Who here actually does pelvic floor exercises??

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

And how do you remind yourself?
I've just started gone back to exercise in general and got a bit of a shock when a little bit of wee came out when I ran .
I was so paranoid I hardly moved the rest of the session.
I know I need to do them, surely I can't be the only one who does 2 squeezes then starts making a shopping list in my head?
Come on, spill not wee

[itsatrap]

Oh my god, exact same thing happened to me today- came back from run smelling a bit like piss, not good. Ds1 is 12w, it was fine after dd 3y, not so much now. i think about it maybe once a week, but doing them makes me need to pee (normal??). Then i go for a pee and forget about them until following week. i think mine is basically knackered,and apologies for total overshare

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

I like sharing!
I also smelt a bit like piss, tres embarrassing. Am actually now lung in bed wondering if the bedroom now smells as I forgot to put them in the wash. Oh dear.
Come on, where are all the MNers with lovely tight undercarraiges?

[ceeveebee]

I only do them at exercise classes - yoga, pilates etc otherwise I just totally forget about them. I'm 9 months post-birth of twins - but I don't think I need to as I don't leak and can go for hours without a wee (tmi perhaps?!?!)

[PomBearWithAnOFRS]

Me - after five babies I'd have a fanny like a bucket if I didn't.
At the risk of sounding like a complete tosser nympho nerd geek I started to do them after I read a Heinlein book (one of his "dubious" ones) that had a character whose improved muscle control improved her sex life and then it was much later that I found out about my pelvic floor and all that stuff. I got lucky I guess, and have always done them ever since. That said, I dread to think how incontinent I would be if I hadn't done them, as cough/snneze/hilarity when my bladder is full can definitely lead to "oops moments" even having muscles of iron down there

[PomBearWithAnOFRS]

And I missed the point a bit there - I do them in bed at night. I often have trouble getting to sleep, and count them a la counting sheep. I do ten sets of ten every night, and if I wake up stiff fnar fnar and know it's going to take me a while to get going and feel up to actually getting up, I do some more in the morning, so I at least feel a bit less useless about not being able to move as such.

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

I am actually lying here awake wondering where I can find the time to do them, yet it still hadn't occurred to me to do them now
Do you squeeze for 10, relax for 10, 10 times?

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

And who is this Heinlein fellow? Do I need to Amazon him?

[Alameda]

you need to talk to this person I know, he tells me things that make me involuntarily clench in horror - all the way up - and it all takes a long time to unclench

I wonder if my minge is becoming a sort of steel jawed trap these days. Will ask next person brave enough to put a bit of themselves in there.

[giraffesCantGoBackToSchool]

trap ds is 12 weeks and you are out running?

I feel very ashamed of myself now!

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

I know giraffes , I am also shamed (please don't tell her that my DS is 1 next week, she will laugh at me then I will see even more)

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

*wee not see

[BewitchedBotheredandBewildered]

Every time you go for a wee stop it as much as you can for a count of 10.
I used to do this after DD1 and continued after the other 2. Lately only do once ish a day, DC3 is now 20, I never leak!

[itsatrap]

Buns of steel with a funny like a welly! Don't be impressed by the running, i go in about a 600m loop then collapse on the sofa retching and gasping for air for about an hour.

[itsatrap]

Going back to op though, once pelvic floor is knackered, can it recover? Has anyone got any amazing take-a-break worthy pelvic floor recovery stories to inspire?

[fledtoscotland]

I have started to do exercises since starting running. Either that or tena lady. Got a free DVD from tena with info how to do exercises. Also, was advised to use a tampon when running (inserted obviously) to support pelvic floor. It works.

[fanjodisfunction]

I've done them since I was a teen, I do them in the car when I'm stuck in traffic which is every day. And then if I have a spare five minutes during the day, I do at least five. I started doing them again 4 weeks after giving birth, (I did try a week after but couldn't do it)

[AGeeksWife]

I do them whenever I read the words pelvic floor exercises and then forget again until I read the words again.

[relaxingathome]

I do, you need to make sure you do slow holds ie 10 times ten second holds and quick squeezes as well.
Ideally you should do them at least three times a day.

Imo best times are while you are waiting for the kettle to boil, red traffic lights and ad breaks on tv

[holler]

I was fine after the birth of DD1 (although I didn't put this to the test by actually exercising...). Now 25weeks with DC2 and can not sneeze without leaking . Am going to try an aquaflex toner once DC2 is out.

I've done them while reading this thread, but otherwise do one or two a week day and get bored.

[WoodlandHills]

I do them when I read threads like these

[Bartusmaeus]

I gave birth in France. Here it's standard after the birth to be given a prescription to go and see a physiotherapist to work on your pelvic floor.

So I had 10 sessions which were fairly embarassing (I'll spare you the details) and in between sessions I was given exercises to do which I used to do whilst sitting and breastfeeding (until I was given standing up ones to do which I forgot about a lot more as I was rarely standing still, when I was up I was walking comforting a baby).

She also gave me abdominal exercises to do but I didn't do many of those just could not be arsed

So, I did work on my pelvic floor but only during those 10 weeks. No leakage issues here

[fatlazymummy]

I do them sometimes.
However the thing that I found the most helpful was swimming [esp. breaststroke]. I have noticed a massive improvement since I restarted swimming.

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

Don't you get loads of water in your foof if you do them whilst swimming?

[Catinthebox]

I started to do them after I got a bit leaky after putting on (and then losing) loads of weight.

I now have some pyrex ben wa balls too. I tend to stuff them in and just forget about them, but they seem to help.

[nankypeevy]

I'm a physio - and I think part of the problem is they way we teach the exercises.

They are a bit random - it's easy to strengthen your arm because you can SEE it move, but your PF? How do you know you are doing it right?

I am fairly frank when yakking on about them. You want to ever have an orgasm again? Do your blardy pelvic floor exercises.

In the interests of full and frank disclosure - you need to be sure you are actually contracting your muscles. If you are bobbing up and down when you do them - that's not it, that's your butt. If you are squinting your eyes and tilting your head and holding your breath when you do them? Not sure what's going on, but it's doubtful that you are doing your PF very well...

If you're not sure... the easiest way to check whether you are doing them right is to bung something in there - your finger, a tampon, a bit of someone else's anatomy, doesn't matter. And, squeeze it. You'll get a bit of feedback on what the sensation is like. Remember that sensation (well, depending on what you are squeezing) and then try to replicate it with an empty fanjo.

Squeeze and hold for ten secs.

Ten quick flicks.

Then, imagine that your fanjo is a lift/elevator. Squeeze, and lift it to first floor, second floor, third floor - and then back down.

Repeat.

And, repeat.

And, repeat.

You can get strength training devices from Boots (othe chemists are available) They look like little tampons, but are weights that you insert and do your exercises with. Use tehm when you are doing the hoovering/walking up and down stairs or whatever too, for strength training. They are really good - but they only work if you actually USE them, and, Top Tip - make sure you can competently hold the thing in if you go out...

...I once saw one rolling in the cereal aisle of Sainsbos.

Oops.

Wisnae mine, I hasten to add.

Anyhoo - the point is that, apart from not pishing yourself every time you laugh, and not having to "plan" your shopping trips to include shops with toilets, and not having low back pain and a fanny like a bucket - you'll have more orgasms with less effort.

You doing them now?

Course you are.