Keeping Your Vagina Strong, Before and After Baby {Sponsored Post & Giveaway from The Velvet Box}

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Disclosure :: We are all moms and women here, so let’s be honest . . . . Our bodies aren’t getting any younger, and we would love to know how to maintain them the best we can. We are excited to share a local store (with three Fort Worth area locations), The Velvet Box, who has sponsored this post and can offer us products, classes, and advice about strengthening our lady parts!

Elizabeth Boatman, a board certified sexologist, answers all your questions about the hows, whys, wheres, and uh-ohs affecting the care of your lady parts, especially as it relates to effects from childbirth.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is like a funnel of muscles that holds all the organs in your lower abdomen up and in place. This includes your reproductive organs (ovaries, uterus, cervix, vagina, etc.) and other organs. The neck of the muscle funnel would be your vagina and rectum.

Family history/genes and getting older can weaken or affect these muscles just like the muscles in the rest of your body. However, carrying a child puts quite a strain on this area. Imagine one of those flexible silicone funnels (you know the one that is supposed to be used for cooking, but most of the time it is used to funnel the giant mess of glitter or other tiny art supply back into its tiny bottle) holding up a watermelon for 9 months. Then of course the watermelon must come out either through the neck of the funnel (vaginal birth), or by potentially cutting some of the supporting muscles of the funnel (C-section). This is very simplified, but you get the idea.

Why should you care?

The reason this is important is because weak pelvic floor muscles can cause incontinence, make labor more difficult, and decrease sexual pleasure. If you have been pregnant before, you probably already know that urinary incontinence (peeing on yourself) is just part of the deal, both during and after pregnancy.

Getting your muscles back into shape can not only help with the unexpected tinkles, but it will also increase blood flow into your pelvic floor. This speeds up tissue recovery, which is especially important for post episiotomy, hemorrhoid issues, and overall pelvic floor health. This return of healthy blood flow and increased muscle strength also makes pleasure nerve endings in and around your pelvic floor more sensitive and responsive. Basically, strong pelvic floor = stronger orgasms.

What should you do?

You should be doing your Kegel exercise daily. But lets be realistic, between diaper changes and stepping on Legos (I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy), you probably never remember to do those super important vagina squeezes. Well, Kegel balls are here to save the day! Once inserted into your vagina, these bad boys help squeeze and exercise that pelvic floor while you are searching for rogue goldfish and just being an awesome mom in general. It’s like a personal trainer for your vagina, and it’s amazing.

The Velvet Box carries a wonderful range of high quality products to help you train your pelvic muscles. One of my favorites is LUNA Beads because it is the only product like this that offers you the chance to mix and match weights in order to tailor your routine. It’s literally weight training for your vagina that you can continue to use throughout your life.

Velvet BoxAnother great product is the Mystim E-Stim Vibe. This product is made from super hygienic medical grade silicone; and it works in more ways than one. First and foremost, its two vibration motors are incredibly efficient at bringing fresh and healthy blood to the pelvic floor and vagina. A second function sends out pulses of electrical stimulation to aid in muscle contractions.If you are new to electro-stimulation, I highly encourage you to check this product out in the store first so you can feel it in your hands before purchasing. Trust me, it’s totally different (in a crazy, cool way) than a regular vibe.

You can order these products online or visit The Velvet Box at one of its three Fort Worth locations, and let the friendly and knowledgeable staff help you find something that works best for you. Velvet Box always offers an array of relationship classes free to the community. Check out our schedule here!

Want to try out some of these amazing products or attend a class – well here is your chance! Win a $50 gift card to The Velvet Box (to be used at any of their 3 Fort Worth area locations)!

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beth boatmanBeth Boatman is a dedicated professional with a master’s degree in human sexuality education and is a board certified sexologist. Her passion is to enlighten and educate adults about all things sexuality related in order to enhance lives and intimate relationships. She is the resident sexpert and teacher for The Velvet Box and its classes. The Velvet Box is an upscale retail experience that features quality lingerie, including plus sizes, educational books and games, bachelorette party gifts, edible lotions, novelties, and specialty toys. Connect with the Velvet Box on Facebook and Twitter.

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