I wonder how many woman who've given birth here know about training for labour and delivery?
By training I mean working out for it . . . as you would if preparing for a marathon or any other great physical activity.
Specifically, working out the cervix carefully (beyond just kegels, though kegels are the minimum; working out each section of the cervix going from the opening at your vagina all the way up to the uterus); then back exercises, lunges/squats, pelvic tilts, etc.
Then there is also learning how to relax the pelvic floor and opening oneself up completely in preparation for the delivery of the baby.
Is this uncommon or common?
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I trained during my pregnancy starting from around 2 or 3 months in and am convinced this is how I managed to have a problem-free home birth. I swam, did prenatal yoga which included the above exercises (we did them at home as well inbetween classes.) I did weight training in my 2nd trimester along with continuing cardio. I walked for 2-3 hrs everyday just as I do now (but back then I did it with all the weight inside of me instead of outside of me.)
I credit the exercise as to why I didn't feel any pain at all after delivery, I was completely fine although I was in shock that V was no longer built-in and finally outside of me. Apparently some women are sore afterward. My midwife was very surprised I didn't feel sore the next day -- anywhere (some women feel sore everywhere, from clenching and straining and all that.)
A mommy blogger wrote about how these exercises are a secret amongst mothers though and I was quite surprised as I thought it was common knowledge. I wonder if doctors recommend this sort of thing or are women just left in the dark and just offered an epidural in lieu of being told to prepare for the labour, and then given pain killers afterward(?)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
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4 comments:
Dunno. Here's my two cents. I did all the same preparatory work (and my OB was a huge Kegels fan; she was a very helpful partner), and I was a marathon runner/yoga-head in excellent condition ("she says modestly") and at my ideal weight, and I still had a very complicated birth ending in an emergency c-section.
On the other hand, some women who don't prepare at all have problem-free births.
Birth is often unpredictable, and sometimes all the planning in the world doesn't affect the outcome.
For me, the final payoff of the physical conditioning was a strong sense of mental confidence, that I could get through it no matter what, even if the physical birth didn't play out as I expected. So it was worthwhile. (And I returned to pre-baby weight quickly and didn't get stretch marks - perhaps due to physical training, perhaps not.)
Laura I think you're absolutely right. Your comment made a lot of sense.
I read it again this morning and the only thing I'd add to it is that I think the "training" does increase the chances of a good labour and delivery. Just like how eating right and exercise decreases the chance of disease.
You are the one person who has commented saying that your OB told you about kegels (I also posted this on my friends-only journal.) Thanks so much for sharing that as well -- good anecdotal evidence for me as everyone else kept saying OBs are rubbish and I knew there had to be SOME good ones :)
My OB never mentioned Kegels, although she did ask me how active I was (I was a runner at that time) and encouraged me to stay active (but dropping down to walking if I got uncomfortable).
However, I read A LOT when I was pregnant, and so learned about kegels and other ways to physically prep my body.
Unfortunately, I did almost none of it. I think I did kegels twice. I pretty much stopped walking entirely. And my diet went out the window. During most of my pregnancy, my mom was slowly dying of cancer. Taking care of myself was not a top priority, and I ended my pregnancy by gaining too much weight and being totally out of shape.
I got the epidural (Hubby did not support natural childbirth, which was one reason I think I went with the pain meds. He's in the medical field and believes that throwing drugs at a condition is the best way to treat it. We don't agree on that philosophy... but I just didn't have the support I needed from him for natural childbirth. Also, I kinda hate pain, too. lol) I ended up with a vaginal delivery using a vacuum. At the time I was ready for anything... I would have willingly accepted a C-section, too. I had no preconceived notions... I was grieving for my mom.
Anyway, I try and do kegels sometimes now. ;) But I still forget.
Oh Bitsy, that sounds so hard!
Thank you for sharing.
(my diet also went out the window when I got pregnant, I couldn't handle whole grains so went to white bread, began baking and to this day eat baked goods everyday.)
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