During pregnancy, the pelvic floor primarily functions to support the internal organs and to keep the birth canal closed.
During childbirth, however, it is required to perform the exact opposite task: the pelvic floor must relax completely and stretch to up to two and a half times its original size to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal.
Women with experience in pelvic floor training are often better able to activate and release their pelvic floor muscles. In addition, a trained pelvic floor is also a more elastic pelvic floor. If the pelvic floor is not sufficiently stretchable, this can lead to birth injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments. The consequences can include pain and impaired pelvic floor function.
