When did you start your pelvic floor exercises?

[lollipopmother]

And how many did you do a day?

I got all enthusiastic about it about a month ago and was doing loads (well I think it was loads, I was trying to do 200 a day) but I just realised I haven't done any for about a month!

Do pelvic floor muscles just stop you from weeing, or are they actually needed for other things as well?

I didn't do any, I now pee when I sneeze

I will preach what I am not practising (but I am trying). Do them...whenever you can...whenever you remember.

They stop you weeing when sneezing, the help you pushing that baby out, they help recover quickly afterwards.

I started approximately 8 1/2 yrs ago - they lasted 3 days. I now have 3 children and occasionally dodgy sneezes!!

Oh God please tell me that you guys are pulling my leg, it's surely an old wives tale or something that says you pee when you don't do them!!

do them. it means that when you go mountain biking for the first time six months after having a baby, you don't wet yourself when you go over rocks. especially good if you happen to bump into your hot ex boyfriend in the cafe afterwards.
and you can go on trampolines.
they help with continence but the pelvic floor muscles hold all your bits in. so you don't prolapse and need your bladder or uterus taped up later on.
good pelvic floor muscles also are good for sex and for stopping you fanny farting during yoga

You should start about 5 years before you get pg and do them as often as possible everday for the rest of your life. [really].

I did them during pgy and after, but I still sometimes pee a little when I sneeze, cough, jump.

No not an old wives tale, I'm afraid.

In fact, just thinking about them, I have started doing some as I type - tmi?

LOL - terribly sorry but def not a tale - just summat that happens after a few (or 1) child!! Pelvic floor exercises do help - I've just bought an exerciser thingy and I def improve when I can be arsed to use it!!

Tell me clucky - what do you do with the exercise thing?

Does the weeing when sneezing thing happen to ALL mums to be who dont pelvic floor enough before hand?

I haven't done any and can't report any problems - I had a cs but went to 39 weeks. Maybe I was lucky as she was my first?

Happens to me PFJ

all women should do pelvic floor exercises every day for the rest of their lives- and that's really no big deal - just do them while on mumsnet or while you're sat in the car at traffic lights or something

the pelvic floor muscle holds everything in - and that includes the bladder and uterus. A weak pelvic floor can result not only in incontinence but also in a prolapsed uterus. I've worked with elderly womena and this is a huge problem. If you've seen a prolapsed uterus, you will always make sure you do your pelvic floor exercises.

Having a strong pelvic floor during pregnancy should also help with pushing while giving birth.

I've alwys done pelvic floor exercises and have givn birth twice vaginally, and have never once leaked urine when sneezing.

But how many is a good amount do you think? I know it shouldn't be a pain to do them, but I find them really odd and they make me feel funny.

i have read somewhere that its also good practice to try and stop peeing mid flow for a count of ten! That is actually pretty hard to do!

not pulling your leg honest. I did them and still had problems afterwards (even though I bought a pelvic toner).

You couldn't imagine the shame last october when I had to run really fast to catch my train...I was thanking my lucky stars that my trousers were black

'try and stop peeing mid flow for a count of ten! '

that's actually not good practise - it can result in urine infections due to backflow of urine. You should do pelvic floor exercises when you have an empty bladder.

i was just about to say the same as belgo. stopping peeing midflow can be a useful way of checking your pelvic floor muscle are getting stronger but shouldn't be used as muscle training as you can give yourself a urine infection.

My midwife told me the "red light theory" when I was a couple of months pregnant.

Every time you see a red light (suprisingly often - traffic lights, tv, electrical appliances) do a pelvic squeeze!

Was the only thing that made me do them - the association in my head became automatic..

DH now laughs at me everytime we stop at traffic lights!

I never did start !!!!
Mind you I did have a c-section.

oblomov - sorry to preach - but start now! even women who have had c-sections can have incontinence problems as pregnancy itself puts a huge strain on the pelvic floor.

Hatty, I love that, will definitely try. Very clever way of automatically doing them

Oh My Word Platesmasher- fanny farts are because of not doing pelvic floors? I've never stopped fanny farting since I got pregnant!! I had no idea why!!

Well I can already do the pee and stop for 10 seconds thing.. so phew! Like Lollipopmother I find the pelvic floor excercises odd. MW did tell me to try and do 10, twice a day though.

It's rare I remember to do them though, and I am only 7 weeks away from due day now.