Pelvic floor exercises are an important post-pregnancy activity, but should also be viewed as a life-long skill, according to one woman who has benefited from doing them.

Christine, a 28-year-old mum-of-two, admitted that she did not bother to attend a pelvic floor clinic to reduce her risk of female incontinence after giving birth as she "felt too busy".

However, she told the MadeForMums website that six months after the birth, she was suffering from urinary incontinence.

"So I went to the clinic and learnt how to do the exercises," she revealed.

"Even though I'm now fine, I still do them daily. Pelvic floor training is for life, not just for pregnancy."

Stress incontinence is a common occurrence after pregnancy, as the urethra - the tube leading from the bladder - may become weakened due to nerve damage.

For this reason, women are often advised to perform pelvic floor muscle training to strengthen the muscles used to control the flow of urine.

Typically, NHS experts recommend performing a minimum of eight muscle contractions at least three times a day for a minimum of three months to reduce the risk of female incontinence.