05/31/2018 / By Zoey Sky
According to a study, women can benefit from warm showers, perineal exercises with a ball, or the combination of both strategies during childbirth.
The results of the study revealed that these strategies have positive effects, especially when it comes to minimizing any anxiety, pain, or stress that a woman feels during labor.
The study, which was published in the International Journal of Nursing Practice, involved a randomized controlled trial.
The researchers observed 128 women during childbirth, and the participants were admitted for hospital birth in São Paulo, Brazil, from June 2013 to February 2014. (Related: Confirmed: Exercise during pregnancy yields many benefits for both mother and baby.)
Dr. Angelita José Henrique, the study’s lead author from the Federal University of São Paulo, explained that the research team gauged the women’s pain and anxiety through a visual analog scale. She added that they also measured the salivary release of stress hormones before and after the participants took warm showers and performed perineal exercises with a ball.
During the study, Dr. José Henrique et al. confirmed “found greater tolerance regarding pain, reduction of anxiety, a decrease in the release stress hormones, and an increase in well-being hormones” among the women.
She added that the study’s results suggest that both warm showers and perineal exercises with a ball are low-cost safe practices that must be encouraged among pregnant women. Dr. José Henrique also noted that these more “comfortable” complementary practices work better when used alongside anesthesia and medications during labor.
Perineal exercises target the perineum, or the area that starts from behind the vagina and vulva that goes all the way to the anus and rectum. The perineum also includes the back portion of the birth canal.
The tissues of the perineum make up a strong pelvic floor, and this allows humans to walk upright. A strong pelvic floor is also the reason why we don’t urinate every time we cough.
While these tissues need to be strong for proper daily functioning, they also have to be flexible enough to stretch during childbirth so the baby can pass through the birth canal.
Here are some exercises that you can try to induce labor the natural way:
You can read more articles about childbirth-inducing exercises and pregnancy tips at WomensHealth.news.
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Tagged Under: ball exercises, childbirth, exercise, giving birth, induced labor, labor, pain relief, pelvic muscles, perineal exercise, perineum, pregnancy, pregnancy exercises, prenatal care, stress, warm showers, women's health