Postpartum Kegels: Do or Don't?

Did you know doing a kegel exercise only contracts ONE part of your pelvic floor?! When healing and strengthening your pelvic floor, or any muscle in the body, you must work the ENTIRE muscle system AND through its full range of motion!

How Kegel Exercises Affect the Pelvic Floor:

Your pelvic floor consists of 3 layers and many muscles that intertwine to make up the bottom of your core canister. To build strength in this system, you need to contract the pelvic floor muscles (which a Kegel does), yes, but you also need to release them. The controlled release is just as important as the engagement when it comes to using pelvic floor exercises to fully heal after pregnancy. If your pelvic floor doesn’t know how to fully release and work through its full range of motion, it’s difficult to achieve true strength and functional improvements.

With Kegel exercises, we are doing only partial contractions without a release, which over time can actually cause muscle imbalances in your pelvic floor (aka worsening pelvic floor dysfunction). These imbalances can even lead to additional issues...

Common Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Symptoms that can be worsened by doing Kegels:

• accidental leaking
• chronic pain
• belly distention
• pain with intercourse
• vaginal pressure
• flat glutes
• ... and more!

Pelvic Floor Exercises that DO Help You Heal:

So Kegels ain't it when it comes to comprehensive postpartum healing... Here's what to do instead: 

Learn to fully release (lengthening exercises) and engage your entire core and pelvic floor canister, treating it as ONE unit that works together. This is done with specific pelvic floor strengthening movements and progressive overload over time, we can strengthen and optimize the function of your pelvic floor. This will bring more optimal pelvic floor healing and health long-term!

Inside the Natal App Postpartum Ab Rehab program, we teach you where, what, and how to connect with your pelvic floor properly, instead of just doing Kegels. You’ll learn about what YOUR body needs - what parts of your pelvic floor are offline (aka not firing properly), and how to improve on this without unintentionally leading to more dysfunction.

STOP doing kegels and start doing the pelvic floor exercises your body NEEDS instead!

The Natal App Offers Optimal Core and Pelvic Floor Strengthening

Flatten and tone your core, heal diastasis recti and pelvic floor muscles with the Natal Ab Rehab postpartum program!

Our comprehensive postpartum program addresses core and pelvic floor dysfunction, including diastasis recti, low back pain, postpartum belly pooch, posture issues, prolapse, C-section recovery, and more. Combines core and pelvic floor strengthening, breath work, posture correction, release techniques, and optional cardio across four progressive phases for full-body recovery after pregnancy.

Our in-house experts will help you diagnose your pelvic floor dysfunction and help you through the program to ensure you find success.

4 Phases of Pelvic Floor Healing Postpartum:

Safe and effective healing postpartum requires more than 'just doing kegels as much as you can.' It should be broken down into 4 progressive phases that build upon each other to ensure you strengthen your core and pelvic floor muscles properly and comprehensively.

Phase 1:

Foundation- Reconnect with your core and weak pelvic floor muscles, while re-educating your breathing, alignment, posture, and deep core activation. This phase focuses on building strength and establishing a solid mind-muscle connection.

Phase 2:

Build Strength- Progressively increase speed, intensity, and load to challenge your entire core and pelvic floor system and build on the foundation from Phase 1. This phase focuses on strength and improving core and pelvic floor connection.

Phase 3:

Dynamic Progression- Take your pelvic floor healing progress to the next level with more dynamic core circuits, posture work, and strength exercises. Each workout builds on the last to further challenge your body.

Phase 4:

Advanced Performance- Master advanced core and pelvic floor movements like planks, crunches, and jumping with front-loading and plyometric exercises. This final phase teaches your body to manage pressure and load for optimal core function and strength.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pelvic Floor Healing:

How soon can I start working on pelvic floor rehab postpartum?

The ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) guidelines state that a woman can start exercising when she feels ready after delivery. Some women begin pelvic floor healing as early as 2 to 6 weeks post-delivery. We also offer an early postpartum recovery program for those who want to take an even gentler start to their postpartum rehab approach in their first weeks postpartum.

Can I still heal my pelvic floor dysfunction even if I had my last baby years ago?

Yes! The Natal app Ab Rehab pelvic floor and core healing program is designed for women at any stage postpartum, whether you had your baby last week or 20+ years ago. It’s never too late to rebuild your core and pelvic floor, fix your pelvic floor dysfunction, regain strength, and reach your goals!

What if I have Diastasis Recti Ab Separation?

Diastasis Recti is a common postpartum problem that cannot be fixed through doing Kegel exercises. The Natal App Ab Rehab is specifically designed to address diastasis recti, or ab separation, through targeted exercises that heal your core and pelvic floor muscles, along with progressive strength training, breath work, and posture optimization to help close the gap and rebuild core strength.

How to Get Started with Postpartum Healing:

Safe and effective healing of your core and pelvic floor muscles postpartum begins with finding the right program and health experts who can help you along the way.

The NATAL APP provides both expert coaches and postpartum programs tailored to every stage of your pregnancy and postpartum journey. Join over 400,000 Mamas Worldwide in reclaiming your strength and confidence with our expert-guided postpartum programs!

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