If you are pregnant, it may have been suggested that you get a birthing/yoga ball. But why are they so helpful? What is so awesome about them? And, what can they do for you and your baby?

When pregnant, we like to slump down at the end of the day into our sofa and try to get comfortable. We all know that, as our pregnancy progresses, comfort will become harder to achieve. Squidgy as sofas are, they are not helping your back/hip/rib pains. Sitting this way also doesn’t help your baby get into a good position for your big birthing day.

Our posture can really impact our aches and pains during pregnancy. Poor posture can cause back ache, hip ache; basically aches and pains all the way through your hip and spinal region. Sofas, armchairs or office chairs often don’t help and encourage us to sit properly. Birthing balls are designed to encourage you to naturally and support your own core and weight by sitting up straighter. It also gently exercises your core muscles as you are holding your own weight.

A birthing ball also has two other main super powers:

1. It helps encourage your baby into the right birthing position; their head down and their spine facing out to your tummy. If you know your baby isn’t in the right position there are lots of exercises and postures you can do with your birthing ball to help encourage them to move. If this is the situation you are in right now, talk to me please. I have loads of lovely ways to help you.
2. The brilliant bounce of a birthing ball helps birth progress and some research has suggested, progress more quickly. