The traditional response to news of pregnancy, is often the suggestion that a woman should immediately recline in a comfy chair. This is hardly common sense when carrying a baby to term and giving birth is one of the toughest physical experiences a woman can face. There are many safe ways of staying active during pregnancy that will increase the likelihood of a woman being more active during labor and therefore more able to deliver her baby normally with minimal obstetric intervention.
Prepare for Childbirth
Being pregnant is not an illness but actually a confirmation of physical well-being. Therefore the potential to improve health and fitness during pregnancy is a realistic goal. Women should swap reclining on the sofa where the pelvis is tilted back narrowing the gap between the spine and pelvic bone in exchange for sitting forward on a beanbag tilting the pelvis forward to maximize the size of the gap. This is especially important in the last trimester when babies need to be encouraged to face anterior in the womb. It is no coincidence that the sofa sitting west has higher instances of more difficult and painful posterior births.
Providing there are no serious risk factors, there is no reason a woman cannot continue to enjoy any exercise she practiced before pregnancy, although over-exertion should be avoided and replaced with gentle sustained exercise.
For pregnant women with or without a previous sporting hobby, there are many forms of exercise that can be taken up safely.
- Walking is the one of the most accessible forms of exercise for pregnancy. Many women find standing up or squatting the most comfortable position to give birth. This requires leg strength and stamina. Walking daily for an hour will maintain cardiovascular health and condition leg muscles.
- Swimming has great advantages as an exercise. It is very gentle allowing for freedom of movement whilst weight is completely supported. Regular swimming will increase pelvic tone and lung capacity to assist breathing when trying to push a baby out into the world.
- Pregnancy Yoga is a very useful aid to achieving a natural birth without drugs. The positions actively encourage the body to shape up and ready it for giving birth. Tailor pose and squatting on cushions during the last month of pregnancy gives extra space to the baby's head and relief to aching hip joints. More vitally adapting positions such as child's pose and squatting during labor can lessen painful contractions and assist the baby's passage down the birth canal by allowing the pelvis to open.
- Pelvic Floor Exercises should never be under-estimated. Regular squeezing will tone the precise muscles you need to push during delivery and reduce the risk of perinea tearing. Regularly massaging the perineum area with oil will also help prevent tearing and increase tone in the pelvic floor.
Help with Labor Pains
"How much is it going to hurt?" is a common concern. The actual moment of birth is over in seconds and is best described as the "passing a melon" moment. It is excruciating but the earlier stages of labor are when a woman calls out for pain relief. The more information about what this pain is like, the better a woman is able to cope. Women experience pain as individuals but in many labors the pain experienced is very familiar. When the onset of labor is gradual labor pain is very similar to menstrual cramps. The pain builds slowly, comes in waves, peaks and then descends. As the contractions come closer together, the pain increases and the experience can be like a very bad period pain. The waters breaking can also increase the speed that the contractions intensify. Even in a normal delivery with no complications this transition is tougher than any period pain, but there are positions that can help women cope.
Pressure should not be put on the back (i.e. do not lie down). The pain can be managed by staying upright, walking around, getting in water, squatting, bending on all fours or child's pose. Also massaging the lower back can help through the contractions. In the early stages, listen to music, dance, take a shower or bath. The more relaxed a woman is, the more natural pain relieving endorphins she will be able to release into her bloodstream.
The positions assumed during labor and birth are key. Being prone does not allow gravity to help and narrows the space between the spine and pelvic bone. Basically, it will hurt more. Being upright or on all fours allows the maximum space for a baby's head, decreasing the chances of a long labor and exhaustion. Contrary to common medical protocol, midwives are able to monitor a baby's heartbeat without the need for a woman to lie down, they have hand-held monitors and if all else fails their ears.
The Benefits of Nature
Giving birth is a huge milestone in any woman's life and should be seen as positive experience and not something to dread. Fear of the unknown can be defeated by gathering information and actively preparing the body to give birth. Human beings are designed to survive childbirth and a labor that is allowed to progress naturally will give a woman the best chance of relieving pain with her own powerful endorphins. Fear, panic and loss of control will all affect the level of natural pain-killers and increase the likelihood of intervention. Any intervention that interferes with the natural process of giving birth will also increase the chance of more intrusive procedures being used to deliver the baby and ultimately increase the risk of an emergency delivery.
Janet Balaskas is the author of New Active Birth and pioneering founder of the Active Birth movement. Her respected methods have enabled many women to be more active during labor and benefit from an increased likelihood of a normal delivery because their movement has not been restricted.
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