Top 9 Kegel exercises for pregnant women to ease delivery

Strengthening certain muscles during pregnancy is very important, especially pelvic floor muscles. These muscles help make childbirth smooth and easy. Kegel exercises can help strengthen these muscles.

Kegel exercises Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle exercises, strengthen the pelvic muscles and support the uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum. These exercises are especially useful for pregnant women to prepare the body before birth and keep fit.

In this article we will learn about the benefits of Kegel exercises for pregnant women and the best Kegel exercises a pregnant woman can do.

Benefits of Kegel exercises for pregnant women

Kegel exercises offer important benefits for pregnant women, Including the following:-

1. Easier labor and delivery

Doing Kegel exercises during pregnancy can make it less painful. These exercises involve poses and stretches that keep your pelvic floor muscles active, which helps with delivery. They also train your body to control itself during labor.

2. Control over the bladder

One annoying pregnancy issue is frequent urination caused by the uterus expanding and pressing on the bladder. Strengthening pelvic muscles with exercises can improve sphincter and urethra function, giving better bladder control.

3. Stop leaks after birth

Since pelvic muscles work hard during birth, they can get weak or a bit loose. Doing Kegel exercises can help tighten the muscles and prevent unwanted leaks when sneezing or coughing.

4. Healing pelvic muscles

After pregnancy, a woman needs to regain strength and heal. Kegel exercises can help increase blood flow and speed up healing of the perineal muscles. They also promote new muscle tissue growth, which helps repair muscles that might have torn during pregnancy and birth.

5. Regaining fitness

Kegel exercises definitely help women get back their fitness after pregnancy and speed up returning to pre-pregnancy shape. They also help tighten vaginal muscles.

Top 9 Kegel exercises for pregnant women to ease childbirth

1. Tailor sit exercise

Tailor sit is a basic exercise that pregnant women can easily do to strengthen pelvic muscles.

- How to do this exercise

1. Start by sitting on the floor with your back straight.

2. Bring the soles of your feet together inward.

3. Bend gently forward until you feel a slight stretch in your hip and thigh muscles, keeping your back straight.

4. Do not press your legs with your hands.

5. Tighten your pelvic muscles and count to 5.

6. Relax, and repeat.

2. Tailor Press Exercise

The Tailor Press exercise helps reduce back pain and improves blood circulation. Also, during this exercise, the baby gets some extra space as the uterus moves forward.

- How to do the exercise

1. Start by sitting on the floor with your back straight.

2. Bring the soles of your feet together.

3. Place your hands under the ankles and pull them slightly toward your body.

4. Put your hands under your knees and take a breath in.

5. Press your knees down.

6. Push your hands on your knees and push them a bit upwards.

7. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles for about 10 seconds.

8. Exhale and relax the muscles.

3. Garland Pose Exercise

The Garland pose exercise is very important to prevent urinary tract infections and pelvic floor dysfunction during pregnancy.

- How to do this exercise

1. Sit on the floor on your feet, not your butt, and lean forward slightly.

2. Pull up your pelvic floor muscles like you're trying to stop urine from flowing.

3. Once you can pull the pelvic muscles, hold them tight for 10 seconds, then relax for 10 seconds, and repeat.

4. Do this 10-15 times daily, regularly, for three sets.

4. Pelvic Tilt Exercise

Pelvic Tilt exercise is a helpful Kegel move for keeping belly tension. It's kind of like angry cat yoga.

- How to do this exercise

1. Lie flat on the floor with your back flat down. Tighten your butt and belly muscles.

2. Bend your knees and keep your feet planted on the ground.

3. Gently lift your pelvic muscles upwards.

4. Hold this position for about 10 seconds.

5. Squats exercise

Doing squats keeps pelvic muscles moving during pregnancy so they don't get weak. Squat muscles also help open the hips. Pregnant women don’t need to use weights for this. It’s great for the first stage of pregnancy.

- How to do this exercise

1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Your toes should point upward.

3. You can stretch your arms forward for extra support.

4. Lower your hips into a squat position, go down till you feel comfortable without forcing yourself.

5. Keep the position for about 5 seconds or as long as you can, then push back to the start position.

6. Repeat this exercise 10-15 times daily.

6. Breathing Exercise

Hormone changes can cause problems for pregnant women. Sometimes some women feel like they can't get enough air because the uterus pushes the diaphragm up during pregnancy, which lowers lung capacity.

- How to do this exercise

1. Sit comfortably, like in a yoga pose.

2. Start by breathing normally.

3. Slowly take a deep breath in through your nose.

4. When your lungs fill with air, let your stomach and chest rise.

5. Exhale fully but this time through your mouth.

7. Reclined Cobbler Pose exercise

There is a lot of pressure on the pelvic floor during pregnancy, especially in the last month. The Reclined cobber Pose helps relax the muscles, reduce tension, and lower pressure in the lower body.

- How to do this exercise

1. Use a cushion and a large block to support your body, then sit upright comfortably.

2. Bring the soles of your feet together.

3. Then fold your legs inward.

4. Press your knees down gently.

5. Hold the position just until you feel comfortable.

8. Bridge exercise

The bridge exercise works to strengthen the hip muscles.

- How to do this exercise

1. Lie down on the floor with your back flat on the ground.

2. Place your arms on the ground to support your body.

3. Lift your hips off the floor, keeping your feet firmly on the ground.

4. You can also use a Swiss ball to help with balance.

5. Hold the position for about 45 seconds or as long as comfortable.

6. Lower down, then repeat.

9. Bird dog exercise

The Bird dog exercise is great for engaging all muscles at once, including the pelvic floor. It's a perfect exercise during the second trimester of pregnancy.

- How to do this exercise

1. Get on all fours, with hands and knees on the floor. Hands should be under shoulders, knees under hips.

2. Keep your spine straight.

3. Lift one hand and the opposite leg, raising them off the ground and stretching them out.

4. When you feel belly pressure, move the raised hand and leg in and out.

5. Repeat this 10-15 times on each side.

In the end, Kegel exercises boost core strength, but at first, holding the poses and sticking to the workout for the set time might be tough. Still, you should hold the positions according to your body's comfort and gradually increase over time without pushing it.

Article source.