Exercise ball for pregnancy is one of the many great tools expectant mothers should utilize and incorporate in their daily activities because during pregnancy, women are encouraged to maintain an overall active exercise program as this may help prevent the need for cesarean birth. The health of a pregnant mother is extremely important.
Generally, a woman who eats well and takes care of her own health provides a healthy environment for fetal growth and development. However, she may need instructions on exactly what constitutes a healthy lifestyle for herself and the baby. One of the things she should ask herself is, if she’s having the right amount of exercise and what type of exercise she can continue even with the presence of the growing fetus inside her.
Having and working out using the exercise ball for pregnancy has become a common practice and is becoming increasingly popular in birthing clinics. With the help of this exercise ball for pregnancy, women learn a variety of exercises that can strengthen their pelvic and abdominal muscles and make them more supple. Supple perineal muscles allow for ready stretching during birth, reducing discomfort. Strengthened muscles also quickly revert to their normal condition and function quickly and efficiently after childbirth. Here are some common form of pregnancy exercises with exercise ball for pregnancy that women can perform on a daily basis, depending of course on the condition of the mother while using the exercise ball for pregnancy. Most, if not all is for sitting and leaning.
Exercise Ball For Pregnancy Exercises
Deep breathing exercises – This is done by sitting erect on the exercise ball for pregnancy. The woman then inhales and exhales deeply. This step is done repeatedly and is esential before starting off with more complicated exercises because it limits the possibility of hyperventilation with rapid breathing patterns. Moreover, it helps ensure an adequate fetal oxygen supply, as is also a part of conditioned response. This is what is known as the exercise ball for pregnancy baby exercise.
Tailor siting - Although many women may be familiar with tailor sitting, they may have to be retaught the correct position in a way that stretches the perineal muscles without occluding blood supply to the lower legs. The woman should sit on the ball, supported by a signficant other, and places one leg in front of the other, not one ankle on top of the other. As she sits on the ball in this position, she should gently push on her kness toward the sides of the ball until she feels her perineum stretch. It is good to plan on sitting in
this position for 15 minutes everyday. By the end of pregnancy, the woman’s perineum should be supple so when she tailor sits, her knees will amost touch the sides of the exercise ball if pushed.
Squatting – Squatting also stretches perineal muscles and can be a useful position for the second stage of labor, so a woman should practice this position for about 15 minutes a day. For the pelvic muscles to stretch, the woman must keep her feet flat on the floor with hands stretched out to hold the ball for support. Squatting helps stretch the muscles of the pelvic floor.
Kegel exercses – This is on of the most common swiss ball pregnancy exercises prescribed by experts. Pelvic floor contractions are another activity that can be done during the daily activities. While sitting on the ball, the woman can tighten the muscles of the perineum. First, the woman should squeeze the muscles surrounding the vagina as if stopping the flow of urine. Holding it for 30 seconds then relaxing. This sequence may be repeated 10 times. Second, the woman contracts and relaxes the muscles surrounding the vagina as rapidly as possible 10 to 25 times. Imagining sitting in a bathtub of water and squeezing muscles as if sucking water into the vagina definitely helps . In addition to strengthening urinary control and preventing stress incontinence, Kegel exercise can lead to increased sexual enjoyment because of the tightened vaginal muscles.
Abdominal muscle contractions – Abdominal muscle contractions help strengthen the abdominal mucles during pregnancy and therefore help prevent constipation as well as help restore abdominal tone after pregnancy. Strong abdominal muscle can also contribute to effective second stage pushing during labor. This can be done by lying on the floor or matress while hugging the exercise ball. The woman with the weight of the ball on her abdominal muscles, tightens and relaxes them repeating the exrecise 10 to 15 times during the day.
Pelvic rocking – This activity aids in relieving backache during pregnancy and early labor by making the lumbar spine more flexible. It can be done favorably with the use of the exercise ball. The woman arches her back, hugging the ball to her chest, resting her head on top of it as she tries to lengthen or stretch her spine. She holds the position for 1minute then hollows her back. A woman can do this at the end of the day about 5 times to relieve back pain and make herself more comfortable for the night. This stability ball pregnancy exercise helps relieve the back pain.
Putting feet up – A pregnant woman who is still working during pregnancy requires her to be on her feet most of the day. The exercise ball can be use during lunch breaks to sit with her feet on the ball, elevated. This position promotes good blood circulation in the body.
Relieving varicosities – The exercise ball can be of great help as the woman lies on her back on the ball while she elevates her feet up the wall. This position while utlizing the ball in this manner helps prevent supine hypotensive syndrome and stimulates venous return.
Exercise Ball For Pregnancy Benefits
These are among of the many benefits the exercise ball has to offer. Make sure though that you clean the ball before using and check for any possible leaks. Always see to it that your caloric intake is adequate to meet not only the extra energy needs of pregnancy but those of the activities performed while using the exercise ball for pregnancy.