Vagina loose after birth? Tips on how to tighten it
Your body changes dramatically during pregnancy, and the changes don’t stop there. Once you’ve given birth, it’s only natural to wonder if your vagina will have changed and if it will ever be the same again.
Unsurprisingly, the vagina does change after giving birth. You may find it feels wider, dry, or sore for some time - which is understandable. But, in most cases, these changes aren’t permanent, and your vagina will eventually return to its former self.
Vagina loose after giving birth
It’s natural for the vagina to change after giving birth. After all, the muscles have stretched significantly to let the baby pass through the birth canal and out into the world. So, if things feel looser down there, that’s totally normal.
The vagina might feel looser, softer, and more open. It may also feel bruised or swollen.
The amount of vaginal stretching that happens during childbirth will depend on a number of factors, including:
- The size of the baby
- Genetics
- How long you push for during delivery
- How many children you’ve had
- Whether or not you did pelvic floor exercises in preparation for the birth
Some new mums also notice that their vagina feels drier than usual after giving birth. If this is the case, a water-based lubricant can help!
How long does it take for the vagina to heal after birth?
No pregnancy or birthing experience is the same and, likewise, everyone’s postpartum recovery is different.
The good news is, your vagina is elastic - it can stretch to accommodate your baby, and it won’t take long for it to return to its previous shape. While the vagina may temporarily become looser, the muscles have the ability to expand and retract.
As a general rule, most women feel recovered within around 6 to 8 weeks. However, the process can be a lot quicker or take a lot longer.
If you’ve had multiple children, your vaginal muscles are more likely to lose some of their elasticity.
Tips on how to tighten your vagina after giving birth
As we’ve discussed, it’s totally normal for your vagina to become looser after giving birth. If you’re uncomfortable with this and want to help tighten it again, there are several ways to help strengthen your vaginal floor muscles.
Pelvic floor exercises
Pelvic floor exercises can help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and tone the vaginal muscles. These muscles help support the bladder, rectum, small intestine and uterus, so exercising them will help your vagina feel firmer. This can also help prevent incontinence, which is also incredibly common after giving birth.
Also known as Kegels, follow these steps to exercise your pelvic floor muscles:
Firstly, to identify the correct muscles, try to stop your urine midstream. When the flow stops, make a mental note of which muscles have moved in what ways – these are your pelvic floor muscles. Finish urinating.
Now you know which muscles you need to work, you can do these exercises anywhere – although you should only do this with an empty bladder.
- Exhale gently
- Draw in your lower abdominal muscles
- Squeeze the muscles around the urethra (in the same way as when you stopped urinating)
- Lift or squeeze the muscles around the vagina
- Hold for 1-2 seconds
- Relax these muscles
Repeat these Kegel exercises 10 times, 4 to 6 times a day.
Yoga
As well as providing some much-needed relaxation, yoga can also help tighten your vagina after childbirth. Make sure your routine includes poses that target the pelvic floor, such as:
- Happy baby
- Warrior II
- Locust
- Tree
- Chair
- Triangle
- Bridge
- Garland
- Cat-cow
There are plenty of yoga classes dedicated to new mums, both online and in-person.
Lubricant
As well as feeling looser, you’ll probably find that your vagina feels drier than usual after childbirth. This is because the oestrogen levels in your body drop, particularly if you’re breastfeeding.
When you start having sex again, if you find vaginal dryness is causing you problems, a lubricant can alleviate symptoms. We supply a range of water-based lubricants that can help with this!
