The pelvic floor is a great unknown to many people and you may not hear about it until you are pregnant. It is a group of muscles that actively intervenes during pregnancy and childbirth and it is essential to exercise it, as does Paula Echevarría .
As we see in one of her latest posts on her Instagram account, the actress, who announced her pregnancy a few weeks ago at age 43, incorporates specific exercises to strengthen her pelvic floor into her routine.
We can see her sitting on a pilates ball with her hands on her belly performing a series of conscious breaths guided by her trainer.
Why exercise the pelvic floor in pregnancy?
During pregnancy, the pelvic floor undergoes a lot of pressure and it is highly advisable to exercise it to arrive in perfect condition at the time of delivery, promote postpartum recovery and prevent future disorders, such as urine leakage.
Where is the pelvic floor? It is made up of a group of hammock-shaped muscles and ligaments located in the lower abdominal cavity that are responsible for supporting the bladder, uterus and rectum, and that help control urination and defecation.
The way to exercise them is by alternately contracting and relaxing them as is done in Kegel exercises, combining them with deep breaths. The pelvic floor muscles, in addition to their supporting function of the endopelvic organs, are intimately involved in respiration . As you speak, breathe deeply, or even when you cough, you can feel your pelvic floor.
For the care of the pelvic floor, it is also important to maintain other habits such as taking care of posture in pregnancy, exercising but avoiding impact sports so as not to subject the perineum to more stress, and eating a healthy diet to control weight gain.
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