Are there any special exercises that can help me with the birth?
If the woman has been regularly active in sports during pregnancy and is physically fit, this can have a positive effect on the birth and the time afterwards. The following articles may also be of interest to you: Pelvic floor exercises, physiotherapy during pregnancy, exercises for the cervix during pregnancy
- Sports that train endurance. lead to the woman generally becoming more efficient and better able to cope with the birth process.
It has been shown that women who give birth are better able to cope with pain during childbirth than women who have not done any sport. They also needed less painkillers during childbirth.
- Furthermore, sports and exercises that train the pelvic floor or the pelvic floor muscles are suitable. These exercises can be done at home.
A trained pelvic floor musculature helps women to be able to control the birth better. It has also been shown that women usually have a good body feeling and can help more during the birth. A trained pelvic floor is advantageous after the birth, because it reduces the risk of suffering from incontinence later on and promotes regression after the birth.
- There are also Yoga and Pilates classes for pregnant women. There are pelvic floor and relaxation exercises that can be helpful during the birth. In a birth preparation course, the midwife teaches breathing techniques that lead to relaxation during the birth and make the pain easier to bear.
Can I go to the gym?
It is allowed to do sports in the gym during pregnancy. It does not matter whether the strengthening exercises are done on the machine in the gym or with the dumbbells at home. However, it is not recommended for women to start weight training on machines during pregnancy if it was not done before pregnancy.The strain would be too intense and unaccustomed for the pregnant woman.
However, light strengthening exercises and endurance sports are suitable for everyone and can be performed without hesitation if performed correctly. Trained women can continue to do weight training as usual, but the intensity should not be increased and should be adapted to the physical conditions during pregnancy. From the 20th week of pregnancy onwards, the straight abdominal muscles should no longer be actively trained.
The oblique abdominal muscles, however, can be trained until the end of the pregnancy. If you are in doubt as to which exercises can still be performed, you should ask the midwife or gynecologist for advice. It is important to ensure that the exercises are performed correctly during training in order to avoid injuries. In addition, it is important to make sure that you drink enough fluids during exercise.
