4 Exercises That'll Help You During Labour

There are technical ways in which you can get your body all set for labour. Although you may not know how your labour will progress, you can ease the pain that you experience during childbirth to a significant extent by doing these four exercises:

1. Kegel exercises: These exercises target the muscles that provide support to your bladder, uterus, urethra and rectum. By strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor, these exercises help in improving the flow of blood to your vaginal and rectal area. Kegel exercises involve contracting of the muscles of your pelvic floor as you would do if you had to prevent passing urine or stool. It is also known to reduce the duration of the pushing stage of childbirth, which is the second stage. You can do the exercises sitting or standing and in either of the two ways-

Slow Kegels: For this, contract the muscles of your pelvic floor and hold them for 3-10 seconds. Release and repeat the exercise for ten times.

Fast Kegels: To be able to do this, you need to contract and loosen up your pelvic muscles 25-50 times. Do the set for about 4 times with 5 seconds interval between each set.


2. Squatting: Practising squatting during your pregnancy can help in preparing your pelvic muscles for labour. While strengthening your thighs, it opens up your pelvis for an easy descent of the baby. So, here's what you should do:

1. Begin by standing behind a chair for support with your feet wide apart

2. While contracting your abdominal muscles, relax your shoulders and chest before lowering your tailbone towards the floor

3. While inhaling and exhaling deeply, push into your legs and go back into a standing position


3. Pelvic Tilt: This exercise helps in strengthening the muscles of your back, pelvis and thigh regions while improving posture. Ensuring your pelvic joints remain flexible, it eases the pain experienced during delivery. 

Here's how it's done:

1. Get down on both your hands and knees while keeping your head in a parallel position with your back

2. While arching your back, pull in your stomach

3. Hold this position for a few seconds before releasing

The exercise needs to be repeated 3-5 times - all the while maintaining a strong hold on your back and stomach.


4. Tailor pose: The tailor pose is designed to help relax your hip joints as well as open up the pelvis. It also helps in improving your body posture while easing the aches that occur in the lower part of your back. For this, you need to perform the following steps:

1. While keeping your back straight, sit comfortably on the floor

2. Placing the soles of both the feet together, press your knees gently towards the floor

3. Keep the position for 10-15 seconds
You can repeat the exercise for 5-10 times.





4 Exercises That'll Help You During Labour

It is not easy to deal with labor pains. According to scientists and doctors, labor pain is a very strong sensation that a woman experiences in her lifetime. Therefore, it is important to know some tips that will help you deal with the intense pain during labor. There are some practical tools, which will help you survive labor pains on both emotional and physical levels. 

You just need to implement these tools during your labor.

Focus on the current contraction: When you get a contraction, focus on it solely. Do not agonize on the contractions you had or do not feel scared thinking about the contractions that are yet to come. You just need to focus on the present contraction without thinking about anything else. Many women think about how long they have to push before they can meet the baby. The over thinking can worsen the pain. Therefore, you should be in the present moment.
Breathe: A great tip of resisting labor pains is breathing. Various kinds of breathing techniques have been invented for labor. You can try some of those breathing techniques during your labor. If you don t remember any particular breathing technique, you can also try everyday breathing during the contractions. Breathing lets your abdominal muscles relax and helps the baby descend faster.
Try to relax: Whenever you encounter pain or stress, you tense all the muscles of your body, especially your abdominal muscles. It is important to relax during your labor pain. Although it is difficult, you should try to relax instead of getting tensed. It will make your labor smooth.
Be in a comfortable place: You should be in a place where your labor must be comfortable for you. If you are not comfortable, you will be stressed and anxious, which in turn, will make it difficult for you. When you are in a comfortable place, you will be happier and your muscles will be more relaxed.
Don t worry: Instead of worrying about your entire labor experience, focus on the task at hand. When you don t worry, you can process the contractions without being stressed. As a result, your body will also get less tired and your baby will come out faster. You need to channel your energy into pushing the baby rather than worrying and stressing.
If you follow these simple tips, you will be able to survive labor pains and give birth to a healthy baby. Nature has given women all the tools so that they can give birth to a baby naturally. You just need to trust your body and empower yourself by keeping these tips in your mind.

