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Pelvic floor exercises after giving birth: when to start and how

Updated 23 October 2026. Based on NHS and Prostate Cancer UK guidance.

Pregnancy and birth put a lot of strain on the pelvic floor. Leaking a little when you cough, sneeze, laugh or pick up your baby is common in the weeks after birth. For most women, regular pelvic floor exercises help, and they're worth doing however you gave birth.

This guide covers when to start, how to do the exercises, and the signs that mean you should get checked.

Why the pelvic floor needs attention after birth

The pelvic floor is a sling of muscle between your pubic bone and tailbone. It holds up your bladder, womb and bowel, and keeps you from leaking. During pregnancy it carries the extra weight of your baby, and a vaginal birth stretches it a long way. A caesarean doesn't avoid this completely, because pregnancy itself weakens the muscles.

Weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to leaking urine or wind, less control over your bowels, and a feeling of heaviness in the vagina. Exercises help the muscles recover and can stop problems getting worse later in life.

When you can start

You can usually start gentle pelvic floor exercises soon after giving birth, as soon as it feels comfortable.

• If you had a catheter, wait until it has been removed.
• If you have stitches or a sore perineum, start with very gentle squeezes and stop if anything hurts.
• After a caesarean, you can still do pelvic floor exercises. Take it slowly while your wound heals.

At first you may barely feel anything happening. That's normal straight after birth, and the feeling usually comes back as the muscles recover.

How to find the right muscles

Lie on your back or side with your knees bent, or sit leaning slightly forward. Then:

1. Imagine you are trying to stop yourself passing wind, and at the same time trying to stop your flow of urine.
2. Squeeze and lift those muscles up and in. You should feel your vagina and back passage draw upwards.
3. Let go and feel the muscles relax.

Don't practise by actually stopping your wee midstream. It's fine to try once to find the muscles, but doing it regularly can stop your bladder emptying properly.

A routine to build up to

Slow squeezes

1. Squeeze and lift your pelvic floor.
2. Hold for as long as you can, up to 10 seconds. In the first weeks after birth, 2 or 3 seconds is a good start.
3. Relax fully for the same amount of time.
4. Repeat up to 10 times.

Quick squeezes

1. Squeeze and lift quickly, then let go straight away.
2. Repeat up to 10 times.

Aim for a set of each 3 times a day. Linking them to something you already do, like feeds, brushing your teeth or after you've been to the toilet, makes them easier to remember. As you get stronger, do them sitting and standing as well as lying down, and hold the slow squeezes for longer.

Squeeze before you lift

Get into the habit of tightening your pelvic floor just before you cough, sneeze, laugh, or lift your baby, the car seat or the pushchair. It braces the muscles for the extra pressure and can stop a lot of small leaks.

How long it takes

You may notice a difference within a few weeks, but it often takes around 3 months of daily exercise for the muscles to get properly stronger. Keep going after that. A few sets a day keeps the benefit, and it helps in later pregnancies and around the menopause too.

Getting back to exercise

Walking and gentle exercise are usually fine soon after birth. High-impact exercise like running, jumping and HIIT puts much more load on the pelvic floor. A widely used UK guideline for physiotherapists suggests waiting until at least 12 weeks after birth before running, and only returning if you have no leaking, heaviness or pain. If you're unsure, a pelvic health physiotherapist can assess you.

What's normal and when to get help

Some leaking in the first few weeks is common. Mention any problems at your postnatal check, which usually happens 6 to 8 weeks after birth. Speak to your GP if:

• you're still leaking urine around 3 months after birth
• you can't control wind or your bowels, or you leak poo
• you feel heaviness or dragging in your vagina, or notice a bulge, which can be signs of prolapse
• sex is still painful after you've healed

Your GP can refer you to a pelvic health physiotherapist. In some areas you can refer yourself. These problems are common and treatable, so there's no need to put up with them. The NHS has more on your body after pregnancy, urinary incontinence and the symptoms of prolapse.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have symptoms that worry you, or they don't improve, speak to your GP or a pelvic health physiotherapist.