Probably one of the most important

Probably one of the most important parts of the body to stretch and release in preparation for birth is the pelvic floor. This is an area of the body that undergoes significant change in pregnancy and birth, yet it gets little atten-tion. If anything is shared with women about the pelvic floor it is limited to “do your Kegels.” While this is better than nothing, it certainly does not address the needs of the pelvic floor during pregnancy and birth or as a busy mom. Kegels can play a role in pelvic-floor wellness, but they are not for everyone. Many people actually need to focus on the relaxation portion or the letting go portion of a Kegel as opposed to the contraction portion. Down training is a term often applied to learning how to relax the pelvic floor, which can be accomplished through visualization, stretching the sur-rounding muscles, myofascial release work, and perineal massage.