To facilitate normal birth it is important to do exercises such as walking, climbing stairs or dancing, for example, to move the hip and facilitate the fitting of the baby's head in the pelvis of the pregnant woman. However, the pregnant woman should do several exercises throughout the entire gestation and not just on the day of delivery.
Natural childbirth is a normal process in which a woman's and baby's body prepares for birth and usually occurs from 37 weeks of gestation, with irregular contractions occurring initially, which intensify until they become regular and at intervals of every 10 minutes. Here's how to identify contractions in: How to Identify Contractions.
Some of the exercises that may help with labor include:
Exercise 1- Walking
Walking outdoors with the help of your partner or other family member helps increase the rate of contractions the pregnant woman is experiencing, less labor pain, and the time it takes. The pregnant woman can walk in the interval of contractions and stop to rest when they arise.
Exercise 2- Climbing stairs
The pregnant woman in labor can also climb stairs calmly to help the baby rotate and pass through the pelvis, facilitating birth and reducing pain.
Exercise 3: Dancing
To facilitate labor, the pregnant woman can dance or just roll, which may facilitate delivery, because the movement of the pregnant woman promotes the baby's movement in the belly, facilitating delivery.
Exercise 4: Rebolar na bola
The pregnant woman can sit on the Pilates ball alone or with the help of her partner and roll slowly for a few minutes when she has contractions, since it is a relaxing exercise and simultaneously exercises the pelvic muscles.
Exercise 5: Kegel Exercises
The pregnant woman can do exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, such as doing Kegel exercises, facilitating the moment of expulsion of the fetus.
In this way, the pregnant woman should contract and pull up the muscles as much as she can, staying as long as possible and then relaxing the muscles, lowering her legs and lower back.
Tips to make labor easier
In addition to the exercises, there are some techniques to facilitate normal delivery, such as:
- Urinate at least once every hour, because the full bladder brings discomfort and pain;
- Controlling the breath during contractions, filling the chest with air as if smelling a flower and then releasing the air very slowly as if blowing a candle;
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated;
- Light meals if the pregnant woman feels hungry, such as eating fruit or bread, to avoid having nausea and vomiting during labor;
- Choose a body position that allows you to relieve pain during contractions such as 4-position resting or sit on the floor with legs spread. Get to know other positions in: How to relieve pain during labor.
In addition, the pregnant woman should be in a calm, low-light and noiseless environment. She should think positively, believing that every time a contraction occurs and the pain is strong, the baby's birth is getting closer.
See too:
- Can pregnant women do bodybuilding?
- Advantages of normal birth
