Exercise is one of the best ways to prepare your body for labor. Maintaining an active lifestyle will help your body adjust to stress more easily and make the labor process run more smoothly.
Walking can help induce or progress early labor, while squats can help maintain optimal birthing positions. Butterfly stretch and Kegel exercises can be helpful for activating pelvic floor muscles.
Walking
Walking is an ideal form of exercise for pregnant women. It strengthens pelvic muscles and encourages your baby into an optimal position for birthing, relieving back pain caused by certain pregnancies if your fetus is “malpositioned”, making optimal birthing difficult to attain.
Though walking alone won’t initiate labor, it does promote cervical ripening by stimulating the release of prostaglandins that soften and thin the cervix for delivery, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When combined with other activities like squats or pelvic rocking exercises like Butterfly Stretch and Squats it may speed up active labor’s onset.
At early labor stages, it’s essential not to overexert yourself by walking too much or for too long. A doula may suggest resting by lying in bed with two pillows underneath your hips and between your knees for support if needed. Avoiding overexertion during this phase may help ensure you can continue active labor stages like pushing stage more easily as well as ease back pain associated with certain obstetrical emergencies.
Swimming
Pregnancy places a lot of strain on women’s bodies, including back, abdomen, pelvic floor and legs. Exercise can strengthen key muscles that may ease labor pains during delivery – however it’s essential that pregnant women consult their healthcare provider as to which forms of physical activity are safe and start any new exercise programs only after receiving approval from an OB/GYN.
Swimming is a low-impact exercise that can help ease aches and pains during gestation. Not only is it an enjoyable way to stay physically active, it can be done both in water or on land depending on your comfort level.
Swimming can also help your body prepare for labor. Swimming helps build strength and endurance, with buoyancy providing relief from swollen joints. Furthermore, it relaxes both body and mind while producing endorphins which may ease labor pains as well as strengthening muscles to assist during pushing during labor.
Butterfly Stretch
Many pregnant women experience lower back pain from tight lower spine and weak core muscles, and butterfly stretching is an effective way to open up pelvis and relieve pressure off back muscles.
Position A targets the adductor muscle group (gracilis, obturator externus and adductor magnus). It reduces tightness in Hips and Low Back as well as improving posture and flexibility of Knees and Inner Thighs. Kegel exercises are recommended during pregnancy as they strengthen pelvic floor muscles to facilitate easier labor and delivery.
If this exercise causes any pain, try sitting against a wall to support and keep the spine in an ideal position or place a rolled blanket or bolster under your knees for extra support. If this doesn’t help, consult a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Squats
Childbirth requires strengthening your core, including hip, abdominal and pelvic floor muscles – which play a critical role in labor’s muscle contractions that help your baby come out. Strengthening these muscles through exercises such as the gluteal muscles is invaluable.
One such exercise is squatting, which can be performed with or without weights. According to the American Pregnancy Association, this activity can increase pelvic outlet opening by 10%; making it easier for your baby to move through the birth canal during labor.
Be sure to consult with your physician prior to beginning any of these exercises to make sure they are safe for both you and your baby. Also remember to include these four simple exercises into your routine throughout the third trimester so you’re prepared when your due date arrives!
Wall Slides
Birth can be one of the biggest events of life; therefore it’s wise to come prepared. Whether your goal is natural childbirth or to use pain-relief medication during labor, these four exercises will get your body ready.
Wall slides are my go-to exercise at the gym; they’re an effective way of increasing shoulder mobility and helping maintain good posture. More specifically, they work on protraction and retraction – movement of the shoulder blade forward and backward – an important motion for avoiding injuries and maintaining good posture.
To perform this exercise, stand with your back against a wall and feet shoulder-width apart about six inches away from it. Relax your arms at your sides as you slowly slide them up the wall until shoulder height and your hands touch back onto it, returning slowly back down until they touch back into their original starting positions. Repeat this exercise as desired until desired reps have been met; check in periodically during this exercise to make sure your shoulders stay flat against the wall and perfect your form as desired.
