Birthing Ball Exercises To Help Baby Move Down

Pregnant women and those in labor often find a birth ball indispensable throughout the process. The positioning allowed by the ball helps alleviate much of the pain and discomfort present throughout the last trimester and during birth. In addition to serving as a comfort measure for the laboring mom, professional labor attendants such as doulas, midwives and obstetricians, swear by its efficacy as a tool to help ensure proper positioning of the baby in the birth canal.

Seated

Sitting on the ball both before and during active labor can help your baby move downward and assume the optimal position for birth. Doulas Jennifer Reddy and Kelly Dietzen of Birth Angels suggest that pregnant women sit in an upright position with the top of their body as straight as possible. Try using a birth ball in lieu of a chair for a comfortable alternative during the last trimester. Rock, sway or gently bounce on the ball to expand your pelvis, which gives baby space to move down.
During active labor, midwife Gail Tully of Spinning Babies, advises laboring women to sit on the ball and move their bodies in vigorous circles to help gently push baby’s head down towards the cervix. Perform these circles in 20-minute increments, accompanied by lively music, changing the directions of the circles periodically. If contractions are more than 3 to 4 minutes apart, alternate abdominal lifts--performed by linking your hands under your belly and lifting it up--with the circles.

Leaning Over

Leaning on the ball throughout labor helps alleviate back pressure and lets you rock your pelvis from side to side, helping to relieve labor pains and encourage baby's descent. It also allows birth attendants easy access to your back for massages or to perform the double hip squeeze. According to doula and childbirth educator Penny Simkin, the double hip squeeze may ease pain by changing the shape of your pelvis and easing strain on your sacroiliac joints. In cases of posterior labor--one where the baby’s skull is located in the back of your pelvis, changing the shape of the pelvis helps give baby more room to descend. To perform it, place your hands on the sides of the woman’s hips, right beside the “meatiest” part of her bottom, and push inwards towards her pelvic center throughout the entire contraction.

Reclining in Bed

If you end up confined to bed during labor, you can also use the birth ball to progress labor and encourage the baby's descent. Obstetrician Diane Peterson recommends positioning the mom so that her knees are bent and the soles of her feet touch. Place the birth ball between her knees and ask her to lean forward, embrace the ball and rock from side to side. Lower the foot of the birthing bed to make the exercise easier. Make sure two birth attendants stand on each side of her to keep her from falling off the bed during the exercise. Peterson suggests this exercise can correct the baby’s head position if it is misaligned or help progress a posterior birth.