Preparing Your Pelvis for Birth: Essential Stretches and Positions

Preparing Your Pelvis for Birth: Essential Stretches and Positions for birth preparation

As you move through labour, your baby has to navigate different parts of your pelvis. Knowing which stretches and positions to use for during each phase of labour can help your baby descend smoothly and reduce labour stalls. Let’s break down the stages of labour and the movements that can assist you at each step.

Stage 1: Early Labour to Full Dilation

1. Early Labour
When contractions are 10-40 minutes apart, you can usually go about your day as normal. This phase can last anywhere from 5 minutes to a day.

2. Bridging
Contractions are now 5-10 minutes apart, and dilation begins. You'll need some support during contractions as your body starts to prepare for active labour.

3. Active Contractions
Contractions ramp up, occurring every 2-5 minutes, and your dilation increases up to 8cm.

4. Transition
Your stress hormones rise to prepare your body for pushing. Contractions are 2-3 minutes apart, and you are fully dilated.

Specific movements and positions can support the different phases of labour and descent of bub: (check out reel)

Phases 1-2: Engaging the Baby
Help your baby engage with labour positions that open the top of the pelvis:

• Deep Squat: Use a yoga block for extra support.

• Posterior Tilt on a Fit Ball: Gentle rocking in this position can help.

Phase 3: Mid-Pelvis Opening
Open up the mid-pelvis to support the baby’s gentle twist as they descend. Asymmetric movements are great for this. This will also stretches the posterior pelvic floor muscles and release tension there.

• Adductor Rocks: These side-to-side movements help loosen the pelvic area.

• Hip Shifts: Try cat-cow or a hanging stretch to create more space.

Phase 4: Pelvic Outlet Widening
Assist your baby’s exit by widening the pelvic outlet. Optimising the pelvic outlet width with:

• Hero Pose with Knees In: Use a yoga block for extra support.

• Hero Pose Rocks with a Fit Ball: Gentle rocking can facilitate movement.

Stage 2: Pushing Phase
For the final stage, a position with hip flexion and internal rotation is recommended to help facilitate the baby’s descent through the pelvic outlet.

Conclusion

Understanding and utilising specific movements and labour positions during each phase of labour can significantly aid in the descent and rotation of your baby, making the process smoother and potentially shortening the duration of labour. Each stage requires different techniques to open the top, mid, and lower pelvis effectively.

Looking for more guidance on how to prep for birth? You can find all of these positions within the labour prep sessions in my Prenatal STRONG fitness program. For more detailed information and visual aids, check out my labour prep reel with the specific stretches.

Liesbeth
Master in Pelvic Health Physiotherapy - University of Antwerp, Belgium