Climbing and the Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy

There is a lack of conversation when it comes to pelvic health, especially during pregnancy. We talk a lot about hormonal changes, emotional changes, societal changes, and talk surrounding the baby itself but not a whole lotta talk surrounding mother’s physical health and recovery. For instance, did you know that incontinence (leaking) during recovery is a normal thing even for the most athletic? That recovery could last longer than 8 weeks for some?

For those of us who are so used to being and feeling so active, experiencing symptoms of weak pelvic health such as leaking and prolapse can lead to feelings of such shame and panic. When we don’t know about things, or we don’t hear about things, there tends to be more fear around it.

A common narrative I saw in my own research is “why did no body tell me, why does no body teach you this?” as this is something that isn’t commonly discussed until something doesn’t feel right. So hopefully I can shed some light for you and start that discussion.

What the pelvic floor is and what it does

The pelvic floor is the band of muscles that spans across the bottom of your abdomen, from your tailbone to your pubic bone. These muscles support your uterus, bladder and bowel like a hammock. The pelvic floor muscles also help stabilize your spine and are really important in performing these 4 main functions:

• Helps keep pelvic joints stable (SI joint and Pubic joint)

• Supports pelvic organs to prevent prolapse

• Sexual function

• Control of our bladder and bowels

Weak pelvic floor muscles leads to leaking and not being able to control when moving or exercising.

• As an athlete, if you are having incontinence issues and leaking during exercise, you are 9x more likely to leak later in life, if left unchanged, it could get worse over time

Importance of the Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy

A well-functioning pelvic floor go way beyond better sex and bladder control. Pelvic Floor Muscles work really hard during pregnancy and is known to weaken up to 25% due to pregnancy itself. Not only do your pelvic floor muscles support your growing baby during your pregnancy, they stretch during labor potentially making them weaker and may not work as well as they did before your baby was born.

Exercising these muscles before becoming pregnant and during pregnancy can decrease the damage done to the muscles by the every growing human inside you, decrease the risk of injury during a vaginal birth and speed up recovery afterwards. Not to mention, a strong pelvic floor can also make sex more enjoyable! *wink wink

For us climbers, the masochists that we are, after we pop that bad boy (or girl) out, we want to hop back on that wall and get back at it which will require good pelvic floor strength and most importantly sufficient rest to recover.

So, if you’re planning on climbing and/or chasing after the kids, or even if you’re prone to having that little tickle in your nose lead to hiroshima, pelvic floor strength is going to be your friend.

What happens if your Pelvic Floor Weakens

Muscles of the pelvic floor are put under A LOT of stress (strain and stretch) during pregnancy to support the weight of the growing baby and birth, regardless of how you deliver. They are also softened by the effects of pregnancy hormones. Should you have weak pelvic floor muscles, there is a chance of pelvic organ prolapse − where organs in the pelvis bulge into the vagina, causing discomfort and pain.

Some pelvic floor changes experienced during pregnancy include which may have a negative impact on a woman's daily life include:

• Urinary Incontinence (a common occurrence affecting 26-70% of pregnant women)

• Anal incontinence

• Pelvic organ prolapse

• Sexual activity status

Climbing and the Pelvic Floor

Our pelvic floor provides essential stability while climbing which is what it is meant to do, but when those muscles either begin working over time or begin slacking off, dysfunction arises. Pelvic floor muscle function is crucial to climbing performance and one wouldn't be able to generate proper core tension without it. The pelvic floor works in the system that is our ‘core’. No muscle works in isolation so when abdominal muscles, low back muscles, and hip muscles are activated, the pelvic floor muscles are also activated.

• Think of the quick tightening when your foot slips: pelvic floor activating.

• Think of engaging your sit bones with a heel hook: pelvic floor activating.

• Think about the quick burst of tension on a dynamic move: pelvic floor activating.

If you were climbing before becoming pregnant, continuing to climb is not only great for strengthening the pelvic floor, but could actually be very beneficial while pregnant to stay strong and to help strengthen core muscles that actually help pop a baby out! In fact, many climbers actually feel stronger than ever returning postpartum when having climbed through pregnancy because it is essentially climbing with a 20-40lb weighted vest! Talk about weight training! Being conscious of pelvic floor strengthening while climbing during pregnancy will help in the recovery post partum.

Of course, it is important to ask your doctor, especially if you have a high risk pregnancy or have a medical history. I am not a medical professional and am speaking based off my experience as a low risk 35 year old mama to be.

How are we managing the pressure we are sending down to the pelvic floor while climbing?

• Focus on the breathing – Exhaling when exerting is a good way to distribute pressure that is increasing during the movement (also helpful for daily activities like going to the bathroom!)

• Exhale on exertion: when exerting, there is an increase in pressure of the intra-abdominal cavity and if the abdomen or pelvic floor are weak due to pregnancy or after child birth, those regions will be most susceptible to excess pressure and potential dysfunction like incontinence (leaking) or diastasis recti. Exhaling during big exertions while climbing (dyno, heel hook, etc.) can help eliminate that extra intra abdominal pressure which not only protects the pelvic floor but strengthens against coning of the abdominals

Other Exercises to Strengthen the Pelvic Floor during Pregnancy

• Kegels - Most well known exercise. Perform Kegels for one minute.

  • Contrary to popular believe, Imagine and Squeezing and lifting the anus (back passage)– holding wind as an exercise cue, rather than holding in a pee. Avoid holding your breath

• Monster walk - Put a resistance band around your knees, engage your abs, relax your pelvic floor, and lower into a squat position. Hold this squat, keep torso vertical (no sideways tilt or lean), and take five steps to the left. Then, stay low and take five steps to the right. Repeat five times in each direction.

• Hanging Leg Raises - Hanging on a pull up bar, engage your scapula to protect your shoulders. Using your breath, as you exhale, draw in your abdominals bringing your naval to your spine as you statically pull your knees parallel with your hips. If you are unsure where parallel is, don’t worry, your every growing belly will tell you. Be conscious of engaging your full core to avoid coning - occurs when abdominal pressure is not being evenly distributed through your midsection causing your centerline to peak

  • Modifications

    • Hanging Leg Raises but only raising one leg at a time

    • Floor Leg Raises - The further along you are, the more prone you are to coning so these leg lifts will be done on all fours. Engage the tummy, hugging the baby, lift the right knee off the ground, kick the leg back fully in line with the body, hold, pull back in towards the body, hover and lower the knee to the ground. Switch legs.

• Squat Combo - Holding a fixed object, such as a post or a sturdy chair, stand with your feet farther than hip-width apart.

  • Lower your body into a deep squat, keeping your weight over your heels. (If your heels do not touch the floor, place a towel under them.) Do a Kegel then draw your abs in as you exhale. Repeat combo five times.

• Belly Breathing - Sit with your legs crossed and lower back supported, hands on your belly.

  • Keeping your back and shoulders still, slowly inhale through your nose as you expand your belly. As you exhale through your mouth, draw in your abdominals, bringing your navel toward your spine like giving your baby a big hug.