Pregnant? Exercise Tips from Your Osteopath

If you are pregnant, you may find these tips to get your baby into the right position helpful

• It’s Generally Important to Keep Exercising Throughout Your Pregnancy (in other words, ‘Don’t Be A Couch Potato!’)
• Keep Mobile – Keep Flexible.  Yoga is a great exercise option.  Swimming is also excellent
• Going up and down steps helps to get you fit and keep you that way
• When sitting, don’t slouch!  Sit leaning forwards with your hips higher than your knees (it’s called the Jockey Position).  This means that either you need to use a hard dining chair but sit on it ‘backwards’, so that your arms can rest on the chair back – or sit on an exercise ball – or, in the evenings say, you can kneel on the floor in front of an Exercise Ball, leaning foward to rest your elbows and forearms on it
• All these positions help to keep baby forward in your tummy, allowing him or her to turn and move more easily, rather than getting stuck against your spine
• When you go into labour, try to avoid lying on your back (it compresses your pelvis and may slow down the labour unnecessarily).  Lying on your side, or sitting with support, or squatting, or standing are all much better options.  Follow your instincts as your body will usually be your best guide
• Caesarean section rates of firstborn babies are increasing in Australian hospitals.  We hope that our advice helps you to have a straightforward unassisted labour.