Prepare your body for the big day with some simple exercises that can help encourage baby to move down and into a good position
Words: Sarah Sellens | Photography: Sarah Campus
Anxious to meet your little one? While the end of the third trimester can bring about a mixture of emotions – anxiety, excitement, fear, impatience – most mums-to-be agree that they’re keen to get the show on the road. But for peace of mind, you’ll likely want baby to be in the optimal position for labour (head down and facing your back), and this is where exercise can help. Some gentle movement a great way to keep your mind occupied in those final days, and it can also help to prime your body for labour.
‘If your midwife has said that your baby is back-to-back, there’s still a big chance that they’ll move,’ explains personal trainer Sarah Campus, founder of LDN MUMS FITNESS (ldnmumsfitness.com). ‘While there’s definitely no right or wrong position for your baby to hang out in your womb, labour’s reportedly easier if they’re facing a certain way – head down with their tummy facing your back – and doing the right exercises during pregnancy can help with foetal positioning by creating balance in the pelvis.’ Why does this matter so much? Because a balanced pelvis helps bubba find the best way to navigate down and out. Phew!
The key is to focus on positions that tilt your pelvis and belly forward. These include sitting on a birthing ball, sitting upright on a chair with knees lower than pelvis (try placing a cushion under your bottom), sleeping on your side, swimming on your front and doing pelvic tilts. ‘Avoid crossing your legs, raising your legs when sitting down, or leaning back on a sofa,’ adds Sarah. Ready for the big day? Try Sarah’s prenatal moves to prepare your body (and mind!).
Hip circles
Benefits: Figure-of-eight movements, either standing, kneeling or sitting on a birthing ball, make room in the pelvis for the baby to rotate from the right to the left, and from posterior to anterior.
- Start on all-fours with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Make a figure-of eight movement by lifting one hip and rolling it forward (A), while dropping the other hip as it rolls back (B).
- Drop the lower hip so that it is 45 degrees lower than the higher hip.
- Repeat eight-10 times in each direction and be sure to listen to your body as to what feels comfortable.
- Once you’re in the third trimester, do this move three times a day for up to 20 minutes total.
Deep squat
Benefits: Doing squats before and during labour can help progress things along by bringing the baby down into the pelvis.
- Place your feet about shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing out slightly.
- Bend your knees and descend as low as is comfortable, exhaling on the way down (A).
- Hold for five-10 deep breaths then fold forward and place your hands near your feet as you rise, vertebrae by vertebrae (B).
- Perform several times daily.
TIP: While working on these squats to induce labour, keep your knees pointing out as you slowly return to the starting position on the inhale.
Forward lunges
Benefits: Forward lunges can open the hips and change the mechanics of the pelvis. You can do this during or in-between having a contraction.
- Face forward with a chair (or stool) to your side if necessary. Hold on to the back of the chair if using.
- Stagger your feet, the left foot is forward and right foot is behind, then come into a low lunge position (A).
- Breathing deeply and slowly, rock gently towards the front knee and back for 20-30 seconds then switch sides. Listen to your body as to what feels comfortable.
Cat/Cow
Benefits: This move improves flexibility, increases circulation and promotes a healthy range of motion in the lower back and pelvic region. It can help to move baby into a more comfortable position if you are experiencing back pain, plus it is one of the best moves for helping baby move from a posterior position (the one that causes “back labour”) to an anterior position.
- Start on all-fours with hands and knees on the ground: hands directly under shoulders; knees and feet hip-width apart.
- As you inhale, lift the head up to gaze up towards the ceiling (A).
- As you exhale, round your back like a cat and push the centre of the back up to the ceiling as far as possible, pressing your hands into the ground (B).
- Continue alternating for 20-30 seconds.
Calf stretches
Benefits: Helps to release tension in the lower body. This stretch elongates the muscle that leads all the way up to the pelvic floor.
- Stand straight, holding on to a chair if necessary, and place the left leg on the ground with the knee straight and heel flat on the floor; extend the right leg out in front of you with toes raised.
- Slowly bend your elbows and left knee, and shift your hips back until you feel a stretch in your right calf (pictured).
- Hold this position for 30-60 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
Sarah Campus is a highly qualified women’s PT, nutrition coach, mum of three and founder of LDN MUMS FITNESS. As a fitness and holistic wellness expert, Sarah regularly features on TV and in magazines, offering tips and advice to keep the whole family healthy and active. Visit ldnmumsfitness.com and instagram.com/ldnmumsfitness
