Staying active during pregnancy is one of the best ways to prepare your body for normal delivery. Exercise keeps you fit, boosts your energy, and helps reduce discomfort. Plus, it can help make labor smoother. Here’s a detailed guide on safe and effective exercises that can help you get ready for a normal delivery.
Pregnancy is a beautiful journey, but it also comes with challenges. As your body changes, you may experience aches, swelling, or low energy. Regular exercise can make you feel better and prepare your body for childbirth. However, remember to consult your doctor before starting any exercise routine, as every pregnancy is different.
Benefits of Exercise for Normal Delivery
Exercising during pregnancy has many benefits. Here are some reasons why it’s good to stay active:
- Strengthens Muscles: Exercises like squats and pelvic tilts strengthen your pelvic and core muscles, making labor and delivery easier.
- Improves Flexibility: Stretching exercises help your body stay flexible, reducing the risk of injuries and making it easier to move during labor.
- Boosts Stamina: Labor can be long and tiring. Cardio exercises like walking or swimming improve your stamina, so you have more energy during childbirth.
- Reduces Back Pain: As your belly grows, your lower back may hurt. Exercise helps relieve this discomfort by improving posture and muscle strength.
- Helps Control Weight: Gaining a healthy amount of weight is important for you and your baby. Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight, reducing complications.
Important Things to Remember
Before you start exercising, keep these points in mind:
- Consult Your Doctor: It is always advised that to embark on any form of exercise you consult your doctor. While some women may be okay taking it, the doctor will advise depending on your pregnancy condition.
- Stay Hydrated: Stay hydrated and always take water before you engage in the activity, while exercising and after exercising.
- Warm-Up and Cool Down: Warm up is an exercise preparation for the body while cold down is a way of easing down the body after activity.
- Avoid Overheating: This is bad for you and your baby, exercise is best done in a cool environment away from heat. Select a suitable and preferably a cool environment to exercise.
- Listen to Your Body: If you experience any of these symptoms like getting tired, getting dizzy, or any chest pain, cease operation. Well, your body can tell you when you have gone over the roof with the exercise.
Safe Exercises for Normal Delivery
Here are some simple and safe exercises you can do to prepare for a normal delivery.
1. Walking
Walking is among the simplest and least risky exercises for pregnant women and should therefore be carried out often. Much of the translation is devoted to reiterating the positive effects of exercise: it is good for your heart, your circulation, and your muscles.
How to Do It:
- Stroll for 20-30 minutes a day at your own, comfortable pace.
- Look for supportive shoes so you don’t put so much pressure on feet.
- If you ponder a decision, take your time and do not be in a rush to make your decision.
2. Squats
Squats work well in helping you build up your pelvic floor together with the lower body muscles. They also rocking your lower belly that enhance your baby to move into proper position to be born.
How to Do It:
- Your feet should be about the shoulder width apart.
- Just as you are going to sit in a chair, slowly bend your knees and lower your body down.
- Crouch down on the floor for some time, then get up.
- Repeat 10-15 times.
3. Pelvic Tilts
Pelvic tilts can benefit in order to decrease back pain and to tone the abdominal muscles. They also help in posture dynamism by/core strengthening.
How to Do It:
- Squat with your hands on your knees, as long as your back muscles are not tensing up.
- The revolutionary position and steps; Slide you butt backwards brought in line with your chest, angle the tail bone downwards and suck your belly in and tighten.
- Press it for a few seconds and then release.
- Repeat 10-15 times.
4. Butterfly Stretch
This exercises stretches and reduces stiffness around your pelvic region and your inner thighs. I think it is perfect for easing labor as stated by the research.
How to Do It:
- Stand with your back straight, your feet touching each other.
- With your hands grasp your feet and then try to pressure your knees down the floor.
- Look towards the side of the pull for 10-15 seconds and then release the stretch.
- Repeat 5-10 times.
5. Kegel Exercises
Kegels tone up muscles of the pelvic floor which include the muscles supporting uterus, bladder and the bowel. They assist you to regulate these muscles during delivery.
How to Do It:
- Squeezing the muscles of your pelvic area as if you need to prevent urine from coming out.
- Wait for 5-10 seconds before you then release.
- Do this exercise 10-15
- times a day.
6. Prenatal Yoga
Yoga seems to be useful for making the muscles relaxed and the joints more flexible. It can also educate you on some breathing exercises which may be quite useful whilst in labour.
How to Do It:
- Attend a prenatal yoga class or use videos that are created especially for pregnant women online.
- It’s important to concentrate on the graceful movements that create the desire effect on the muscles.
- Some positions to steer clear with are prone, lying on the back or twisting mid-section.
Exercises to Avoid
While exercise is generally good, there are some activities you should avoid:
- High-Impact Sports: Don’t play soccer, basketball or do anything that might result to you falling on your belly or getting it stuck in between bars.
- Heavy Weightlifting: Weight lifting also puts a lot of pressure on your body and particularly your back and abdominal muscles.
- Exercises That Require Lying on Your Back: From the second trimester onwards, lying flat on your back restricts blood flow to the fetus.
- Scuba Diving: It may produce pressure fluctuations that will negatively affect your baby’s health.
Breathing Exercises
Pranayama exercises are mandatory for the purpose of labor. They assist you in calming your nerves and coping with pain.
- Deep Breathing: Please sit comfortably and now take a deep breath through your nose to the count of four. Wait for a couple of seconds and then blow air out of your mouth.
- Abdominal Breathing: Put one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Take a deep breath and try to fill up your belly with air before brething out again, slowly.
Conclusion
Physical activity when pregnant enables a woman to maintain health and [better prospects of normal birth]. It can be as easy as walking, squats, a good pelvic tilt of which all are very helpful during labor. Please heed the advice of your body and medical advisor before attempting any activity. Hence the word of advice as you go through the nine months; have an active pregnancy for a happier and safer delivery.