The best exercise according to traditional cultures to open up the pelvis and encourage a fast, natural birth. This simple movement can be done in as little as two minutes per day.
I’ve been an athlete all my life, enjoying a wide variety of sports on land, water, and snow. When I got pregnant, however, I suddenly and unexpectedly became very much averse to anything that was at all strenuous. I know a lot of women who run, lift weights and otherwise do not change their exercise routine during pregnancy, but this was not for me.
Oh no. My body wasn’t having any of that!
I knew that I needed to keep fit while I was pregnant in order to give myself the best odds for a natural birth, however. Â My Mother had wisely told me that giving birth is like running a marathon and you need to not only pace yourself but have the wind and endurance to make it past the finish line if a natural birth was the goal.
As a result, I figured out an exercise plan that kept me fit but still honored my body’s desire for minimal athletics during my pregnancy months.
This fitness routine involved a lot of walking and prenatal yoga several times a week.
That was pretty much it.
Yoga and walking was all the exercise I attempted postpartum as well and even though it might seem like a wimpy fitness regimen compared with some gals, it was incredibly effective and produced excellent results as I lost every pregnancy pound I gained by the time each child turned two. Â Maybe not the fastest way to take off the weight, but it was gradual and stress-free and suited me just fine.
During my prenatal yoga classes recommended by my birth center, my instructor emphasized one particular yoga position above all others as the best exercise for a natural birth and nothing short of invaluable for preparing a woman’s body for the rigors of labor and delivery.
That position is malasana – the Sanskrit word for squat – specifically a yogic squat. Â Mala in Sanskrit (with a short “a”, not a long “ah” sound) translates as impurities and relates to the pose’s encouragement of healthy digestion. Â Indeed, squatting toilets are typical in Asian homes and I have written before about the increasing popularity of squatty stools in the United States.
Besides helping digestion, a yogic squat gently and effectively prepares the pelvic area for a natural birth with little risk of harm. Â As with any pregnancy exercise, however, women need to be very careful as the hormone relaxin produced during pregnancy relaxes pelvic ligaments and can increase the risk of injury.
In this video, I demonstrate a yogic squat as I was encouraged to do every single day of my pregnancies by my yoga instructor. Did the exercise do its job? Â I believe it did as I was fortunate to experience three fairly brief and complication-free natural births.
I continue to incorporate malasana into my yoga routine today whenever it seems appropriate.  As a basic movement that has been performed for hundreds if not thousands of years by traditional cultures (and is still vital to everyday life in Asia today), squatting is an exercise that can potentially benefit not only pregnant women but the general population as well.
Video How-to: The Best Exercise for Natural Birth
The video below demonstrates the simple squat that you should start as early in your pregnancy as possible.
Keep doing it every day and it won’t be hard even once you are very top-heavy in the third trimester!
Then, once labor begins, you will be delighted how strong and easy it is to push that baby out 🙂
what a awesome blessing…just beautiful
totally agree. I’ve given birth eight times now, only incorporating squats for the last four. What a difference!!!
Yes, it works. My first three births actually got progressively harder with more and more lower back/hip/pelvic tension. With baby number four did squats religiously and had an easy three hour labour and actually enjoyed pushing. What a diffwrence!
I had so much muscle tension that I was unable to squat correctly when I started. I followed Katy Bowman’s instructions for working toward a full squat, available on her blog, and a valuable companion to your video I think!
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1. If you want to be a parent, I recommend adopting over reproducing. There are numerous people already here who are begging for a parent. Non-existent people do not care if they don’t exist but they do care when they get here. (Some to the point of depression and/or suicide) By reproducing, you create a being who will suffer an unknown amount and die (and people who exist usually don’t want to die). Please understand that reproduction is not an unselfish act. Please think about this, especially in a world where there are already 7 billion people and enough problems to last multiple lifetimes. This world is far too flawed for intelligent and loving humans. If you already have biological children, you can still love them while refraining from creating more.
2. If you are going to choose to play god by reproducing, no one can stop you, but I highly recommend against home births in case something goes wrong. Yes, things can go wrong no matter how healthy you eat, how much you exercise, or how much you pray. That is the nature of life. Please read the Skeptical OB for more information.
3. Please understand that by choosing to reproduce, your child may hate you. Permanently. So, if you are looking for love, reproduction isn’t where you’ll find it.
I discovered that basic belly dance moves – hip circles and figure eights did an AMAZING job at reducing the pain of contractions. I delivered my little 8 lbs boy after 18 hours of back labor – he was OP- and I was able to go unmedicated with the help of a doula and lots and lots of the hip movements through my contractions. It was the only thing that really brought relief.
I would also recommend looking into Janet Hulme, PT’s work. She helps women throughout the life span. She is a very smart lady that not only looks into the biomechanical side of our bodies but also the autonomic nervous system as well. She has great resources on her website.
I would argue from Dr. Lamaze’s legacy on childbirth and my personal experience that there are three more beneficial exercises than the squat. They are 1 – pelvic rocks on all fours: This movement strengthens your abs and butt, takes pressure off your back, gets pressure out of your pelvic area that leads to sciatica, swollen legs, painful veins etc and helps the baby get into a good position. 2 – Kegels: done properly prevents incontinance and anal prolapse among other lame issues, and helps you know where they are so you can actively release them when its time for the baby to descend so you aren’t flexing them which leads to tearing. 3 – Breathing exercises that build the strength of the diaphram such as exhaling as slowly and as completely as possible. This will build a good tool to help push your baby out regardless of what position you choose to push in. You need good control of your breath, lungs and diaphram to get adequate oxigen during labor without hyperventilating, and to know how NOT to push during expulsion if the baby is not in a good position or it is too early, or you don’t want the baby to move too fast which can lead to tears.
? for who ever on egg yolk. I soft boiled 4 min but its runny. I saw on diff site boil 4m then set in hot water for 4m it was solid. so ? is what is right and how should the yolk be. runny or soft solid. help please. she is 10m. didnt do great on it at 5m. trying again now. thanks to all who give advice
I agree that the squat it especially important for birth, before, during and after! Katie Bowman at alignedandwell.com recommends the squat be done with a curve in the lower spine and with flat feet facing forward though. She also recommends that it be incorporated into daily life naturally rather than stressed as a “exercise.” This is more like what you’ll find in Third World countries where squats are used often and where women deliver their babies naturally quite often. This can be accomplished by using a rolled yoga mat under the knee while squatting. I encourage students in my childbirth ed classes to do this and we’ve had great results