Birthing balls are large inflatable balls originally used by physical therapists, but birthing professionals discovered they were also useful during pregnancy and labor. They are available in different sizes, depending on the height of the woman. Peninsula Regional Medical Center reports that birthing balls can be used in several different positions to aid in relaxation, pain relief and muscle strengthening.
Step 1
Carefully sit down on your birth ball, holding it with your hands for stabilization and support. Your knees should be at a 90-degree angle when seated. If not, the ball may not be the proper size. Sit on your birthing ball throughout pregnancy to strengthen your abdominal and back muscles. Pregnancy can place a lot of strain on the lower back muscles. Using the birth beginning early in pregnancy can help strengthen these muscles, helping to prevent lower back pain later in pregnancy.
Step 2
Sit on the birth ball during the final four to six weeks of pregnancy to encourage the baby to engage into the pelvis into proper head down, rear facing position. The Arizona Doulas Organization and Birth Education Association notes that sitting on a birth ball requires expectant mothers to use good posture and also opens the pelvis by 30 percent.
Step 3
Lean over the birthing ball with your upper body completely resting on the ball during the final months of pregnancy to relieve discomfort. To encourage a baby to turn to an occipito-anterior position, or head down and facing the mother's back, leaning over the birth ball can help. When you rest your upper body on a birth ball, your belly hangs downward and gravity helps pull the baby's back, which is its heaviest part downward, rotating the baby into the occipito-anterior position. This position is beneficial during labor because it takes pressure off of the mothers back, and can allow for a faster labor. This exercise is beneficial during the third trimester, and during labor.
Step 4
Sit on the birthing ball during labor to promote dilation of the cervix, and to allow gravity to assist the baby in descending into the birth canal. Birthing balls are helpful during labor because women are able to sway back and forth, bounce, or move in any way that is comfortable. Pregnancy Today also reports that sitting on a birthing ball during labor can open the pelvis, allowing a baby who may be coming down the birth canal with the head slightly tilted, to shift into a better position.
Things You'll Need
- Birth ball
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