Pelvic floor health is not something most people think about until it’s an urgent need. Especially for pregnant and postpartum women, the pelvic floor plays an essential role in supporting your body as it undergoes significant changes. Whether you’re preparing for childbirth or recovering after delivery, taking care of your pelvic floor ensures you continue living your normal life in comfort. One simple but effective technique in strengthening your pelvic floor could be diaphragmatic breathing.
What is the pelvic floor & why is it important?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues that form a hammock-like structure within your pelvis. As you can imagine, many people who are pregnant, seeking to become pregnant, or who have given birth often focus on pelvic health due to the many and dramatic changes that occur during pregnancy and childbirth. When it’s fully functional, the pelvic floor works to:
- Support internal organs like the bladder, uterus, and rectum
- Control bladder and bowel function, helping regulate urination and bowel movements
- Provide stability to the spine and pelvis for better posture and movement
- Facilitate childbirth by assisting in pushing during labor
When your pelvic floor is healthy, these muscles contract and relax effortlessly, providing proper support to your body and organs. Unfortunately, pregnancy, childbirth, hormonal changes, or even aging can weaken these muscles. Symptoms of a weak pelvic floor include:
- Urinary leaks or incontinence
- Pain during sex
- Pelvic pressure or pain
- Difficulty emptying the bladder or bowels
But here’s the good news—strengthening and relaxing the pelvic floor is possible, and diaphragmatic breathing can be a powerful part of that process.
The importance of the diaphragm for pelvic floor health
Also known as abdominal or deep breathing, diaphragmatic breathing helps the pelvic floor by encouraging muscle coordination and relaxation deep within the internal parts of your abdomen. But since the diaphragm isn’t part of the pelvic floor muscles you may already know about, how does it help?
Your diaphragm is the primary muscle responsible for breathing, located directly beneath the lungs. So although the pelvic floor is relatively far below the diaphragm, it’s affected whenever you take a deep breath: your lungs expand as your diaphragm stretches downward, gently expanding into the space held by your pelvic floor, then returning when you exhale.
This natural movement creates harmony between the diaphragm and pelvic floor, allowing these muscles to work together efficiently. However, stress, improper breathing patterns, or pregnancy changes can disrupt this connection, leading to tension or dysfunction in the pelvic floor muscles as well as altered breathing habits that you may not even be aware of.
Pelvic diaphragm breathing helps restore that connection. This breathing technique encourages the pelvic floor to relax and lengthen during each inhale and return to baseline when you exhale—essential actions for both functional muscle flexibility and strength.
It’s worth noting, however, that diaphragmatic breathing isn’t a magic solution for pelvic floor symptoms. While it can be helpful on its own for people who have highly specific breathing concerns, a well-rounded pelvic floor care plan is often more beneficial, which may include strength training, physical therapy, and mindfulness strategies.
Pelvic diaphragm breathing benefits
Learning and practicing diaphragmatic breathing offers a wide range of benefits, many of which directly enhance pelvic health.
1. Relaxation for stressed or tight muscles
Chronic stress can affect muscles throughout your body, including the pelvic floor, causing them to be unnaturally tight or tense. Diaphragmatic breathing promotes muscle relaxation, which can ease discomfort, reduce pressure, and improve overall flexibility throughout the pelvic floor and abdomen.
2. Improved core coordination
Deep breathing engages your core in a gentle, coordinated way, improving the relationship between your pelvic floor, diaphragm, and abdominal muscles. This improved muscle synergy helps support better movement and posture.
3. Enhanced nervous system regulation
Breathing techniques for pelvic health like diaphragmatic breathing activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This promotes a “rest and digest” state, relieving stress and reducing high muscle tone, which is often linked to pain and dysfunction in the pelvic floor muscles.
4. Better mind-body connection
Practicing diaphragmatic breathing helps you develop awareness of your pelvic floor—how it feels when it’s relaxing or contracting. This is especially useful during pregnancy, where the ability to relax the pelvic floor can support labor and delivery.
5. Meditative benefits
Beyond physical health, diaphragmatic breathing can help calm your mind. It’s a meditative practice that can lead to reduced anxiety and a more positive relationship with your body.
Is diaphragmatic breathing right for you?
While diaphragmatic breathing offers significant benefits, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Here’s what you need to consider before starting this practice:
1. Understand its limits
Diaphragmatic breathing is a great tool, but it’s not a cure-all for pelvic floor symptoms. If you’re dealing with severe incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, or severe pelvic pain, additional interventions or medical treatment may also be necessary.
2. Comprehensive care is key
Every body is different. While diaphragmatic breathing can be helpful, working with a pelvic floor specialist ensures you get a personalized assessment and care plan tailored to your unique needs.
3. Effectiveness of your technique
Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine whether you’re doing diaphragmatic breathing correctly on your own, especially because the results aren’t usually visible or obvious. A physical therapist or qualified practitioner can help guide you through the proper technique for diaphragmatic breathing and other pelvic floor exercises to make sure you’re practicing effectively and safely.
Pelvic floor strengthening and relaxation near you
Diaphragmatic breathing is an excellent starting point for supporting pelvic health, but it works best as part of a personalized, comprehensive plan that considers your entire health rather than just a symptom or two. At Carolina Strong, we’re proud to support women throughout pregnancy and childbirth with natural, gentle, and sustainable exercise plans to strengthen the pelvic floor and prepare them for the drastic changes their bodies might be going through.
Learn more about how we handle pre- and postpartum physical therapy by calling one of our nearby clinic locations today.
