Exercises to facilitate normal childbirth

To facilitate normal childbirth it is important to do exercises such as walking, climbing stairs or dancing, for example, to move the hips and facilitate the fit of the baby's head in the pregnant woman's pelvis. However, the pregnant woman must do several exercises throughout the pregnancy and not just on the day of delivery.

Natural childbirth is a normal process, in which the woman's and baby's bodies prepare for birth and usually occurs after 37 weeks of gestation, initially with irregular contractions, which intensify, until they become regular. and every 10 minutes. See how to identify contractions in: How to identify contractions.

Some of the exercises that can help with labor include:

Exercise 1- Walk

Walking outdoors with the help of a partner or other family member, helps to increase the rate of contractions that the pregnant woman is feeling, decreasing the pain of labor and the time it can take. The pregnant woman can walk between contractions and stop to rest when they appear.

Exercise 2- Climbing stairs

The pregnant woman in labor can also calmly climb stairs to help the baby to rotate and pass through the pelvis, facilitating the birth and reducing the pain.

Exercise 3: Dance

To facilitate labor, the pregnant woman can dance or just roll around, which can facilitate delivery, as the movement of the pregnant woman promotes the baby's movement in the belly, facilitating delivery.

Exercise 4: Hitting the ball

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 the muscles upwards as much as she can, maintaining herself for as long as possible and then relaxing the muscles, lowering her legs and back.

Tips to facilitate labor

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; Control your breathing during contractions, filling your chest with air as if you were smelling a flower and then releasing it very slowly as if you were blowing out a candle; Drink lots of water to stay hydrated; Eat light meals if the pregnant woman feels hungry, such as eating fruit or bread, to avoid nausea and vomiting during labor; Choose a body position that allows you to relieve pain during contractions, such as a 4-position or sit on the floor with your legs open. Get to know other positions in: How to relieve pain during labor.

In addition, the pregnant woman must be in a calm environment, in low light and without noise, and must think positively, believing that each time a contraction occurs and the pain is strong, the baby's birth is getting closer and closer.