We want the pelvic floor to release and relax as your baby navigates through the pelvic for birth! This will allow your baby to more easily navigate through the pelvis and will make labor easier and faster!
If we hold tension, either because we are afraid of labor or we are experiencing pain from contractions, we could also tense up the pelvic floor.
This begins the fear-tension-pain cycle that can actually make labor more painful and difficult! When we feel fear, we tense up. When we increase tension, we experience more pain. And then we are more afraid.
This can interfere with our coping techniques and make labor incredibly challenging!
Let’s break down three tips to help you release the tension, so we can release our pelvic floor for an easier birth!
Release the Pelvic Floor for an Easier Birth
There are several techniques that we can use to release the pelvic floor for an easier birth! First, we want to remember that the pelvic floor is a component of a larger system! We can influence the tension (and the relaxation) of the pelvic floor by focusing on other parts of our body too!
We don’t need to ONLY focus on pelvic floor release.
With all of these techniques, we want to focus on diaphragmatic breathing with our contractions.
So, inhale to lengthen the pelvic floor DOWN to feel it stretch. Then exhale to release and relax (as much as you can with contractions).
You will likely not find 100% relaxation, but we can try to get as close as possible!
Best way to prepare for this part of labor? Incorporate diaphragmatic breathing into your workouts!
Our prenatal yoga on-demand classes cue you through different breathing techniques, as do our prenatal fitness programs, which include breathing drills that also focus on relaxation!
Join us for on-demand prenatal yoga classes specific to each trimester!
- 20-30 minute long on-demand yoga classes
- Trimester Specific Classes
- Pelvic Opening Yoga Flows: Prepare for Birth!
- Lifetime Access of Program
3 Tips to Relax the Pelvic Floor During Birth
When we focus on relaxing the pelvic floor for birth, we can focus on:
- Release tension in the jaw! The jaw is connected to our pelvic floor! So if you have TMJ or jaw issues, you may also have some pelvic floor issues!
- Sit on the toilet. We associate the toilet with relaxation! Sitting on the toilet can prompt this automatic release.
- Jiggle! Jiggling the fascia can release endorphins, which can help us relax!
Learn more techniques in our prepare your pelvic floor for birth course!
This course explore your pelvic floor anatomy, function, and how to prepare your pelvic floor for birth! This course includes educational videos, mobility exercises, relaxation drills, and how to relax your pelvic floor during labor tips.
- 2+ hours of on-demand videos
- Immediate and lifetime of the course access
- Watch on Mobile Device
If you want a more in-depth childbirth education course, we also discuss pelvic floor preparation in our in-person and virtual childbirth education courses!
1) Release the Jaw
The jaw has a connection to our pelvic floor! This develops when are embryos, and is one of the first connections we have in our bodies!
If we release the tension in the jaw, we also release tension in the pelvic floor.
Try it now:
- Grit your teeth, and clench your jaw. How does your pelvic floor feel? Likely, it feels tenser and tight!
- Now, shake your jaw out and allow the teeth the move away from one another. How does your pelvic floor? Hopefully less tense!
Having your partner remind you to shake your jaw out can support relaxing the pelvic floor during contractions!
2) Sit on the Toilet!
Next, we can sit on a toilet! We have a physiologic response to relax when we sit on a toilet. Think of all of the years of conditioned relaxation response to sitting on a toilet!
It can sometimes make things more intense because we finally are letting go, so be prepared to maybe not love the toilet.
But, if you were holding a lot of tension, you may find that the toilet brings relief!
The toilet is commonly referred to as the dilation station because of this relaxation response! When we relax, we tend to see more progress in labor!
3) Jiggling Comfort Techniques
And then we can try jiggling techniques! When we jiggle or shake the fasica, it causes a release of endorphins! This release can help with pain relief and can support relaxation.
Jiggling can also be a distraction tool! Focusing on the jiggling can help us let go of tension in other places in our body, as well.
When doing jiggling techniques, you can use your hands to literally shake the legs or butt. You can also use long fabric, such as a bed sheet or rebozo, to shake the butt or gently sift the belly to find relaxation.
We recommend jiggling techniques in between contractions, but some folks may find it helpful during contractions.
Learn more comfort techniques to help you release tension in our childbirth education courses!
Learn the science of pregnancy and birth to take the mystery of labor away! Understand why you are feeling what you feel, and learn strategies to confidently move through pregnancy and birth!
- 9 hours of on-demand video
- Lifetime Access of E-Course
- Watch on Mobile Device
Relax the pelvic floor for an easier birth!
It can be hard to focus on specifically relaxing the pelvic floor! If we focus rather on other parts of our body, we can find some release in the pelvic floor, as well!
Try focusing on releasing tension in the jaw, sitting on the toilet, and jiggling techniques to release the tension in the pelvic floor for labor progress!