Labor Exercises With a Birthing Ball

Your pregnancy is the one time in your life where you must take care of your physical state for you and your baby’s sake. Using a simple birthing ball, you can practice labor exercises before birth so that you are more readily prepared when the big day arrives. Here are a few birthing and labor exercises to do while using your birthing ball.

 

Tilt the Pelvis

Your pelvis is of course the path your baby travels through during labor and birth. Your pelvis and hips will naturally widen throughout your pregnancy and labor as the body’s way of naturally preparing to give birth. To prepare your pelvis, follow this simple exercise.

Sit straight on top of the ball, feet flat on the ground with your knees about a foot apart. Without moving the rest of your body, slowly tilt your pelvis forward and upward, and then hold for five seconds. Slowly bring your pelvis back to its original position, and then do it again. Repeat this 10 to 15 times. While sitting on the ball, find a comfortable position that you could potentially use when in labor. Sitting on the ball supports your weight while allowing you to have flexibility, movement and taking stress and friction off of your internal organs.

 

Hip Flexing

During labor, a lot of the birthing process stems from your natural pushing and your hips. You want to make sure you are as flexible as possible so you do not pull any muscles or hurt yourself during labor. It is also a good way to learn to balance your weight as you and the baby grow larger during pregnancy.

Start by sitting on the ball with one leg behind the ball completely straight. Lean back slowly until you feel a stretch in your in your front leg’s thigh. Hold the position for about thirty seconds, and then slowly adjust to your original position. Do this about five times with one leg and then switch to repeat with the other.

 

Kneel and Relax

Placing the ball on the floor while you kneel next to it will be of great help to you while in labor. Make sure you place padding under your knees so you can be completely comfortable and then begin from there.

All you need to do is slowly move your torso over the ball. You can also place the ball on the bed and do the same if you prefer not to kneel on the floor. These exercises allow you to open up your airways, perfect your posture and release pressure from your spine and back.

 

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