HELP FOR AN EASIER PREGNANCY & LABOUR (Exercise When Pregnant in general)

Member Name: cammet

Product:	Exercise When Pregnant in general
Date:	10/02/01 (464 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shorter labours

Disadvantages: None

I am a lazybones, I admit it, I hated sport at school, and try to avoid exercise if at all possible.

However I live on the top of two massive steep hills, there is no way to get anywhere than to go down the hill and then invariably plough up it again!

So picture the scence if you will: A hugely pregnant woman pushing her strapping toddler up the hill in a lovely heavy pram, (I might add that the only response I got from this was ridicule from a woman, who should have known better! - and never once an offer of assistance).

Later on in my pregnacy I started to suffer from a bad back and had to see a physiotherapist, who informed me that I had seperated a couple of ligaments in my back, and should wear crutches!! Impossible as the hill does not cater for crutch users!

So day in day out I ploughed up that hill, and that in my opinion is a good form of exericise! OBVIOUSLY I don't advocate stout hill walking at all!

TIPS FOR AN EASIER PREGNANCY & LABOUR

1. Get out and about, long walks and fresh air is a lovely form of mild exerice that keeps the pregnant woman fit. It's probably an idea to plan ahead for toilet stops in late pregnancy, as the baby pushes down on the bladder alot.

2. When bending, bend from the knees (a sort of straight backed squat) this will save your back - and with a bump, bending from the waist gets quite painful.

3. FOR ALL YOU RESTLESS LEG SUFFERS OUT THERE.

I had this with both my pregnancies and can sympathesis totally, this condition is completely maddening and can drive you around the twist, I recommend going on all fours or kneeling over the sofa, this is one position that will give you relief for a short while. Another brilliant idea is to buy a beanbag (£30 Bentalls - the best one I saw on the markt), which brings me to my next tip.

4. OPTIMAL FETAL POSITIONING.

Or in other words trying to get the baby to lie in the best posi
tion for an easy labour.

As I have said above I suffered from Restless Legs so would spend much of my day slumped front down on my beanbag, the all fours position is great to manouvre the baby into the head down front facing position. This means there is not so much hard work to do on L day! and will cut your labour time down too.

I had easy, quick labours which I can put down to the fact that I spent my pregnancy looking like a cow, grazing at pasture!

However a quick note: Try not to do this for more than a couple of hours a day, because it is possible in this position to damamge your pelvis (weight of the baby on pelvis when resting in the all fours position).

5 A QUICK BIRTH?

I've had two labours, spent my 1st on the bed, like a scared rabbit - it was quick but I felt out of control. With my second I stood for the majority of the labour, between contractions I rested on my beanbag which I had placed on the top of the bed, I then slumped over the bag in a standing up position in the painfree moments, this was fantastic, I could pace with my feet during the contractions, and I felt totally in control and really peaceful.

So there you go! Gentle exercise and positioning tricks can help you through the difficult times. I hope it helps.

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