When it comes to preparing for birth, few topics stir up as much confusion—and curiosity—as the pelvic floor. Many of us don’t even realize we have one until pregnancy brings it front and center. But understanding how this intricate group of muscles functions can make a world of difference in your comfort, your birth experience, and your postpartum recovery.
In this episode of the MamasteFit Podcast, Gina (perinatal fitness trainer and birth doula) and Roxanne (labor and delivery nurse and student midwife) break down what your pelvic floor actually is, why it matters, and how to prepare it for birth and beyond.
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What Is the Pelvic Floor?
Your pelvic floor is a sling of muscles at the base of your pelvis. Think of it as the foundation of your core—a supportive hammock that holds your pelvic organs (the bladder, uterus, and rectum), controls continence, assists in sexual function, and contributes to your body’s overall stability.
The pelvic floor is part of your core canister, working with your diaphragm (the top), transverse abdominis (the corset-like abs around your midsection), and multifidi (muscles along your spine) to stabilize your body and manage internal pressure. This system helps you breathe, move, and even maintain healthy circulation through lymphatic drainage.
The Misconception: Tight Equals Strong
A common myth is that a tight pelvic floor is a strong one—but that’s not true. Just like any other muscle, your pelvic floor needs both the ability to contract and relax.
Doing endless Kegels only focuses on tightening, which can actually lead to dysfunction. Instead, you want your pelvic floor to move through its full range of motion:
Inhale: The pelvic floor lengthens and moves downward.
Exhale: The pelvic floor lifts and contracts upward.
A healthy pelvic floor isn’t rigid—it’s dynamic, flexible, and responsive.
Why Pressure Management Matters
Managing intra-abdominal pressure is key to maintaining pelvic floor health. Mismanagement of pressure can lead to issues like hernias, diastasis recti, prolapse, or hemorrhoids. During pregnancy, this becomes even more important as your growing baby adds additional load to your core system.
Here’s how pressure management works:
When you inhale, your diaphragm and pelvic floor move down, increasing pressure in your abdominal cavity.
When you exhale, they move up, decreasing that pressure and stabilizing your spine.
Learning how to coordinate your breath with your movement—especially during exercise—can reduce strain on your pelvic floor and prevent symptoms like heaviness or leaking.
Exercises to Prepare Your Pelvic Floor for Birth
Most people associate pelvic floor prep with wide-leg positions like deep squats or butterfly stretches. While these help stretch the front of the pelvic floor, they don’t address the back half, which often becomes tighter during pregnancy.
To create better balance, include internal hip rotation movements and hip shifts in your workouts. These positions help release the posterior (back) pelvic floor, particularly around the sacrum and tailbone.
Examples include:
All fours hip shifts
Standing hip shifts
Side-lying hip shifts
These movements not only prepare your pelvic floor for birth but can also ease common discomforts like tailbone pain, SI joint pain, or constipation.
Pelvic Floor Massage During Pregnancy
Gentle internal pelvic floor massage can also be beneficial for releasing tension, especially in the weeks leading up to birth. If your pregnancy is low-risk and you’ve been cleared for intercourse, you can use your fingers or a pelvic wand (like those from Intimate Rose or Frida Mom) to apply light pressure to areas that feel tight or tender.
If you prefer guidance, a pelvic floor physical therapist can help you safely learn these techniques and identify any areas of imbalance or restriction.
Protecting the Pelvic Floor During Pushing
When it’s time to push, your goal isn’t to “power through”—it’s to relax and release. The best pushing position is the one that allows you to let go and breathe.
For some, that’s upright—on hands and knees or squatting. For others, it might be side-lying or semi-reclined on the bed. What matters most is that your sacrum has room to move and you can fully relax into the position.
You can also protect your pelvic floor through your breathing:
Open-glottis pushing (exhaling as you push) encourages relaxation in your jaw—and therefore in your pelvic floor.
If holding your breath feels more natural, that’s okay too—just keep your face and jaw relaxed so the tension doesn’t transfer downward.
A great way to practice? Try using open-glottis pushing when you poop. Inhale to build pressure, then exhale slowly and steadily as you bear down.
Postpartum Recovery: Rebuilding from the Inside Out
After birth, your pelvic floor has done a tremendous amount of work and deserves gentle, intentional recovery. Start with breath-based movement:
Inhale to feel the pelvic floor expand.
Exhale to gently lift it back up.
Compression garments—like Bao Bei bloomers or Mama Strut (which may be covered by insurance)—can offer perineal support and light compression to promote healing in the first weeks.
Once cleared by your provider, gentle mobility and breathing-based exercises can help restore function. We also recommend starting with our free early postpartum recovery course, which focuses on breathwork, mobility, and light core activation.
The Takeaway
Pelvic floor prep isn’t about overtraining or clenching your muscles. It’s about creating balance—learning how to engage, relax, and move through your body with intention.
Key reminders:
Learn to manage pressure with your breath.
Train your pelvic floor to move, not just tighten.
Incorporate both open and closed hip positions.
Choose birth positions that feel safe and restorative.
Support recovery gently in the postpartum phase.
With the right awareness and preparation, you can approach birth with confidence—trusting your body, your breath, and your pelvic floor to work together as nature designed.
💪 Explore MamasteFit’s Pelvic Floor Birth Prep Programs
If you’re ready to take your preparation to the next level, MamasteFit offers:
Prenatal Strength Programs (app-based and on-demand)
Each is designed to help you feel strong, supported, and empowered throughout your pregnancy, birth, and recovery.
👉 Learn more HERE and use code STORY10 for 10% off online programs.
And check out Needed supplements for perinatal nutrition with code MAMASTEPOD for 20% off.
Prenatal Support 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!
- 9h+ of Video
- Support Group
- Close Captioning
- 5 Workouts/Week
- Gym Workouts
- Self-Paced
Instructor
GINA
Workout on-demand with our prenatal fitness workout videos! Each workout is 30-40 minutes to follow along as you exercise at the same time!
- Birth Prep
- All Trimesters
- Mobility Work
Instructor
GINA
Find comfort and relief from pelvic girdle pain throughout your pregnancy and postpartum period! This program incorporates myofascial sling focused exercises to stabilize across the pelvic girdle joints.
- 3 Weeks
- On Demand Workout Videos to Follow