Exercise Ball During Pregnancy

What Size Birthing Ball Should You Buy?

Investing in a birthing ball is one of the best decisions you can make during pregnancy. After all, it helps ease pain and ensure your fitness during pregnancy (1). When it comes to finding the right-sized birthing ball, here are a few steps you can follow;

1. Sit on the ball just like you sit on a chair.
2. Your hips should align with your knees perpendicularly while your feet are down, touching the floor. Some experts suggest that the hips maybe 5 to 8 centimeters higher than the knees, if not perpendicularly.
3. During this position, the baby’s weight comes forward, thus relieving pressure on the back. Further, your hips shouldn’t lie below the knees because this narrows pelvic opening and might change the baby’s position in the womb.

Typically, birthing balls come in three sizes;
If you’re under 162 centimeters, a 55cm birth ball may suit you. A 65cm ball is perfect for those having a height between 162 to 177cm (2). Those with a height of 177cm and above can try a 75cm ball.

When To Start Using a Birthing Ball?

You can use a birthing ball during any stage of your pregnancy. Usually, most women use it around the second or third trimester (3). If you’re using a birth ball in the late pregnancy phase or around 32 weeks, it’s good to try gentle and less intensive exercises. Find a comfortable and correct position. This will help manage pain and get your baby in the right position for easy delivery.

How To Use Exercise Ball During Pregnancy?

Even though the exercise ball is of durable material, it is anti-slippery as well. Yet, to use the exercise ball, one needs to set it up right by following the steps:

• It is important to have legs apart, feet in a flat position.
• Position yourself in the center
• The hips need to be higher than the knees.
• In case one does not get the balance, the back of the chair is of great support.

Can Birthing Ball Help Turn Breech Baby?

Yes, sitting in an upright position on a birthing ball helps in changing the position of the baby. It helps to turn from a posterior to an anterior position. Birthing balls offer a good posture when sitting for long. Apart from that, one can play good music for the baby to lure down to the pelvis.

Can Bouncing On A Ball Break Your Water?

Yes, bouncing on a ball has chances for breaking the water. Using a birthing ball at the time of labor will help to reduce the pain. Even if the water breaks, the birth ball can of use. One needs to ensure, though, that a towel or an absorbent material covers it.

What Are The Advantages Of Exercise Ball During Pregnancy?

Comfort is of utmost importance for the mother during pregnancy. This phase is full of physical and emotional changes. Getting comfort at any stage of pregnancy is a tough deal. Fitness keeps one going, and pregnancy is no exception. Trying too many new things is, although not a great choice. It is best to use the exercise ball, which is safe and full of benefits for the expectant mother.

An exercise ball helps in enhancing the posture. This is important in the later stages of pregnancy. This ball also helps in sitting for prolonged hours while watching TV. It helps in the even distribution of body weight.

Additionally, the exercise ball is advantageous in the following ways:

• It helps to relieve the spinal pain as well [4].
• It offers support to the ankles as well as the knees.
• Helps to enhance proper blood circulation to the baby through the placenta.
• Sitting in an upright position helps the baby to descend to the pelvis.
• One can try to lean forward, bounce, rock to help the baby go down.
• It helps to position the baby in the correct position before birth.
• It is also known to relieve stress, pelvic, or abdomen pain.
• Helps in maintaining a good posture [5].
• It even offers support to the thighs.

Can You Do Exercises With a Birthing Ball?

Using a birthing ball in pregnancy is a great way to stretch your body and strengthen your muscles. Exercising with it improves your posture, balance, and coordination. When you bounce on it or push it back and forth, your back and abdomen muscles stretch. Plus, it will distribute your extra weight evenly throughout the body. This releases pressure on the spine, hip joints, knees, and ankles while reducing pain.

How Can a Birthing Ball Help With Labor?

As you know, pain, stiffness, and pressure are common during pregnancy- exercising is one of the ways to tackle these. Adding a birthing ball to your workout routine serves as a perfect prop to perform pregnancy-safe exercises. It’s a great tool to ease your pregnancy and labor. Sitting on a birthing ball stretches your body muscles and releases tension. This relieves pressure and improves flexibility for easy childbirth (6).

