Kegel exercises during pregnancy.

Arnold Kegel, a world-famous American sexologist and obstetrician-gynecologist, has developed a number of sets of specialized exercises aimed at both our male half of humanity and the fair sex. His methods subsequently began to be used for people's health almost all age groups, including even children. But, in this article we will talk specifically about those exercises that are aimed at the upcoming preparation of pregnant women for childbirth. These workouts are designed to help them, during childbirth, use the internal muscles that facilitate the movement of the baby through the birth canal, and prepare the woman’s perineum for this not at all simple process.

In fact, the procedures presented below are necessary and recommended for every pregnant woman. The thing is that during pregnancy pelvic floor muscles loses its tone naturally. This is due to the physiological changes occurring inside you: the constantly growing uterus stretches myofibrils (muscle fibers), their flexibility and elasticity decreases significantly, etc., etc. And in the prenatal and, even more so, postpartum period, all this is displayed very noticeably. If initially, in addition to all of the above, these internal muscles were not very trained before conception, then the situation worsens even more and takes on a more negative appearance.

But there is no need to despair. Regular classes using the methods of an American professor of gynecology will help you bring everything back to normal and subsequently not only make it much easier to give birth, but also improve the quality of your sex life and level of health.

The Kegel technique we are considering is outrageously simple to master. Its essence is built on a cyclic alternating tension/relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles, due to which the “training effect” is realized. Start by simply contracting these muscles ten times in a row. Just keep in mind one important point: only your internal muscles of the perineal area should be involved in the work: the area from the vagina to the anus. Your limbs and all other muscles: the muscles of the hips, torso and butt should remain uninvolved in this process!

So we figured out the target muscles. Now let's check how prepared you are (or, perhaps, not prepared at all). To do this, during the act of urination, try to stop the stream. If you fail to do this, or succeed with difficulty and not immediately, then, alas, there is something to work on. By the way, consider this - also an exercise, and try to do it in combination with others, which we will study further, every time you go to the toilet...

As you already understand, the main point in the Arnold Kegel technique is to learn how to competently tense and relax the pelvic floor muscles that we found earlier. In fact, its entire complex is built on various variations of this procedure. Moreover, what is most interesting is that, in essence, everything is the same for both women and men. In complexes for the stronger half of humanity, everything happens approximately the same - the principle is absolutely similar...

1. Performance technique.
2. The main components of your success.
3. Let's list all the advantages of the Kegel training system:
4. Cautions and contraindications.

Performance technique.

Containment. Take a horizontal position, lying on your back in the childbirth position: we place our arms along the body, and spread our legs, bent at the knees, slightly to the sides. For comfort, place a small flat pillow under your head (or under your back) and relax - you are ready. Concentrate on the movements being performed - tense the muscles of the perineum, as if trying to stop your urination again, and hold the muscles in this contracted state for a while: 5-10 seconds. Then relax, and after a little rest, repeat the above steps in the cycle. Start, for example, with eight such repetitions, subsequently smoothly increasing this number to 20-30 times.

Elevator. An original exercise that requires your imagination, dexterity and concentration. Imagine that your perineum is an elevator. In fact, this is so, since it is a “tunnel” consisting of sequential muscle rings that together form a vaginal tube - an elevator shaft. Well... Let's try to go up with this elevator, stopping for a couple of seconds on each of the floors - the above rings. First, shorten the lowest ring - the 1st floor. Then, without releasing it, increase the pressure even more and then “rise” to the second floor. Then even stronger - the third one, until you get to the last one. Here you need to stay longer. You also need to go down the elevator floor by floor, stopping at each level. And so on until complete relaxation. The exercise is certainly not easy, but the benefits and effectiveness of doing it are simply indescribable!

Surf or waves. The main point of this variation is to tense/relax the pelvic floor muscles in an extremely fast rhythm, but in a strictly defined order: first the vaginal ones, then the anal ones. In other words, creating a kind of “wave”. In this case, as in the variation with the elevator, you need to relax in the opposite direction: moving from back to front.

We protrude the pelvic floor. Sit comfortably in any of the birth positions and completely relax the muscles of the perineum. Then, holding your breath, smoothly, gently, progressively push, straight, as if you were having a bowel movement, trying to push your vaginal muscles outward. You can place your palm on the perineum to feel the effectiveness of your attempts tactilely (by touch). Next, inhale and contract your bottom muscles. After a short break, repeat the above steps in the cycle one more time.

