Exercise for normal delivery: what it can and cannot do

Check with your OB or midwife before you start. They know your pregnancy and can tell you what kind of movement fits it, and whether anything means you should hold back.

If you have searched for exercise for normal delivery, you have probably seen promises that a particular workout will give you a vaginal birth. It is kinder to be honest: no exercise can do that. The position of the baby, your health, your baby’s health and many other things shape how a birth goes, and some of the most prepared people still need a caesarean. That is not a failure on anyone’s part.

What gentle, regular movement can do is help you feel more at home in your body, more familiar with your breath, and more practised in positions you may want to use. That is worth having whatever kind of birth you end up with, and it is the aim of gentle prenatal lessons at home too: comfort and familiarity, never a promised outcome.

Breath

Slow breathing is the part of preparation you can practise anywhere, even on the most tired day.

• Sit comfortably on a cushion or a chair, with your back supported.
• Breathe in through the nose without forcing it.
• Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, soft and unhurried.
• Stay for a few minutes, and stop if you feel light-headed.

There is no breath holding and no forceful breathing in pregnancy. The aim is simply to get used to a calm, steady rhythm, so it feels familiar when you want it.

Mobility

Gentle mobility keeps the hips, back and pelvis moving as the belly grows. Commonly offered options include:

• The Cat-Cow stretch on hands and knees, with a gentle Cow and more time in the rounding.
• Pelvic circles, on hands and knees or sitting on a large, stable ball, if your OB or midwife is happy with that.
• A supported Butterfly Pose, with the spine upright and blocks under the knees.
• Walking, at a pace where you can still talk.

Keep every stretch mild. Ligaments loosen in pregnancy, which makes it easy to overstretch without noticing.

Positions

Getting to know a few upright and forward-leaning positions can help you feel more at ease with them. These are general comfort positions, not a method for bringing on labour:

• Kneeling and leaning forward over a bolster, a chair seat or the edge of a bed, like a wide-kneed Child’s Pose with height under the chest.
• Hands and knees, with the knees wide and padding underneath.
• A supported squat in Garland Pose, sitting on a block or two with something steady to hold. Some people are advised to avoid deep squats later in pregnancy, so ask first.
• Resting on your left side, with a pillow between the knees.

Your OB, your midwife or a birth educator can tell you which positions fit your birth plan and your hospital.

Fitting it into your week

Short and regular tends to suit pregnancy better than long and occasional. A few minutes of slow breathing before bed, some Cat-Cow in the morning and a walk on most days is a realistic rhythm for many people, if your OB or midwife agrees. On days when you are tired or unwell, rest is the right choice. It can help to practise the positions with your birth partner too, so the leaning and kneeling shapes feel familiar to both of you.

What to leave to your care team

This page does not suggest any practice to start labour. If you are near or past your due date and wondering about that, it is a conversation for your OB or midwife.

Stop and call your OB or midwife if

Stop straight away and contact your OB or midwife if you notice any of these:

• Bleeding from the vagina
• Fluid leaking from the vagina
• Regular, painful contractions
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Chest pain
• Pain or swelling in one calf
• Your baby moving less than usual

If it feels severe or you cannot reach them, call emergency services or go to the nearest hospital.

Practising with a teacher

I am certified in prenatal and postnatal (postpartum) yoga through Doula School International. In a private prenatal yoga lesson we can practise breath, mobility and comfortable positions at your pace, inside whatever your OB or midwife has advised, without any promise about the birth itself.