Labor Pain - 5 Tips to Help You Survive

Pregnancy is one of the most important period in a woman s life. This is a time when she should indulge in the best of everything when it comes to diet, rest and exercise, depending on the recommendations of the doctor. As the pregnancy progresses, there are many myths and facts that take over. These usually reach a crescendo by the time the pregnancy reaches the third trimester. Let us find out ways and tips, which you can use to care for your baby and yourself during the third trimester of your pregnancy.

Travel: This an often debated aspect that one has to consider, especially during the third trimester of one s pregnancy. While many people say that it is not appropriate to travel during the third trimester, this really depends on the state of your health during this time. If you are suffering from problems like blood clot formation, then you may want to avoid travel as this can lead to blood clots due to long hours spent sitting in a flight or a train. Travel during the third trimester must also be avoided so as to avoid undue exposure to infections when you use public restrooms. This should be avoided, especially if you have fallen prey to infections in the beginning of the pregnancy. Also, long travel by cars should be avoided. If you have to travel, then you must stop often to stretch your legs on a regular basis.
Movement of the Baby: One of the most important signs that shows you that your baby is thriving and is doing well is the movement of the fetus. This must be monitored and not ignored at all. It is important to keep in touch with your doctor regarding the number of movements that you should ideally feel during 24 hours. If you are not feeling anything close to that number, then you must have the same checked up by the doctor so that any complications may be unraveled on a timely basis.
Sleeping: How you sleep also affects the health of the baby. You need to avoid sleeping on your back during the third trimester, as this can lead to oxygen supply problems. The uterus tends to become heavy during this part of the pregnancy and it can come to rest on the feotus in case you sleep on your back. This lead to a reduction or lack of the blood and oxygen supply to the baby. You should ideally sleep on your side, with a pillow to keep your legs at a proper level and support your aching back as well. You should also try and sleep on your left side as this promotes better blood flow to the baby inside.

In Your Third Trimester? How Should You Take Care of Your Baby?

One of the most severe forms of pain is the pain that a woman experiences during the process of childbirth. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most severe, it is believed to be 8 to 10. In the earlier days, a number of women would die during childbirth and survival was considered as a second lease of life. This belief has however, changed with the advancements in medical science. The delivery has now become an almost painless procedure.

How it works: The pelvis and the lower limbs receive nerve supply through the nerves coming out of the spinal cord. A strong anesthetic is injected into the lower back to numb the pelvis and down below. This ensures that the mother is comfortable and awake during the whole procedure and is able to see the child being delivered but has reduced pain in the lower half of the body.

What are its benefits?

The mother has a painless delivery and is conscious and able to see the process of delivery.
Significant relief from the painful experience of childbirth. The pain induces secretion of stress hormones in the mother, which adversely affects both the mother and the child.
Blood pressure is better controlled using this procedure.
Additional instruments can be used during the delivery if required without the need for additional anesthesia.
If required, the procedure can be converted to a cesarean section too, by adding an epidural catheter.
The duration of childbirth has been significantly decreased.
Suitable for patients who have preeclampsia and heart disease
It has some disadvantages too

There are minor complications, including:

This can develop after the painless delivery and the onset and intensity vary from one individual to another
Post-procedure headache
Pain at the site of injection
Difficulty during urination
The normal pushing effect by the woman is reduced due to the numbness and so vacuum may be used or delivery may have to be converted to a cesarean one.
In rare cases, there could also be a sudden drop in the blood pressure
Certain indications

In the following cases, the doctor would advise the mother to go for a painless delivery

Medical conditions like preeclampsia, high BP, or other heart conditions
Subsequent births after having had a cesarean section (VBAC   vaginal birth after cesarean)
People who have previously had prolonged or complicated labor, a painless delivery is easy on both the mother and the child
When it should be best avoided

In some cases, like the ones listed below, the painless delivery should be avoided

Women with bleeding disorders.
Women who are on blood thinners like aspirin, heparin, etc.
Women who have had prior low back surgeries
Women with neurological conditions
A detailed discussion with your gynecologist is the best way to identify, if this would work for you.

Painless Normal Delivery - Is it Possible?

When it comes to giving birth, vaginal delivery is considered to be the most natural process. However, several women nowadays opt for C-section or Cesarean section to avoid the labour pain that accompanies natural birth.If you are pregnant and weighing the pros and cons of natural and C-section delivery, here are a few things to consider.