The exercise we discussed is very important! Especially for the period of the so-called “expulsion of the fetus,” it actually teaches you how to push correctly, helping the baby move through the birth canal. It’s just important to understand that you need to train strictly with an empty bladder, as well as an empty bowel.

1. There is no need to lift your heels off the floor,
2. the back must be strictly straight,
3. During a squat, all the weight is transferred to the heels.

It will be great if your husband will insure You. For example, a very comfortable position if he sits on a stool or chair, and you, with your back to him and standing between his legs, hold tightly, like handrails, on his bent knees, and at the same time rest your entire back on him so as not to bend. Also, as an option, you can stand against the wall, sliding down it, while guaranteeing yourself at least some support for your palms on both sides.

We took a position. Now sit down. If your feet turn inward during a squat, or you are unable to squat at all without lifting your heels off the floor, your Achilles tendons are too short or may be poorly stretched. It is necessary to train. At first, you can put your feet wider in the initial position or, as an option, put on shoes with a slight rise before training until this is no longer necessary...

This exercise is necessary to align your birth canal, as well as train your joints when using the squatting birth position.

To achieve maximum effect and extremely versatile preparation for the upcoming birth, try to do the exercises described above in all sorts of different birth positions:

1. I) sitting,
2. II) on all fours,
3. III) squatting,
4. IV) lying down (if possible).

The main components of your success.

The key condition for the effectiveness of training is its regularity. In this situation, you are guaranteed to get results after just a couple of weeks of daily training. You will feel that if this main condition is fulfilled, soon your pelvic floor muscles will reflexively, even without your conscious control, perform all these movements on their own.

Exercises should begin from the extremely early stages of pregnancy, performing 20-30 repetitions of each exercise daily.

It doesn't matter at all if you don't do well at first and feel like you can't tense your muscles hard enough or for long enough. As they say, patience and work... However, experts do not recommend overzealousness. If you came to the world of Kegels with rather flabby pelvic muscles, the load and intensity of training definitely needs to be increased gradually - as you progress.

It is important to understand that your main goal is to learn to understand the pelvic muscles and clearly control their versatile work, and not stupidly create maximum force tension for them.

Let's list all the advantages of the Kegel training system:

1. Strengthens the pelvic floor muscles.
2. Allows the most efficient use of muscle resources during childbirth.
3. Teaches how to properly control the muscles of the perineum.
4. Prevents the occurrence of severe pain.
5. Makes it possible to avoid all kinds of tissue ruptures.
6. Promotes easier and faster delivery.
7. Allows you to avoid most of the discomfort and pain during pregnancy.
8. Helps to quickly recover in the postpartum period.
9. Improves well-being, physical health and sports training.
10. Establishes reliable control over urination.
11. Significantly improves the quality of intimate life.
12. Improves a woman's sexual health.
13. Prolongs the period of a woman’s sexual activity.
14. Activates increased production of female sex hormones.
15. Improves your mood, appearance, and well-being.

1. I) preparation for the upcoming pregnancy and childbirth,
2. ii) recovery after them,
3. III) for the prevention of ailments: a) urinary incontinence, b) hemorrhoids and c) other diseases, including inflammatory processes of the genitourinary area,
4. IV) prolongation of youth, beauty and health.

Cautions and contraindications.

The most significant advantage of Kegel exercises, besides their miraculous benefits and real effectiveness, is that this training system is absolutely free, does not require additional equipment or accessories, and is actually available to every woman. Moreover, at any time she needs and in fact, in any place convenient for her: most of the exercises discussed can be performed without any problems, on the way home, cooking at the stove, waiting in line at the store, while driving in a traffic jam, and so on and so forth.

Despite this, regrettably, not all pregnant women can benefit from the above training. It would not be superfluous to mention that they can also pose a real threat. In view of this, before proceeding to practice, consult your local gynecologist about this possibility. For example, if there is a serious threat of miscarriage or other functional impairments, you will have to give up classes, perhaps even in the early stages. In this situation, you can continue classes only in the postpartum period. Or perhaps only some of the procedures considered will prohibit you.

If you have no contraindications, start practicing according to the schemes we propose. However, from 16-18 weeks you need to abandon the lying position: perform the Kegel exercises we discussed during pregnancy only while sitting, or, as an option, standing, so that when pushing you do not experience the inferior vena cava.

Also, if during exercise you feel discomfort, or even more so suspicious pain, immediately stop the training and quickly consult your doctor. Remember the most important rule: “do no harm!».