10 Exercises For Safe And Normal Delivery In 2023

Pregnancy is a blessing for every family, but giving birth may be a stressful experience for the mothers. Normal birth is the most natural manner of giving birth and is often safer for both the mother and the baby. However, some mothers choose a c-section because they are concerned about enduring the labor pain during delivery.

According to research, 85% of pregnant women can have a normal delivery, with the other 15% requiring a c-section for medical reasons. However, data reveal that more than 30% of pregnant women have a c-section, implying that elective cesarean delivery has grown common.

During the delivery, the uterus makes muscle contractions, resulting in excruciating labor pain that is often overwhelming. If the body gets habituated to regular exercise to get normal delivery during pregnancy, the body gradually prepares for a normal delivery, easing the delivery and lowering labour discomfort.

Continue reading to learn more about normal delivery and pregnancy exercise for normal delivery, which may assist you in making this lovely experience as smooth as possible.

Normal Delivery

Normal delivery is a healthy way to bring a baby into the world. Unless you have any medical issues, natural and normal childbirth is not difficult. Furthermore, the natural birth process promotes a healthy baby and a quick recovery for the new mother.

Normal vaginal birth is a childbirth procedure that occurs without the use of any medical assistance. Medication may now be utilized to ease pain and speed up the delivery process (you can choose not to opt for any medical intervention).

Overall, a normal birth is a completely natural delivery of a baby by the mother with no medical assistance.

The primary focus of normal/vaginal delivery is on how and in which position the mother will be most comfortable delivering the baby. The mother can direct the entire labor and delivery procedure. The doctor and nurses assist her while keeping an eye out for any emergencies.

Related Blog : 11 tips for a safe and healthy pregnancy

Benefits Of Pregnancy Exercise For Normal Delivery

It is widely held that heavy physical labor should be avoided during pregnancy. However, this does not imply that fitness should be neglected throughout pregnancy. In fact, experts recommend including some prenatal fitness regimens into the daily routine because they can dramatically lessen difficulties during birth. Not only that, but specific postnatal pregnancy exercises can also aid in the management of mood swings, postpartum depression, and other postpartum issues.

Getting some regular activity during the term of pregnancy is beneficial not just to the mother but also to the infant. However, make sure you follow guided workout schedules according to the changes in your body. It can also help prevent a number of health problems, including excessive gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, preterm birth, lower birth weight, cesarean delivery, and surgical vaginal delivery.

Contrary to popular opinion, exercising during pregnancy is extremely healthy and necessary for a natural childbirth.

Best exercises for pregnancy can help the mother’s physical and psychological state during her pregnancy. They also help to prevent pregnancy-related issues, and postnatal workouts can help the woman restore strength after giving birth. However, it is critical to verify that the activities included in the daily regimen are appropriate for a person based on their trimester and overall health. One should ask their doctor about the benefits of exercise to get normal delivery such as, walking during pregnancy, doing squats during pregnancy, and when they may safely continue with squats, which exercises to avoid, and so on, before embarking on any new pregnancy exercises.

Instructions Before Exercising For Normal Delivery

Although there are no hard and fast rules about how to exercise to get normal delivery, following these guidelines should benefit both you and your child.

• Unless otherwise directed by your doctor, try to dress loosely.
• Keep the temperature in your lodging under control. When you venture outside, it should not be too chilly or too hot.
• Water is essential, and you should always have a bottle with you when exercising.
• Wear comfortable shoes to minimize the possibility of slipping.
• Warming up with stretching before you begin can allow your muscles to become more flexible.
• During pregnancy, your center of gravity shifts. So, do some study on it, and usually leaning a little backward should suffice.
• Rest up before you exercise. A long day with a workout on top without proper rest won’t benefit anyone.
• Make sure you’re not standing or sitting for too long because this causes blood pooling, which causes swelling in the lower limbs.

10 Exercises During Pregnancy for a Normal Delivery

Exercises based on pregnancy stages can help the woman prepare for a safe and regular delivery without causing any harm to herself or the kid. Here are the best exercises for pregnancy for a normal baby delivery.

How to Get Ready and warm up

Warming up helps your body prepare for an exercise by making the muscles more flexible and reducing stiffness.

• Head tilt on both sides – ten repetitions
• Head nodding (up and down) – 10 repetitions
• 1 set of 5 repetitions of head rotations in both directions
• Rotations of the arm swing (clockwise and anti-clockwise) – 10 repetitions
• Shoulder rotation (clockwise and anti-clockwise) – A ten-repetition set.

