Athletic Preparations for Childbirth

For what could be the most important athletic event of an expectant mom’s life, it’s worthwhile to do the research and prepare for delivery day as any athlete would. Doctors and other health providers will have their contributions to make, but it is ultimately up to mom to make the experience a positive one. Since certain conditions may require special precautions with exercising to ensure the safety and viability of pregnancy, all preparations should be approved by the primary health provider beforehand.

Breathing

A major step to keeping both the emotional and the physical stress of labor under control is to learn the beneficial breathing patterns taught by experts in childbirth, and yoga for pregnancy, classes. The research-based breathing techniques for pregnancy should be learned as early as possible, as they will be useful throughout pregnancy as well as on the big day.

General Fitness

General exercise routines tend to focus on increasing the heart, circulatory strength, building lean muscle, and pregnancy exercise programs tend to do the same. While experts do still warn of over-exertion, moderately strenuous exercise (such as walking for two miles) has been proven safe during pregnancy in several studies.

In fact, the benefits are so many that not exercising may possibly be a bigger threat to a healthy delivery. It has been found that an endurance exercise program during pregnancy can help reduce the rate of Cesarean delivery, decrease the number of delivery complications and lead to an average delivery time of five days earlier than non-exercising moms.

When to Start the Labor Diet

Athletes regularly use an endurance diet for three days prior to events to ensure optimum performance. This consists of a balance of complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats from seeds and nuts, and plenty of water. Research suggests that women can use this diet in preparation for labor. Of course, the problem comes in trying to predict when labor will begin. Though it may seem impossible, there are several signs of impending labor that are likely to give days or even weeks of advance notice.

The strategies outlined above will help ensure a greater supply of energy, not just for delivery but throughout the pregnancy.

There is so much more to learn, and expecting moms should consider attending pregnancy classes. This is a great way to become familiar with the facilities and procedures. Pregnancy experts can help answer questions about optional procedures such as cord blood banking where the umbilical cord blood is collected to potentially be used in the treatment of a future medical condition for the child or possibly a sibling. Other expecting mothers are also another great resource to turn to for sharing experiences and providing guidance.

“This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche.  If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact her via twitter @moorekm26.”

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