy are less likely to experience urinary incontinence both during pregnancy and postpartum.

As you approach your due date, shift some of your focus toward relaxation and release. During the pushing stage of labour, your pelvic floor needs to stretch and open to allow your baby through. Practising controlled release—imagining your pelvic floor expanding and bulging downward—can help prepare you for this moment.

After birth, gentle pelvic floor exercises can usually resume within the first few days, even after a caesarean section. These early exercises help restore circulation, reduce swelling, and begin rebuilding strength. Your midwife or physiotherapist can guide you on when and how to progress your exercises based on your individual recovery.

As you prepare for your new arrival, don't forget to check out our Registry Checklist to make sure you have everything ready for baby's arrival.

Making Pelvic Floor Exercises Part of Your Daily Routine

The best pelvic floor routine is one you'll actually stick to. Here are some tips for making these exercises a lasting habit:

Habit stacking: Attach your exercises to something you already do daily—while waiting for your morning tea to brew, during your commute, or while scrolling your phone before bed. Set reminders: Use phone alerts or sticky notes in places you'll see them regularly. Track your progress: Note your exercises in a pregnancy journal or app. Seeing your consistency can be motivating. Make it enjoyable: Listen to a favourite podcast or practise while watching TV. The exercises require focus but not your full visual attention. Be patient: Like any muscle training, results take time. Commit to at least 8-12 weeks before expecting significant improvements.

Your pelvic floor has supported you through every jump, run, laugh, and sneeze of your life so far. Now, as it faces its greatest challenge, these small daily investments in its health will support you through pregnancy, birth, and the beautiful chaos of early parenthood. You've got this, mama—one squeeze at a time.

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