Kegels -- the Exercise For "Down There"

I remember being about 34 weeks pregnant with my second son when my midwife sat me down and had the "kegel talk". She basically informed me that if I had a desire to minimize perineal tearing at birth, prevent urine leakage, and have a speedier recovery, I needed to get serious about doing kegel exercises on a regular basis. Previously, I had been half-hearted, at best, in my efforts to exercise my pelvic floor muscles, not doing anything with any regularity -- a kegel here, a kegel there, even though I knew the potential benefits. I suppose, until my midwife got serious with me, I didn't truly understand the benefits of kegels for not only pregnant women, but women of all ages.

The Kegel exercise is named after a doctor who developed the exercises to tone and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles act like a hammock, holding up the uterus, bladder, and bowel. A strong pelvic floor prevents organ prolapse (vaginal, uterine, rectal) and urine leakage, while promoting healing to the perineum. The exercise also tightens and strengthens the muscles in the vagina, providing greater sexual sensation.

It may take a little practice to find the right muscles to exercise, but a great way to initially practice the contraction is to try and stop the flow of urine while you are going to the bathroom (do not make a habit of stopping and starting your urine flow, as it can actually weaken the pelvic floor, but just try it initially to find the right muscles). If you succeed, then you have just practiced the most basic move. Try it a few more times until you feel confident that you know what muscle to squeeze. You should feel your vagina tighten and your pelvic floor move upward. In relaxing the squeeze, you will feel your pelvic floor move down and your vagina relax. As your muscles get stronger -- and you get more experienced -- this movement will become more pronounced.

As far as a regimen goes, most proponents of the exercise say you need to do about 200 a day to get the benefits. My midwife recommended finding four different times a day that I could spend five minutes doing kegels. I usually was only able to fit in two times a day. I recommend that each session include 10 sets of 10 quick squeezes (with a 10 count rest in between each set of 10) followed by 10 sets of long squeezes (with a 10 count rest in between each set of 10). This should develop into a lifelong habit so that you can see lifelong results.