If you’ve heard the term pelvic floor and thought, “Yeah, it’s somewhere down there… not my abs, not exactly gym workout worthy, but important-ish?”—you’re not alone. Spoiler: it’s really important. Especially if you've signed up for the 9 month ultra-marathon of pregnancy and birth! 

As a pelvic floor PT and birth coach who’s helped thousands of women navigate their pelvic floor mysteries, I can confirm it’s a part of your body we should be talking about more. But let’s face it, no one’s giving a Pelvic Floor 101, and that’s a shame.

So, let’s fix that real quick. 🛠️

What’s the Pelvic Floor Anyway?

Picture a muscular trampoline (but much less bouncy) at the base of your pelvis. It’s supporting your bladder, uterus, and rectum, keeping things in check down there. It’s also where baby will make their grand entrance into the world (or the grand exit from your vagina, whichever way you want to think of it!).

How the Pelvic Floor Helps During Birth

When you’re in labor, your pelvic floor needs to loosen up, like yoga for your insides, to let the baby pass through with ease. The uterus and cervix do the contracting and dilating, but your pelvic floor is the grand finale. If it’s not flexible and mobile, things can get tricky (think prolonged labor or tears).

But a well-prepped pelvic floor? It stretches like a yoga pro, making delivery smoother. That’s why simple prenatal prep (think exercises and relaxation techniques) is pure gold.

How to Get Your Pelvic Floor Birth-Ready

1. Map it out in your body. Understanding where it is (and actually feeling it) is half the battle! Be honest with me, did you take the time to watch the above short video? Now's a great time to do that.
2. Exercise It, Don’t Ignore It

   Birth-prep specific pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy can keep it strong and flexible, the Zen, happy medium.

3. Relax, Seriously
   Tense muscles during birth = not helpful. Breathwork (yep, connects DIRECTLY to a released pelvic floor) and moaning (trust me, it works) are kinda like the ignition boosters/fuel (Gatorade, vitamin water) to get you through that marathon.

4. Discover the sneaky culprits that might mess with your pelvic floor during birth (especially in hospitals!). Things like pushing too soon, going full-on purple-pushing mode, or being in less-than-ideal positions can increase your risk for pelvic floor injuries. Understand what those are and how to "avoid" them (which I talk a LOT about on Instagram!) 

And there you have it. Your pelvic floor crash course!

I know you may still feel overwhelmed on where to start. Or you may just be tired of googling for bits and pieces of info so I've laid it all out for you in our Pelvic Floor Protection Plan.

I've made it easy for you to access ALL the pelvic floor prep info, in one spot, from one trusted source! Let's make birth (and your recovery!) a little smoother, shall we? 🙌 👇