Birthing Yoga

In my infinate mama research, I've found the BEST yoga positions to ease labor and delivery pains.... There are quite a few really great yoga postures and movements that bring more comfort and ease to the birthing process.

The first two of postures have you on all fours. This position has the advantage of encouraging your baby to roll their spine against your belly. A position that your doctor or midwife will call Anterior. This is the ideal position for birthing a baby because it is the path of least resistance and therefore makes for an easier birth for you and baby.

1. Cat Stretch – rock your hips forward and back. (The swaying of the low back is not appropriate for all pregnant women. In some bodies, it can simply be too much for the low back and cause strain.)

2. Child’s pose – resting and recovery.

3. Horizontal Figure Eights - Movements that move the hips tend to help the most in labour. This next one isn’t technically a yoga posture. It actually comes from belly dancing which has strong roots in childbirth. It feels very soothing in labour.

4. Hip Circles – standing – with support. - Leaning on a loved one is a wonderful way to feel and be supported during your labour. Just sure to bend your knees so that you can really move your hips round and round. You can also do the figure eights supported in this way as well.

5. Hip Circles on the Ball - Again moving the hips is key. Hip circles are another great way to keep this part of the body open, loose and relaxed… just what you need to help your cervix open more easily. You can do small circles, medium circles or really big ones.

6. Deep lunges - Once your cervix is fully opened, you will start to feel pressure as the baby makes his/her way down the birth path or canal. Deep lunges help to create more openness in the pelvis so that baby has more space to move down into.

7. Squat - Squatting is probably the most traditional way to birth a baby. For humans, the squatting position shorts and widens the birth path or canal. It literally makes the path bigger. This is a very good thing. In addition, squatting in an upright position has the added benefit of using the force of gravity to assist your uterus in pushing the baby out. You can squat by holding onto something (most hospitals have a squatting or birth bar) or you can hold onto your partner. Alternatively you can also squat against the birthing ball.