Improve your pelvic health

Imagine that you are trying to stop yourself passing wind and stop the flow of urine at the same time. You can also think of squeezing tight in the vagina. You should feel your pelvic floor muscles ‘squeeze and lift’ inside. Don’t hold your breath or clench your buttocks. You may feel a gentle tightening in your tummy, which are your deep tummy muscles working to help the pelvic floor.

There are 2 main methods to doing a pelvic floor squeeze:

Long squeezes

• Take a breath in and then out.
• As you breathe out, squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles tight, hold for 8 to 10 seconds and then release.
• Always let the muscles relax before the next breath.
• Repeat your long squeezes, with a rest in between each, until you feel that your muscles are tired.
• Repeat 8 to 10 times, twice a day.
• Aim for 10s holds, repeat 10 times.

Short squeezes

• Quickly squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles as strong as you can, then immediately relax and lower them.
• Repeat 8 times, twice a day.
• If you struggle to do 8, start with 4 or 6 repetitions.

Positions

These can be done in a variety of positions. You may find it easier to do your exercises in lying or sitting. As your muscles improve, aim to do the exercises in other positions, such as standing, squatting and lunging. Eventually you can do your exercises while walking or doing other forms of exercise. It is important to focus on the exercise.

Having a healthy bladder and bowel can help you avoid Pelvic Floor Disfunction (PFD).

Eating and drinking

• Try and drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Other drinks such as milk, herbal (caffeine free) teas, diluted squash and juices are also ok sometimes. This helps you to stay hydrated. If you don’t drink enough, your poo can become hard and difficult to pass.
• Avoid caffeinated and sugary drinks as these can irritate the bladder
• If you are experiencing symptoms of urgency and frequency with weeing try to limit the caffeine that you drink (coke, coffee, and tea).
• Avoid alcohol and smoking as these can irritate the bladder, making you need to empty your bladder more often.
• Eating a balanced nutritional diet will help your poo to be soft and formed.

Weeing

• When using the toilet, sit down to wee, don’t hover! Sit in a relaxed position and lean forward with your feet apart. This will help your bladder to empty fully. Remember to give your bladder time to empty. When you have a newborn baby or small children you may often hurry off the toilet before you have completely finished. This can lead to you needing to go back again or leaking after.
• Cut out ‘just in case wees’. After birth, over the following weeks and months, teach your bladder to hold again, aiming for going every 2 to 3 hours. Try to avoid going just because you are going out the door! This can cause bad habits.
• Check your urine. If it is dark, cloudy, smelly or blood stained make sure to tell your midwife or GP. During pregnancy you are more likely to get urinary infections, and a health professional can check this for you.

Pooing

• Use a footstool to poo. Placing a stool or toddler step under your feet can ensure you are in a more relaxed squat position. This will help pass your poo more comfortably.
• Listen to your bowel. It is important to make time to poo when your body tells you it needs to go. If you miss the ‘call for stool’ it can then be harder to open your bowels.
• Don’t strain, this can weaken the pelvic floor muscles further. If you are finding your poo is too hard and difficult to pass, discuss treatment options with your healthcare professional.

The Squeezy App is approved by the NHS as a support to help you. It helps by reminding you when it’s time to do your pelvic floor exercises and guides you through completing them. It also has handy diaries to help keep track of any bladder or bowel symptoms, as well as other pelvic health information.

Squeezy comes with a clinically recommended exercise plan. If you are experiencing symptoms and working with a pelvic health specialist, Squeezy can also be tailored with a personalised plan to fit your needs. It is important to note that the Squeezy app is not a replacement or an alternative to supervised pelvic floor physiotherapy but can be used as a tool to support this.

To download the app, please visit the Squeezy website.