No matter how many children a woman has delivered, and whether the pregnancy was a complete surprise or you’ve been planning for what feels like forever, the idea of going into labor is almost always one that incites a little anxiety.
Labor is painful; no one’s going to lie and say that it’s not. On the bright side, there are a few ways to make sure your body is as prepared as possible for giving birth. One of the best is exercise.
Preparing For Vaginal Delivery: 4 Exercises To Get Your Pelvic Muscles Ready
Think about the exercises we’re about to discuss more like stretches; they’re all designed to loosen your pelvic muscles.
Your pelvis is the lower part of your trunk, between your belly and the top of your legs. During delivery, babies pass through what’s called the birth canal, basically a conduit between the uterus and the outside of your vagina, and in the process pass through the bony pelvis, a structure that supports your lower body. Prior to labor, two hormones, relaxin and progesterone, which surge to a peak around 36 weeks, loosen ligaments around your pelvis, preparing your body for the baby’s passage. Here’s how you can help the process along yourself, even before your water breaks.
Check with your doctor, midwife or OB / GYN before trying any of these exercises. Some women may need to limit their activities.
1. Tailor Sitting
Sit on the floor with good posture: back straight, with your pelvis tilted slightly forward. This alone can do a lot. Sitting correctly while you’re carrying 20 pounds in your belly works to strengthen the core.
If it’s too hard to sit up straight, try using a wall to support your back.
Put the bottoms of your feet together and drop your knees out to the sides and let them fall to where it’s comfortable. Now press your knees down to the floor gently and feel the stretch. You want to be stretching muscles in your inner thighs. Hold your knees down for ten to fifteen seconds, and then repeat. Do this slowly and gently, about five or ten times.
2. Pelvic Rocks Or Tilts
First, get down on your hands and knees. Use a yoga mat, pad or just a soft rug to cushion your knees and palms. Notice the line of your back in this position and try to align your head with that line. Now draw in your belly toward your spine. If you’re back doesn’t arch upwards naturally, give it a little nudge in that direction. Now relax your stomach and allow your back to lower gently. At the bottom, keep your back straight; don’t let it sag low. Try five reps first, and work your way up to ten.
This can be a good exercise for reducing back pain, too.
3. Kegels
Kegel exercises are ones that strengthen the muscles that make up your pelvic floor. When you have to pee, but hold it in, that’s using your pelvic floor muscles and it’s basically a kegel exercise already.
It can be hard at first to know if you’re doing this right, so try stopping urination mid-stream the next time you have to go. That feeling of deep tightening when it stops? That’s your pelvic floor muscles. Now try doing that like an exercise.
You can do these contractions slowly, where you hold the squeeze for a few seconds, or quickly.
4. Pre-Labor Squats
Women often do squats during labor to help ease open the pelvic outlet. But without practicing beforehand, these delivery squats can easily tire you out and actually make delivery a little harder. Try strengthening those muscles in the weeks before your due date:
Stand with your back straight against a wall, and place your feet shoulder width apart. Your feet should be about six inches from the wall. Relax your arms and slowly slide down the wall until you’ve reached a sitting position. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor. Now hold that position for up to ten seconds (however long you’re comfortable with) and then slide back up to standing. Repeat up to ten times.
