Midwives and mothers all over the world praise this simple ball as an effective pregnancy exercise aid. Although there are specific exercises you can learn (included in the Miracle Box Birth Ball) one of the main advantages of using a birthing ball in pregnancy is that you don’t have to do anything exceptional. Sitting and moving around on the ball while you are at your desk or watching TV will gently exercise your pelvic muscles, increase mobility and will help you to naturally develop good posture.
Read these benefits of the simple birthing ball. You will be amazed at what you read.
• Incredibly effective for helping your baby settle into an ‘optimal foetal position’ – the best position for birth! Especially in the last weeks of pregnancy, you can affect the way your baby lies. Sitting on the ball at a desk or table, with your legs comfortably apart, raises your hips higher than your knees and also encourages you to lean slightly forward from your hips. In the latter stages of your pregnancy it will help to enable the baby’s back to roll into the curve of your belly and encourage the head to ‘engage’.
• Kneeling and rocking over the ball is great practice for labour and is also ideal for massage and relaxation.
• The softness of the ball,compared to an ordinary chair, absorbs your weight and helps to prevent and relieve lower back pain. It’s wonderful to see the relief on women’s faces when they sit on the ball.
• What a perfect time to do your pelvic floor exercises. Sitting on the ball is the perfect place.
• Gentle rolling motionwhen you sit on the ball encourages pelvic mobility and gently tones your internal and external pelvic muscles.
In labour
• The soft rounded contour of the ball is amazingly comfortable and easy to use – much more so than a chair or bed.
• The ball provides you with perfect support for labour and birth positions.
• Contractions tend to be less painful than if you were lying down.
• It’s easier for your uterus to do its work.
• The ball allows you to move freely and go with the flow of contractions. The rhythmic circular movements dissipate the pain and give you something to focus on.
• Moving on the ball helps your breathing to flow more evenly. This encourages the free expression of sound, a natural way to modify pain. It also sends more oxygen to your baby and helps to prevent foetal distress.
After Birth
• You can use the ball for postnatal exercise, to help firm and tone your hips, buttocks, thighs and abdomen – not forgetting that all important pelvic floor. Examples are included with the Miracle Box Birth Ball.