Vaginal Delivery
The Pros of this method of delivery are as follows:

1. From the psychological perspective, women who undertake a vaginal delivery have a positive birth giving experience. Women undergoing this method think they should be present in the process. 
2. The recovery time for women opting for vaginal delivery is shorter. The mother and the baby can make skin contact right after the delivery, which enhances the bonding process.
3. Babies who are born through vaginal delivery develop much fewer medical complications. There are fewer respiratory problems, allergies and the baby can start breastfeeding soon.

The Cons of vaginal delivery are as follows:
1. Vaginal delivery is a stressful process for the women undergoing it and the time required cannot be predicted. Some deliveries take less time, while others may take hours.
2. Usually, there are no cons for the babies who are born via vaginal delivery. In very rare cases, brain injury can be experienced.

Cesarean Section
The pros of this type of delivery method are as follows:
1. Many women choose Caesarean sections to avoid long labor hours. Planned C-section surgeries enable the mother to plan the birth. Better control is acquired over the delivery, which can be predicted properly.
2. In case your baby is large, or if you are carrying twins, C-section is the best delivery option. 
3. If the mother has diseases such as HIV or the mother's blood has a high viral load, C-section surgeries should be opted as the risk of the infection being passed on to the baby is decreased.

The cons of Cesarean section surgery are as follows:
1. C-section is a major surgery and a long time is required for recovery. There may be risks of infection, but they can be prevented by caring for the surgical wound properly. C-section delays the breastfeeding process and the mother cannot have immediate contact with her baby, which can affect the bonding.

2. Some babies, delivered through C-section may have respiratory problems. C-sections may also cause complications, such as problems with anaesthesia.

While both processes have their pros and cons, it is best to discuss with your doctor to understand which process will suit you more. Depending on your pregnancy and whether there are any complications involved, your doctor will suggest the best way possible.

Vaginal Birth Vs C-section - Pros and Cons

After those nine months, the long waiting period gets over and the most exciting transition from a mommy-to-be, to a mommy finally begins. But then, things are not always as smooth as we expect, especially if you undergo a C-section to deliver your baby. It is indeed an overwhelming experience to hold your little one in your arms but you need to understand that a C-section surgery is a major abdominal surgery and you need to take precautions to recover from the surgery. The recovery period for the C-section delivery is much higher than the recovery period for the normal delivery.

Let us look at some ways for speedy recovery from C-section delivery:

Relax: Taking proper rest will give your body the energy to recover from the surgery that you had undergone. Healing of the scar takes time and your post-partum body requires rest. But, taking proper rest is not as easy as it sounds when you have a new born baby to take care of, who needs a lot of attention and care. From feeding your baby at regular intervals to changing their nappies/diapers and making them sleep, all of it requires you to be on your toes. Make sure you always take some time out to rest and do not hesitate to take help from your spouse and family.
Don t put strain your body: Your body has just given birth to a baby and has undergone a major surgery; therefore, it is important that you give it time to heal. You should try not to get up too often, do not lift anything heavier than your baby, avoid sex until six weeks from the birth of your baby, hold your abdomen when you have to sneeze or cough to protect the incision site. Don t start working out without your doctors  green signal and don t drive and take stairs, which might put a strain on your body.
Take a good diet: Take plenty of healthy and nutritious food as your body still requires such a diet. Breastfeeding mothers need to understand that the sole source of nutrition for your baby is you. Include different vegetables and variety of healthy food to pass on nutrition to your little one. Take plenty of fluids, especially water as the fluid intake is necessary to increase breast milk supply. Including fibre rich diet will keep you away from issues, such as constipation, which is one of the most common issues that women face after having a baby.
Medicines: Your doctor may prescribe you the medicines that you can take to reduce the pain and recover faster. The medicines prescribed would vary if you are breastfeeding and if you are not breastfeeding your baby, so taking up such issues become even more important for you and your baby.
Take care of the Incision: Take proper care of the incision by keeping the wound clean and undisturbed for a faster recovery.
Don t compare your recovery to someone else s because the speed of recovery depends from person to person. Motherhood is an exciting phase of your life, so take care of yourself to have a speedy recovery and enjoy every moment of it.  Make memories and stay happy!

Had a C-Section - 5 Tips to Help You Recover from it

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