How Toilet Posture Affects Your Pelvic Floor and Postpartum Health
Should You Use a Squatty Potty? How Toilet Posture Affects Your Pelvic Floor and Postpartum Health
The Squatty Potty, a small stool designed to elevate your feet while you use the toilet, has become a popular tool for improving bowel movements and reducing straining. Many Calgary doctors and pelvic floor physiotherapists often encourage education how proper toilet posture can support both bowel function and pelvic recovery, particularly after childbirth.
Understanding how your body is designed to eliminate waste is the first step toward better pelvic health. Humans are naturally built to squat during bowel movements. When sitting on a modern toilet, the angle between the rectum and the anal canal becomes slightly kinked, requiring extra pressure to push stool through. Using a Squatty Potty or footstool mimics a squatting position by raising the knees above the hips, which straightens that angle and allows stool to pass more easily.
What Is a Squatty Potty and How It Works
A Squatty Potty is a simple, ergonomic footstool that sits at the base of your toilet. When you place your feet on it, your body shifts into a semi-squatting position. This position opens the anorectal angle, relaxes the puborectalis muscle, and reduces the need for straining. Research shows that squatting can lead to faster, more complete bowel emptying and decreased pressure on pelvic tissues.
Chronic straining can contribute to hemorrhoids, anal fissures, and even pelvic organ prolapse over time. The Squatty Potty helps you maintain a more natural posture that protects your pelvic floor and encourages healthier elimination habits.
Here is a short video on the squatty potty:
Benefits for the Pelvic Floor
For people struggling with constipation or pelvic floor dysfunction, proper toilet posture can make a significant difference. The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, uterus, and rectum, and when these muscles are under chronic pressure from straining, they can weaken or become tense. Both weakness and tension can lead to symptoms such as urinary incontinence, incomplete bowel emptying, or pelvic pain.
By reducing the need to bear down, a Squatty Potty helps maintain the integrity of these muscles. It can also be beneficial for people with pelvic organ prolapse, where the bladder, uterus, or rectum drop lower into the vaginal canal. The less pressure you put on the pelvic floor during bowel movements, the better you protect these organs and the connective tissues that hold them in place.
Maud Medical Calgary pelvic floor physiotherapists often teach patients techniques to coordinate breathing and pelvic floor relaxation during toileting. Adding a Squatty Potty can complement this work by supporting the natural alignment of the pelvis and rectum, making bowel movements easier and more comfortable.
The Squatty Potty and Postpartum Recovery
After childbirth, many people experience constipation, pain, and fear around their first bowel movements. This can happen due to hormonal changes, reduced mobility, pelvic floor trauma, or the side effects of pain medication. For those who have had a vaginal delivery, stitches or perineal tears can make it uncomfortable to push. For those recovering from a C-section, abdominal tenderness may make bearing down painful.
Using a Squatty Potty can make the process gentler. By positioning your body to allow stool to pass with minimal effort and allowing the anal canal to be straight, you reduce strain on healing tissues and support your recovery. It encourages the muscles to relax rather than tense up, which can help prevent worsening pain or pelvic dysfunction.
In the postpartum period, the bowels can feel sluggish, and stool softeners, hydration, and dietary fiber are often recommended. Pairing these with proper toilet posture offers even more relief. For new mothers who feel anxious about bowel movements, this small tool can make an enormous difference in comfort and confidence.
When to Use Caution
While the Squatty Potty is safe for most people, there are a few cases where extra care is needed. If you’ve had a recent C-section, episiotomy, or other surgical incision, talk to your doctor or pelvic floor physiotherapist before using one. They can guide you on when it’s appropriate to begin using the squatty potty and how to ease into the posture.
Some people may experience temporary discomfort as their muscles adjust to the new position. It’s best to start gradually use the stool for short periods or adjust its height until you find what feels most natural.
If bowel movements remain difficult even after improving posture, it may be a sign of underlying pelvic floor dysfunction, rectocele, or another condition that requires assessment by a healthcare provider.
Other Healthy Bowel Habits
Proper toilet posture is only one piece of the puzzle. To keep your digestive and pelvic systems in harmony, consider these additional steps.
Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water each day to keep stool soft.
Eat a balanced diet rich in fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Avoid delaying bowel movements, as waiting can make stool harder and more difficult to pass.
Engage in gentle physical activity, such as walking or yoga, to stimulate gut motility.
Practice diaphragmatic breathing and pelvic floor relaxation exercises to reduce tension.
Schedule time for yourself in the restroom without rushing. A calm environment supports the natural elimination reflex.
These small habits can work together with your Squatty Potty routine to promote smooth, comfortable, and strain-free bowel movements.
When to See a Doctor or Physiotherapist
If constipation, pain, or straining persist despite using a Squatty Potty and following healthy bowel habits, it’s important to seek medical guidance. Chronic constipation can sometimes indicate more serious conditions, such as pelvic floor dyssynergia, irritable bowel syndrome, or hormonal imbalances.
At Maud Medical Clinic in Calgary, our multidisciplinary team of doctors, pelvic floor physiotherapists, and nutritionists collaborate to uncover the root cause of bowel and pelvic concerns. Whether it’s dietary, muscular, or structural, the team provides personalized solutions to restore comfort and function.
Pelvic floor physiotherapy can be particularly effective in retraining the muscles involved in defecation. Through gentle manual therapy, relaxation training, and coordination exercises, physiotherapists can help you learn to release your pelvic muscles properly during bowel movements.
Pelvic organ prolapse is a common but often overlooked postpartum condition that can make bowel movements uncomfortable or difficult. It happens when weakened pelvic floor muscles allow one or more organs like the bladder, uterus, or rectum to shift downward into the vaginal canal. When the rectum bulges into the vaginal wall, it’s called a rectocele, which may cause a sensation of pressure or fullness and make it harder to fully empty the bowels. Some women find themselves needing to press on the vaginal wall or perineum to help pass stool. Supporting pelvic floor recovery through proper toileting posture, gentle pelvic floor exercises, and guidance from a pelvic floor physiotherapist at Maud Medical Clinic can help relieve symptoms and promote long-term pelvic health.
Empowering Postpartum Recovery
For postpartum individuals, caring for bowel health is an essential part of overall recovery. Constipation and straining can delay healing and contribute to long-term pelvic issues if ignored. By using a Squatty Potty, staying hydrated, and practicing pelvic awareness, you support your body’s natural ability to heal after childbirth.
At Maud Medical Clinic, we empower women to take proactive steps toward recovery and wellness. Our clinic provides education, personalized care, and evidence-based treatments that help you feel stronger and more in control of your body. Every postpartum journey is unique, and compassionate care can make all the difference.
Using a Squatty Potty is a simple, low-cost change that can make a big difference in your digestive and pelvic health. It promotes easier bowel movements, reduces strain, and supports recovery after childbirth. Combined with a balanced diet, hydration, and pelvic floor physiotherapy, it can be an invaluable part of your self-care routine.
If you’re in Calgary and struggling with constipation, pelvic discomfort, or postpartum recovery challenges, the physicians and physiotherapists at Maud Medical Clinic can help you find lasting solutions. Empower yourself to care for your pelvic health starting with something as simple as how you sit.
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Disclaimer: consult a professional first before using the squatty potty.
Maud Medical Clinic is not sponsored by Squatty Potty.