First Trimester Pregnancy Exercise For Normal Delivery

The first trimester (the first three months) is the most susceptible period, and mothers are advised to avoid any exhausting activities, such as excessive weight lifting, severe aerobics, or high-intensity workouts. Gentle activity is permitted, but only after speaking with your doctor.

1. The Wall Slide

When you have a backache, this exercise can help you stabilize your spine and lower abdomen.

Steps:

1. Place your back against the wall. Now bring your feet forward, and away from the wall.
2. Drop your waist slowly until your thighs are parallel to the floor as if you were sitting on an invisible chair.
3. Raise your hands over your head and place them on the wall. Pull them down slowly on either side of your head, like you would during a shoulder press. Repeat for a total of ten counts.

2. Clam Shell

This exercise tones the muscles in the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, and pelvic floor. It is recommended that you do this exercise with your back against the wall as your tummy expands during pregnancy.

Steps: 

1. Begin by lying on your side on the floor, knees flexed, one arm below your head, and the other supporting your body by contacting the ground. Keep your heels stacked one on top of the other.
2. Press your heels together and raise your leg to its highest point.
3. Return to the position of starting after a little pause. Repeat for a total of five times.
4. Repeat on the opposite side.

3. Bridge / Hip Raises

This exercise will help to stabilize the lower back as the belly grows. It also helps to strengthen the buttocks and aids in labor.

Steps: 

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs bent and your palms under your hips.
2. Elevate your hips gradually to align your torso with your shoulders.
3. Hold for a second, before lowering back down to the starting position.

While walking is essential during pregnancy, avoid brisk walking. It makes pregnant women more flexible and helps to prevent fat deposits in the body. Walking for at least 30 minutes twice a day is sufficient. Because nausea is prevalent during the first trimester, a modest workout plan is strongly recommended.

Related Blog : All about the first trimester of pregnancy

Second Trimester Pregnancy Exercise For Normal Delivery

The second trimester (13-27 weeks), also known as the honeymoon stage, is generally easier because symptoms of vomiting feeling normally resolve by this time. The mother feels better in the second trimester, and this is an ideal time for activities that can aid in an easier normal delivery. As uterine contractions become more frequent, abdominal cramping becomes common, and baby movements are easily felt. Workouts during this phase are normally safe, but they should be done after consulting with your doctor.

4. Downward Dog Pose

This exercise is not advised in late pregnancy, although it can help pregnant women in their second trimester become more flexible and stretch their bodies.

Steps:

1. Take a cat position by tucking your toes and spreading your fingers wide, then press your fingertips against the floor.
2. Bend forward and place your foot and palm on the floor, making a “A” with your fingers.
3. Straighten the right knee while experiencing the stretch.
4. Straighten and bend the left knee.
5. Repeat for as many times as you are comfortable.

5. Angry Cat (Or Pelvic Tilt)

This exercise strengthens the pelvic floor, relieves back pain during pregnancy, aids in labor, and aids in the birth process.

Steps:

1. Put yourself in the position of a cat, with flat hands and pointed toes against the floor.
2. Bend your head back and arch your back such that your spine is curved while sitting on all fours.
3. Maintain the stance and softly return to the starting position.
4. Relax before repeating.

6. Cobbler Pose While Lying

While stretching and enhancing flexibility during pregnancy, this also helps to relax your mind and body.

Steps:

1. Lie flat on a floor near a wall, legs stretched. Put your feet up against the wall.
2. As you sit on the floor, extend your legs in front of you. If you are uncomfortable, sit on a blanket.
3. Bring the soles of your feet together, grip your ankles, and draw them close to your pelvis.
4. Relax, but avoid lowering your knees to the floor.
5. Exhale while bending forward as far as you can.
6. Hold for as long as you’re comfortable, inhale, and slowly rise.

Third Trimester Pregnancy Exercise for Normal Delivery

Heavy workouts should be avoided during the third trimester since big and intense activities, such as lifting heavy weights, can cause issues such as amniotic fluid leaks.

7. Butterfly Position

This pose opens your hips and relieves lower back pain.

Steps: 

1. Grasp your ankles (or feet) and bring your heels as near to your torso as you can.
2. Lean forward, retain the position, and take deep breaths.

8. Pelvic Stretching

When preparing for labor, it is critical to exercise the pelvic floor muscles. Kegel exercises for a normal delivery can be pregnancy exercises for labor as target the pelvic floor muscles.

Try stopping the flow of pee without utilizing your abdominal muscles, thighs, or buttocks to isolate and exercise these muscles. Begin gentle Kegel movements by sitting comfortably on the workout ball with a straight back.

