MS, RD, LDN, CSSD, CBS
Rachel holds a Master’s in Nutrition Communication from Tufts University and is also a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She works as a nutrition and wellness coach with focuses on infant and maternal nutrition, and mindful eating.
You’re headed for the biggest workout of your life – childbirth! To get ready, you can learn specific exercises to help you prepare for the physically demanding act of delivering your beautiful baby.
Moreover, regular exercise can help you throughout your pregnancy (and your life!), with improved strength, flexibility, balance, digestion, and circulation all being added benefits. Try to engage in 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (think swimming, walking, prenatal yoga and strength training) on most, if not all days of the week.
Added bonus: many exercises that can help the body prepare for delivery, require little to no props, take just a few minutes, and can be done in front of the television, while reading, or while working on the computer. For specific instructions for these exercises, see the WHAT TO DO section.
Stop exercising and call your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms:
Avoid lying flat on your back
After your 1st trimester, do not lie flat on your back, which can reduce blood flow to your baby. Instead place a pillow under your back to incline yourself and keep your heart above your naval. Remember to roll to your side and use your arms to push yourself to sitting. Never sit up directly from a prone (lying down) position.
Strengthen your core and pelvic floor muscles
Isometric abdominal exercises, also referred to as abdominal bracing exercises, are an excellent way to keep the core strong and engaged throughout pregnancy. Here’s how to set them up properly:
Another way to set up abdominal bracing correctly is to imagine the feeling of coughing or blowing out a candle. You will feel the contraction in your abdominals, lower back muscles, and backside.
See Everything you need to know about pelvic floor muscles and how to strengthen them and Everything you need to know about strengthening and protecting your core during pregnancy and post-partum for even more details.
Follow these exercises to prepare for labor
Exercise #1: Tailor sitting – stretches and lengthens the muscles on the upper insides of your legs, in your back, and in your pelvis. Improves blood flow to the pelvis and can ease an achy back.
Exercise #2: Sitting on an exercise ball – maintains an aligned pelvis, strengths your core and keeps your baby in the optimal birthing position. This may not sound like an exercise, but when you’re carrying an extra 20 pounds or more during pregnancy, proper sitting becomes an exercise in itself!
Exercise #3: Pelvic Tilts (Cat and Cow Stretch) – relieves pressure of the upper and lower back by stretching your back while strengthening your abdominal muscles to help prepare for delivery. May also help improve digestion, increase circulation, and relieve pressure on other organs compressed during pregnancy.
Exercise #4: Squatting – strengthens your legs and core while encouraging baby to face down in the birth canal
Exercise #5: Side-Lying abductor lifts – improves your balance and strength to accommodate a larger belly during your second and third trimesters. Also allows for pulling your legs apart easier and reducing leg shaking in the second stage of labor.
Exercise #6: Butterfly lift – similar to the side-lying abductor lifts, the partner-assisted butterfly lift also improves your balance and strength to accommodate a larger belly during your second and third trimesters while increasing flexibility and reducing leg shaking in the second stage of labor. This position has the added benefit of incorporating some mild resistance in what many women find to be a (relatively!) comfortable birthing position.
Exercise #7: Reverse and side lunges – improves balance, strengthens legs, hips, and core, and encourages your baby into an optimal birthing position. Keep in mind that lunges are most appropriate in the 1st and 2nd trimesters and may become too difficult in the 3rd trimester as your belly grows (using a chair for support will help).
Exercise #8: Knee planks – strengthens the muscles in your abdominal, lower back, and backside.
Exercise #9: Alternating heel slides – strengthens core muscles (think pelvic floor, lower abdominals, and lower back).
Exercise #10: Oblique side stretches – stretches your spine and lateral abdominal muscles, which often become sore and overworked during pregnancy.
“Exercise During the Childbearing Year” National Institutes of Health. Date accessed 19 July 2018.
“Exercise During Pregnancy” American Pregnancy Association. Date accessed 19 July 2018.
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