Simple Birthing Ball Exercises to Try

Exercising on a birthing ball is a fun activity that gives you a 360-degree workout experience. Exercising on it keeps you refreshed while giving your body a quick stretch. Here are the best 3 birthing ball exercises that you can try at home;

Side-to-side Hip

If typical pre-natal workouts aren’t your type, try this easy side-to-side hip stretch. This exercise releases tightness in hip flexors and increases the joint (hip range of motion). Follow the steps to do this;

• Sit on the ball, flexing your knees.
• Move your hips from right to left and vice-versa.
• While moving, transfer your weight to the hips (glutes) to feel the tension.
• Switch the direction and repeat 10 to 15 times or as per your capacity.

Stability Ball Rollout

Stability ab or core ball rollout strengthens your core, back, and shoulder muscles. It’s meant to enhance your postural stability and flexibility. Here’s how to do it.

1. Flex your knees in a bending position and keep them a width apart.
2. Lie your trunk on the ball and rest on it, placing your hands.
3. Stabilize your back and core, and move the ball away from you slowly. You can go far apart as long as your arms extend.
4. Hold the position for 5 seconds and bend the elbow to get back to the previous position.
5. Repeat it 5 to 10 times while maintaining your balance.

Wall Ball Squat

Wall ball squats target the major muscle groups. The exercise enhances balance, endurance, and joint range of motion. Furthermore, it helps induce labor (7). Below are the steps to wall ball squats correctly.

1. Place the ball between your lower back and the wall.
2. Kneel slowly, keeping your feet apart.
3. Slide your lower body down into a squat position while leaning on the ball.
4. Keep your shoulders, knees, and hips in a squat sitting-like position.
5. Stop when your quadriceps lie parallel to the floor. Ensure you don’t go below the knee level.
6. Hold the position for 5 seconds and go back to the normal position.
7. Repeat it for 5 to 10 times.

When Should You Not Use Exercise Ball During Pregnancy?

Exercise ball though is beneficial at all stages of pregnancy. It helps the mother to maintain a good balance and posture. At the same time, it helps to relieve stress and aches. Yet there are certain exceptions where one needs to take medical consultation and then go ahead. The cautious situations are:

• Any severe heart disease
• Lung disorder
• Cervix issues
• Many gestation issues.
• Premature labor symptom
• Heavy bleeding or spotting
• Placenta previa post 26 weeks gestation.

Thus, pregnancy, labor, and delivery are not easy for the body. Since all women have different bodies, the experiences differ as well. Still, the problems are almost similar. Using a birthing ball helps in a smooth delivery. It relieves stress, aches, or other issues. The only important thing is to be vigilant and do exercises while pregnant. One needs to be careful while sitting on the exercise ball and have proper balance.  It is prudent to be fit, eat healthily, and be active for a healthy and happy child.

FAQ’s

1. How Many Weeks Pregnant Can You Use a Birthing Ball?

You can use a birthing ball in any pregnancy stage. Bouncing and stretching from the 32nd week prepares you for labor and strengthens your muscles for easy childbirth.

2. Are Exercise Balls Good for Pregnancy?

Pregnancy birth balls are great for effective workouts. They can help during pregnancy, promoting labor and managing post-delivery conditions like weak pelvic floor.

3. Can a Birthing Ball Induce Labor?

Yes, birthing balls prepare you for labor by widening your pelvis and inducing cervical dilation. You can do simple exercises like bouncing, rotations, etc., to upgrade your regular workouts.

4. Is It Safe to Bounce on a Birthing Ball While Pregnant?

Exercising on a birthing ball is safe. It helps improve your overall fitness while easing your pregnancy journey.

References –

1. The Effect of Birthing Ball Exercises on Labor Pain and Labor Outcome Among Primigraviade Parturient Mothers at a Tertiary Care Hospital
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10097428/

2. Birth ball for pregnant women in labour research protocol: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-019-2305-8

3. The Effect of Birth Ball Exercises during Pregnancy on Mode of Delivery in Primiparous Women
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312549683

4. Birth ball for pregnant women in labour research protocol: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6501451/

5. Effects of birth ball exercise on pain and self-efficacy during childbirth: A randomised controlled trial in Taiwan
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266613811000192

6. Effects of birth ball exercises on labor pain and childbirth satisfaction
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288804266

7. The Impact of Birth Ball Exercises on Mode of Delivery and Length of Labor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340721007