Exercises During Delivery

Women who exercise regulary during their pregnancy will enjoy it’s benefits at the time of delivery. Delivery for such women will be easy and without much pains. Let us see some exercises which can be done during the delivery period.
Physical and Mental Relaxation Exercise: This exercise is to be done in the sleeping position. Do the relaxation exercise in the following order:
1) Relax your forehead. Do not bring wrinkles on your forehead.
2) Slowly loosen your jaws and relax them.
3) Loosen your shoulders.
4) Elbows and hands should be loose. Hands should be spread away from the body.
5) Hands and fingers should not be tight. Keep them loose.
6) Also loosen your legs.
Better relaxation is possible if someone moves his/her hand over your forehead, shoulders and back. Do this process in between two labour pains. Relaxing helps in proper circulation of oxygen to the body. Also try and relax your face. Automatically your whole body will get relax.

Types of breathing exercise for relaxation:
1) Breathing in synchronisation
a) Deep breathing: Breathe deeply through your nose and fill your lungs. Release air through your mouth.
b) Breathing slowly: Put your hands on your hip. Then slowly breathe. Release air slowly through your mouth as if you blow a baloon. Do this exercise twice.
c) Breathing upto the jaws: In this process say "OUT" and put emphasize on "T". Breathing automatically takes place.
Repeat deep breathing exercise.

2) Low breathing: Breathe low for two times and then blow air out. Keep doing this until the urge to push baby outside is stopped. This exercise is to be done when the cervix is closed. Do this exercise regularly and prevent swelling of the cervix.

3) Breathing during final push out:
a) Place your head comfortably on one or two pillows.
b) Breathe normally through nose and release air through the mouth.
c) Breathe again.
d) Now take a deep breath and hold.
e) Touch your chin to your chest.
f) This is the right moment to apply full force. The force applied will push the child down. If you find difficult holding your breath, then release it. Again take a deep breath and hold for sometime.
e) Release your breath and relax.
You should do the above exercise when you know that the cervix is open.