7 Signs of a tight pelvic floor in pregnancy

Top 7 signs you are dealing with a tight pelvic floor in pregnancy-

As a pelvic PT specializing in helping women avoid severe birth injuries and guiding athletes to keep a high level of fitness during and after pregnancy,

These are the top 7 signs I know a pregnant woman is dealing with a tight pelvic floor that if not addressed may be problematic for birth.

If you are like any of the active women I help, you also want to understand how to set your birth up for minimal medication and minimal injury to your body which means that you need to have a personalized assessment for your pelvic floor

by a professional pelvic floor PT or OT in order to get the most accurate information.

Not having a professional assessment from a pelvic floor rehab specialist, like myself, means you are walking or waddling into birth without knowing the truth about what your body signals are telling you and might end up making a blind decision that you question years down the road

This blog will cover the most common signs of pelvic floor tightness in pregnancy—

7 signs you might be dealing with pelvic floor that is too tight—

1. You poop rocks, pooping hurts, and you are pissed that your mama didn’t warn you about hemorrhoids

2. S3x is not fun anymore— your flower and tailbone are sore the next day

3. You’re waking up 4 times to pee at night and missing out on restorative sleep

4. You’re frustrated with pain in your pubic bone whenever you try to get out of your car

5. Your vag!na hurts when you pee

6. Your low back is achey during your weightlifting sessions

7. You can’t remember the last time you didn’t leak when you sneezed

If you feel seen, you aren’t alone!

Because our society has normalized women living with pain and to “just deal with it”, so many women have been led to believe pain and pelvic floor issues is part of pregnancy, they did not know they could get help for these issues occurring before pregnancy or that can develop in pregnancy. 

This is important to know because while the uterus does all the work in labor— the pelvic floor needs to get out of the way.

A pelvic floor that is too tight is a known risk factor for having a more physical and emotionally traumatic birth, but the great news is there are things you can do to mitigate injury risk.

Every week I help active women with pelvic floor problems like leakage or prolapse that interrupts their fitness goals that is a result of the major injury to the pelvic floor birth they had years ago —  This also shapes why I believe it is important for pregnant women who value their health and athleticism to know what they can do to help themselves during pregnancy.

Working together with me in the Empowered Pregnant Athlete Program,

I walk expectant moms through 4 phase process so that-

1. We fill in their knowledge gaps to prepare their WHOLE pelvis for birth by learning to listen to what they body signals have been telling them as so many women have been taught to ignore these signals

1. We get VERY specific in the training for the full flexibility of the pelvic floor as needed to lower the risk tearing their vag!na to rectum regardless of their pain management choice

2. We get clear on their own pelvic floor problems that either have developed in pregnancy or beforehand to reduce the risk of pelvic floor problems postpartum

3. They learn how to prep for recovery from c-section or vaginal birth so they have peace of mind on how to level up their return to fitness without being slowed down by pain or fear of pelvic floor problems so that they can enjoy bonding with their sweet new baby

Birth will be full of uncertainty and things out of your control,

But you do have a level of control of reducing your injury risk in how you prepare in advance with understanding your individual anatomy so that you can be confident about your choices that can pop up in the moment.

Are you in the Durham, Raleigh, or Chapel Hill area and looking for a pelvic floor physical therapist to help you maintain a high level of atheleticism and also prepare your body for birth? Contact the office to get started in the Pregnancy Programs today!