Lack of exercise and natural birth

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

hi ladies,

I have not been very active on this board but with my due date getting closer i am starting to research and plan for for my natural birth.

I had plans to do lots of yoga and exercise through out my pregnancy as i have heard that is so helpful for L&D. However i did not do a very good job with exercise or yoga this whole time.

I am now going into my third trimester and i am starting to do some stretching and trying to work out more. Am i too late? is this going to be really hard for me with only 3 months or less of exercise and stretching? I know its going to be hard no matter what but i want to be as prepared as possible.

So i guess my real question here is did any of you moms go through natural birth not being very active through out your pregnancy? did you wish you were more active? or were you still able to get through it?

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

she told me some moderate work outs is fine as i have worked out off and on but i just have not been extremely active and consistant on my work outs.

*LrCg* · January 2014

For my 1st birth, I worked out at least 4 times a week @45 minutes until about a week prior to my due date. I had a 4 hour natural birth. For my 3rd birth my exercise consisted of playing with my 2 & 3 year old- I had a 2 1/2 hour natural birth. My births are homebirths. They were both manageable and outside of each one getting faster there was no difference.

sschwege · January 2014

I have always been a healthy eater, but exercise has never been my strong point. It was no different when I was pregnant. My only exercise is walking to Starbucks for a coffee drink, which I really don't think counts for much. Anyway, first labor was 17.5 hours including an hour of pushing, second was 2.5 hours, pushed twice. I was tired of course, particularly after my first, but I don't think regular exercise would have made that much of a difference for me. Still had manageable, med-free births. I wouldn't worry!

HannahsHope · January 2014

My first pregnancy I did yoga from 23wks on. I ended up with a 31-hour prolonged labor w/ and epidural and pit, pushed for 45min. My second pregnancy I did yoga a handful of times throughout, and had a totally natural 15hr birth w/ 4 pushes. So its definitely possible. Don't stress yourself. Do some stretching, do a pregnancy yoga video if you can, and maintain a healthy diet. You'll get there

Don't let anything get in your head that you can't have a natural birth. I.e. "I can't have a natural birth because I didnt exersize". This isnt true!

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

Thank you ladies i appreciate the help!

DebateThis · January 2014

I was on bedrest and/or activity restriction for the majority of my pregnancy and delivered w/o pain meds (and with pitocin!).

Dreamingmommy4 · January 2014

I went into L&D with minimal exercise. I moved around daily, doing basic chores and tasks and I worked at a daycare with toddlers during my 1st and 2nd trimester. I was so tired during my 3rd tri that I did a lot of sitting around. This didn't have a large impact on how I was during L&D and recovery. I labored unmedicated for 16 hours. I did end up with an epi for the last 5 hours, but I more blame that on the lack of sleep (I only got 4 hours the night before labor) than the lack of exercise. I was able to deliver my 9lbs. 3oz. DD vaginally, unassisted. I lost all my preg weight very quickly and was feeling like my normal self within a month (I think that's a pretty normal timeframe for recovery from what I've heard from other moms). Just food for thought.

Want a personalized experience?

Lack of exercise and natural birth

Re: Lack of exercise and natural birth

Choose Another Board

Search Boards