How often do real people do their pelvic floor exercises? Really!

[Sophiathesnowfairy]

I am 17 weeks with number four and have never really got to grips with doing my pelvic floors regularly. I'm wondering whether I should make an effort this time following a nasty forceps birth and aftermath with ds.

Anyway am I alone in being completely rubbish about keeping it up?

I do it approximately once everytime someone starts a thread like this, so thanks for the reminder

I hate them. Haven't been doing them. 35 weeks. Should really start I suppose!

Woops....I'm 40 wks + 4 and I probably do them um...everytime someone mentions them. Baby brain :/

Some days a few times some days never, basically whenever it crosses my mind. I am however doing them now along with everyone else who has just read your thread title

I had a bad tear with dc1 and saw Physio who helped get my muscles working again. I found doing them in the car ten sets three times a day made a massive difference. Probly only do them once a day now. Also when in the car.

I do them every time I brush my teeth - only way I remember!

I do them on the train between Clapham and Waterloo (pardon the pun). I do 20 x of four floor lifts (so up two, three, four and then down, two, three, four). I started doing them after wetting myself after sneezing at 15 weeks.

This all makes me feel much better! Will keeps going with good intentions

I put a Kegels sticker on my washing machine to remind me every time I stick a load in.

As I am now preg with DC3 - and the inevitable loads of washing that comes with more kids - you would think that would remind me on a fairly regular basis, BUT we moved house, and I, um, didn't take the sticker with me!

So, yes, as a PP said, I tend to do my Kegels when I see a thread like this.

Alternatively, when my MUM reminds me (she's a GP and she's always on about my pelvic floor.... pelvic floors in general, I mean: 'you don't want to leak when you get old, do you, darling?!]

I am 28 weeks and have done my pelvic floor exercises once so far! (when the MW reminded me to do them)

I remember a few hours after I had DS2 the midwife was already going on about how I needed to do my pelvic floors.
I must do them in this pregnancy!

I do them when I remember. Used to do then when BFing so hit them back into shape quite well after the birth.

I did them every time I had a drink and (smug) got congratulated on excellent tone by a physio after a third degree tear. They work!

I'm going to come on here and be a misery.

I've never bothered with them but after 3 children and 2 third degree tears I am now under the care of a continence physio as I have {whispers} leakage.

It is worth doing them, particularly if you have very quick births or very long pushing phases. The physio told me that these make for the most problems.

Off to do another set so fingers crossed I won't need an operation.

I have three children, I never did them and have the wonky bladder to show for it. Do them whenever you remember .

*Ooooh...X-post Eglu .

My Gynae told me the recommended amount was 10 repetitions, 10 times a day. Which I still think is ridiculous. I have trouble remembering my tablets once a day. So I probably do them twice a week if I'm lucky. But then it turned out everything was painful because I, ahem, had healed quite tight (sorry tmi), so maybe it's a good thing I wasn't doing them (That's probably not based on any science).

To be honest I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. It's the relaxing bit that's important right? Like it's easy to tense them up, but it's being able to also release that's where the work is?

We do them in ante natal yoga with breathing in and out and the woman really confuses me:

Tense pelvic floor
Release breath
And release

Me: I thought we'd already released our breaths??

But I am easily confused and I can't even breathe in or out in the right sequence as everyone else!

I'm terrible at remembering so have put a note on the fridge door to remind me!