Steps:

1. Slow Kegel exercise: For 10 sets, hold the clenched muscles for 3-10 seconds.
2. Fast Kegel exercise: Perform four sets of exercises, contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles 25-30 times before relaxing for five seconds.

9. Yoga

Yoga during pregnancy for normal delivery is widely advised for expecting moms, and there are numerous kinds of asanas that can help an expectant mother develop her flexibility and endurance. Some asanas that can be performed are:

Yastikasana (Stick Pose)

1. Lie down with your arms spread over your head and your legs straight.
2. Keep your arms and legs as close together as possible.
3. Hold for as long as it is comfortable for you to hold.

Vakrasna (Twisted Pose)

1. Sit on the floor comfortably with your legs stretching out in front of you.
2. Bend your left knee and place your left foot towards the right knee.
3. Inhale and raise your arms to shoulder height.
4. Exhale and twist as far as you can comfortably, grasping your right knee with your right hand. Hold for a moment.
5. Reverse the exercise.

Konasana (Angle position).

1. Comfortably sit on the floor.
2. Slowly press the soles of your feet together and move them closer to your body.
3. Lean as far forward comfortably as much as you can lean.
4. Hold for five seconds.

Related Blog : 9 Effective Yoga Asanas That You Must Try

10. Squats

Squats are the best exercises for pregnancy because they aid in the contraction and relaxing of the pelvic muscles, as well as the reduction of labour discomfort. Taking a position with a gym ball or holder will provide appropriate pressure to the pelvic area and thighs.

Steps

1. To get into a sitting position, take a deep breath and bend down.
2. Return to your starting location after a second.
3. Repeat the squat, but this time keep your elbows within your thighs and aim to open your hips by pushing them back.
4. Return to a standing position slowly, with your feet well supported.

Some exercises for normal delivery:

Besides the primary exercises for normal delivery that we have mentioned above in the article, the following are a few more exercises that showcase effective results in ensuring a normal and safe delivery of the baby.

1. Deep squats with a birth ball

You must have seen people relying on the birth ball to expedite the process of childbirth and delivery as a pregnant woman nears her due date.

Performing deep squats while leaning on the birth ball is an effective way to open up the pelvic area and ensure optimal positioning of the baby for delivery.

2. Pelvic tilts

As a pregnant woman nears their delivery date, one of the most common symptoms is back pain, which is often aggravated due to the excess weight they carry with the baby.

Performing pelvic tilt exercises effectively relieves back pain and encourages the baby to move into a more favorable position for childbirth.

3. Kegels

Kegel exercises are considered an integral part of pregnancy. They are responsible for strengthening the pelvic floor muscle, which is essential for childbirth and works wonders for postpartum recovery.

4. Walking

Sometimes, all you need is a bit of walking around the block as a form of exercise to alleviate the discomfort and pain and also breathe in fresh air. Walking is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that can be done throughout pregnancy. It helps maintain overall fitness and supports a healthy pregnancy.

5. Swimming

If you are tired of feeling pain in the joints as you near the end of your pregnancy term, indulging in swimming and water aerobics is a great way to alleviate that pain and discomfort. The water’s buoyancy is also effective in relieving the pressure from the back and the pelvis.

Remember, the goal of these exercises is to maintain a healthy and active pregnancy, ease discomfort, and prepare your body for childbirth. Always listen to your body, and if you experience any pain or discomfort during any exercise for normal delivery, stop and consult your healthcare provider.

Conclusion

Exercising has become an unavoidable part of our daily routine in order to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Moms-to-be are always looking for effective and, most importantly, safe exercise for normal delivery that will also help them return to their pre-pregnancy shape and work routine once the baby is born. Contrary to popular assumption, physical exercises during pregnancy are beneficial to the mother’s health and increase the likelihood of a normal birth. Exercising during pregnancy is actually recommended if done correctly and with effort. A healthy prenatal workout regimen for normal delivery will raise the odds of a normal delivery. It may potentially minimise labour discomfort and time, as well as aid in a quick recovery following delivery.

However, before engaging in any exercise during pregnancy, consult with your doctor and learn the right technique. If you’re wondering about how to find a good OB-GYN, who can be with you every step of the way to your normal delivery in 2023, then Queen’s Gynecology Delhi should be your first choice. The highly trained and skilled team of obstetrics and gynecologists at Queen’s Gynecology will not only guide you about pregnancy exercises for labor, but will also offer you gold standard treatment so that you may have a smooth and joyous normal delivery experience. Every patient is treated with utmost compassion, and your every concern is their concern, as they believe that there’s a queen in every woman!

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