Prior to delivery many physicians recommend doing pelvic floor exercises and some breathing exercises to prepare you for labour and to avoid complications.
Here are some exercises that can help you avoid any major complication and can ease the birth process. Some of the most common ones and highly recommended are:
- Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles needed to push during delivery
- Breathing exercises to help you during the time labour pains begin
- Other recommended exercise include pelvic tilt to avoid lower back pain
Kegel exercises were developed by Dr Arnold Kegel. They basically restore or improve the tone of the muscles of the pelvic floor. These muscles for sphincters around the urethra, vagina and anus, and strengthen control of these.
During childbirth, the pelvic floor gets stretched, and these muscles get bruised or torn and devitalized. This can cause problems such as:
- Sagging
- Prolapse of genital organs
- Stress inconsistence
- Leakage of urine caused by raised intra-abdominal pressure due to coughing or sneezing
- Prolapse of the walls of the bladder and rectum
Kegel exercises prevent stress inconsistence and prolapse. These exercises increase blood flow to the perineum which aids in early healing and tighten the vaginal cavity thereby increasing the sexual pleasure.
On the other hand breathing exercises should be practiced in the third trimester, from the seventh month onwards. Your partner should also participate in these exercises. These are an important part of your antenatal preparation. If done properly, breathing exercises will help you greatly when labour pains begin. You will ensure a good oxygen supply to the uterus, avoid harmful attacks of hyperventilation, your perception of pain will decrease and you will require less analgesia.
There are several forms of breathing exercises which have been discussed in detail here.
By : Natural Health News
