Specific exercises

While you’re pregnant, you may find it useful to have some basic exercises that can help strengthen certain muscles groups in your body. Strengthening the pelvic floor may help during labour, and exercises to this effect should be continued after childbirth to reduce the risk of prolapse and incontinence issues. They can be done at home.

Pelvic floor exercises

This video gives a guide on pelvic floor exercises. You can download the transcript for this video here.

• Close up your anus as if you’re trying to prevent a bowel movement
• At the same time, draw in your vagina as if you’re gripping a tampon, and your urethra as if to stop the flow of urine
• At first, do this exercise quickly, tightening and releasing the muscles immediately
• Then do it slowly, holding the contractions for as long as you can before you relax: try to count to 10
• Try to do three sets of eight squeezes every day: to help you remember, you could do a set at each meal

The NHS website gives more example of exercises that may help, alongside some more guidelines to follow when you’re exercising.