Preparing for Birth: Tips from a Pelvic Floor PT
This post was written by Melissa Morris PT, DPT of Ascent Physical Therapy and Performance. Melissa is a member of the Heybrook Provider Network. You can find all of our incredible go-to-experts here!
Congrats mama! You are getting so close to meeting your sweet little one. In this final stretch, there is so much anticipation and preparation going on. Of course, there is the practical preparation: organizing the nursery, washing baby clothes, and packing your hospital bag. But what about preparing for delivery?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today: a pelvic floor physical therapist’s perspective on how to prepare your body for labor and delivery. Below are some tried and true tips to help you mentally and physically prepare for birth!
Body Prep
The number one way to prepare your body for labor is working to stretch and relax your pelvic floor muscles. While there are numerous exercises that you can perform, here are some great exercises to prepare your pelvic floor for delivery to get you started.
Another way to prepare is perineal massage, which can help to reduce the risk of perineal tears in vaginal deliveries. Using clean hands and a gentle lubricant, insert your thumb or finger into the base of your vaginal opening. Add gentle pressure down and to the sides or make sweeping motions from one side to the other. You can perform this 3-5 times per week for about 5 minutes starting at 35 weeks. It will be uncomfortable at the start, so be gentle and gradually increase pressure over time.
Baby Prep
Baby’s position in the final trimester is crucial. The ideal position to allow baby to descend down and through the pelvic space is head down with their face facing your spine. Often baby will get there on their own, however, sometimes they need a little help. You can encourage baby to shift into that position by performing Inversions and Belly Down.
Inversions: Place your knees on the edge of a surface about 18 inches tall. Ease your way down to place your elbows on the ground so your shoulders are below your hips. Hold for about 30 seconds, then carefully return to an upright position. Hold the upright position for 30 seconds before standing up.
Belly Down: Get into a hands and knees position on the floor or bed. From here you can crawl forward and back, do Cat/Cow, or just rock side to side.
Each of these methods use gravity to our advantage to help position baby. You can start performing inversions and belly down positioning as early as 20 weeks. I generally recommend performing each once or twice per day. Be sure to talk with your provider about your baby’s positioning, as it may be beneficial to perform these more often.
Mind Prep
Let’s talk about breathing. Labor and delivery is hard, and breathing is a great tool to help manage and work through the pain of contractions and pushing. No matter your plan for your delivery (i.e. natural, epidural, c-section), practicing your breathing strategy beforehand is vital. There are two main breathing techniques:
Open Glottis Breathing: Exhale as you relax your pelvic floor and push
Closed Glottis Breathing: Hold breath as you relax your pelvic floor and push
The key for both options is that your pelvic floor muscles stay relaxed the whole time! I encourage all of my clients to practice both techniques, so that they can switch if it doesn’t feel right when the time comes.
These are just a few suggestions to help you prepare for delivery. If you want to learn more, check this out! Remember: this is not individual medical advice, so be sure to consult your provider or schedule a birth prep visit with a pelvic floor physical therapist to understand what’s best for you and your baby.