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Pelvic Floor Excercises-Kegels
These can be life saving for women! I know we hear about them, but I learned by experience, that things can fall down in the pelvis which is really difficult!
Menopause, with the lack of hormones, can be a huge factor in this as well as childbirth.
Here are some tips to help us know what to do for our pelvic muscles to rpevent prolapse or urinary incontinence as well as pain int he bladder and urethra from the lack of tone in these muscles.
To find the pelvic floor muscles, imagine that you have a tampon in your vagina that is falling out and you must tighten your vaginal muscles to hold it in.
The muscle that you tighten is the one to exercise.
Another way to fund the right muscles (the bulbocavernosis muscle) is to sit ont he toilet, place one finger int he vagina and contract the muscle around your finger. This is the muscle you want to exaercise.
If you are unsure that you are doing the excercises properly, your doctor or midwife can help you during a pelvic exam.
You can teach your body bad toilet habits by doing this when urinating so try these exercises at other times.
Watching tv, red lights while driving, on the phone, doing dishes.
Get in the habit of doing them.
Thing of an arm muscle. When you start lifting weights, your muscles may become sore. Also it may take some time to develop bi ceps. But eventually, it comes.
Your pelvic muscles may become sore too but that is a good sign of building the muscle tissue back up.
Some women may feel soreness around the vaginal opening initially. This is normal due to building the muscles. Keep doing the exercises. The saying use it or lose it totally applies here.
For severe urine loss this may take 3-6 months for maximum effect.
If you get headache, chest discomfort, abdominal muscle soreness, then you are contracting other muscles in addition to the bulbocavernosis muscles. Concentrate on the perineum (between vagina and anus) and relax the other muscles.
For most women, some doctors feel that doing kegels once a day is sufficient by holding the muscle for as long as possible before relaxing again.
Think of a weightlifter lifting a weight and people around the weightlifter is saying Come on, come on, you can do it. They may be shaking toward the end until they just cannot endure anymore. Then they stop and relax.
During your next pelvic exam ask your practitioner how your muscle tone is and get their suggestion for you.
For some of us however, through childbirth and menopause, we need a more serious routine. I will type out the routine I am doing right now. It works!
Initially-
Tighten pelvic floor muscles for a count of six and relax for six seconds.
Each contraction cycle should last 12 seconds or 5 contractions per minute.
repeat 25 times.
Do this 3 times a day for a total of 75 contractions.
WEEK 2
Tighten the pelvic floor muscles for 6 seconds every 12 seconds (5 per minute) for 10 minutes. 50 contractions. Do this 3 times per day for a total of 150 contractions.
WEEK 3
Tighten pelvic floor muscles for 6 seconds every 12 seconds (5 per minute) for 15 minutes, 75 contractions.
Do this 3 times per day for a total of 225 contractions
WEEK 4-24
Tighten the pelvic floor muscles for 6 secnds every 12 seconds (5 per minute) for 20 minutes. 100 contraction. Do this 3 times per day for a total of 300 contractions.
AFTER 24 WEEKS
Continue maintenance at 10 minutes three times per day or 15 miutes twice a day for a total of 150 contractions per day.
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Ethan (4/99), 
Bella (02/04), and 
Cailey (3/08)
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