You’ve heard the expression I laughed so hard I peed in my pants. Well, unfortunately, for a lot of women who have given birth, they actually do. The good news is this problem can be avoided.

I see a lot of women in their mid to late 20s who have just had babies, and they tell me they now pee a little when they laugh or move too quickly. This is completely avoidable with the proper exercises.

The issue is that the muscular function and tone in the pelvic floor are too low. Building the muscles up before pregnancy and through to delivery allows for an easier delivery, faster recovery and a much higher chance the body will return to its normal function after the baby is born.

I recommend full-body exercises to ensure the entire body is functioning, however it is particularly important to keep the core strong. Core refers to the pelvis and all the muscles attached to the pelvis. So your hamstrings and your abs are equally part of your core.

As these muscles are strengthened, the function, positioning, strength and ability to bounce back from distortion, like giving birth, significantly increases. It is possible to use these exercises to rebuild after childbirth, but it is so much better to build the body before.

So if you, or someone you know, is thinking about getting pregnant, is pregnant or has just given birth, tell them about true core strengthening. Many of the exercises I’ll list are demonstrated on the YouTube and Rumble page DrChalmers1.

The exercises that everyone needs to do are. pushup position planks, single-leg squats/step-ups, good mornings and Kegels. If you want to get fancy you can add abduction and adduction hip exercises to the list. For women who did not exercise early enough, intervaginal exercises are helpful to use the internal pelvic muscles to reset function.

Check out the Chalmers Facebook Group for Wellness updates! And ask me any questions you have at [email protected]. I answer all of them and look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Matt Chalmers