Written by Simran Dolwani
When it comes to inducing labor naturally and safely, simple exercises like butterfly poses prove to be effective. Many times, when the due date passes, women try to induce labor by engaging in physical activity. They do workouts like butterfly exercises to induce labor when there’s no sign of labor approaching. But is it safe?
Well, butterfly exercises are safe during pregnancy, but it’s always better to consult your doctor before engaging in any physical activity. In this article, we’ll give you deep insights into butterfly exercises and how they can help with labor.
In This Article
The butterfly exercise stretches, lengthens, and strengthens your muscles to prepare for labor. It develops flexibility and power, especially in your pelvic floor, thigh, and back, for a smooth delivery. Plus, it improves joint mobility in the lower limbs. This helps with easy childbirth and may lower the chances of a cesarean delivery (1).
You may include butterfly stretches in your pregnancy workout routine. This can help in many ways, such as:
Besides inducing labor, butterfly exercises aid in promoting relaxation in the muscles. They relieve pressure and tightness in the lower body muscles to reduce pain and discomfort. Further, stretching helps reduce low back pain (2). Plus, it assists in managing post-delivery symptoms like urinary incontinence, weakness, etc. (3)
A growing baby bump may affect your posture, which could cause instability and muscle weakness. Butterfly exercises can assist in improving your posture and helping with lordosis while building muscle strength (4). Further, this ensures better control of your body.
Mood swings, anxiety, stress, and depression are common in pregnancy. However, yoga poses like butterfly exercises help maintain emotional balance in the body by inducing stress-repressors (hormones). And thus, this keeps you in a happy mood and stress-free (5).
Butterfly poses are one of the great workout exercises to give your body a quick stretch. Here’s how a typical butterfly stretch is performed:
There are multiple variations of butterfly poses. You can combine two or more variations or perform any based on your preferences. These variations are:
This pose is one of the easiest and least-rigorous butterfly poses. You can use a cushion and place it below your back and shoulders while doing this stretch. The steps are:
As the name suggests, this exercise requires forward bending. You can place a pillow or cushion in front to support your forehead. The steps include:
The butterfly exercise to induce labor can be helpful when expecting a risk-free delivery. It can be a great way to stretch your body while easing the pain of childbirth. However, it’s a good idea to consult your healthcare provider before adding butterfly stretches to your exercise routine.
Women with risky pregnancies may avoid the butterfly exercise. Further, it might not be a perfect exercise for those with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases.
Butterfly stretches can be most beneficial during the third trimester. They may help with inducing labor and facilitating easy delivery.
Yes, butterfly stretches promote a healthy delivery. They strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and support easy labor and delivery.
References
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