Lactation and Your Pelvic Floor

Does lactation affect your pelvic floor? HECK. YES.

Do you recommend breastfeeding if I am able? YUP.

Will lactation hurt my pelvic floor? NO!

I want to talk about lactation and your pelvic floor in three different areas.

The first is in relation to your abdominal canister . This is the interface and load transfer between your back, belly, diaphragm, rib cage and pelvic floor. While feeding your baby, you’ll have the option of a variety of positions. If you are having issues of pelvic pain, heaviness, urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, you’ll want to work on finding positions that put less stress on these areas. Support for your back, baby and arms will be helpful and necessary. Your lactation consult or pelvic floor therapist can help you come up with a variety of positions so you can alternate and be comfortable feeding your baby.

Lactation doesn’t directly affect your pelvic floor muscles but the process of birth can leave you with issues such as urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Lactation can affect those! Pelvic Floor Therapist can help with these things but breastfeeding does impact these issues in a short term manner. Lactation can cause a temporary decrease in estrogen which can exacerbate urinary incontinence. Pelvic organ prolapse may also feel more significant while nursing but no longer term effects compared to women who did not nurse.

Lactation has a huge effect on your hormones. Relaxin is released in the body during pregnancy to prepare the pelvis for delivery. It stays in the system while lactating, making all the ligaments more lax than usual. This can cause a continuation of pelvic or back pain after delivery. Estrogen is also increased during pregnancy and then decreases postpartum and with breastfeeding which can lead to vaginal dryness, lack of a period and decreased libido.

Practically Perfect Recommendations:

• Find a lactation consultant and do a consultation before you have your baby. Work with them once you deliver and anytime a problem pops up. They are a wealth of knowledge about lactation over time, pumping schedules, your baby’s nutrition and weaning!
• Prepare for postbaby sex: have lube ready, discuss your boob boundaries with your spouse and time your activities to have breasts that are more empty than full. Talk to your pelvic floor therapist about realistic expectations and other strategies specific to you. 
• Pay attention to your posture. Don’t let nursing cause neck, shoulder, wrist or back pain!
• Use your time wisely. Learn a pelvic floor strengthening program and do it during 1 – 2 of your nursing sessions per day!
• Find a pelvic floor therapist if you need one. You may only need a visit or two, but it can be so helpful!

A little side note, there is never judgement on how you feed your baby. If you were unable to or chose not to breastfeed, or pumped and then bottle fed, that is OK too. FED is best, no matter how! But for those lactating parents, I hope this helps!

Perfectly Yours,

Mora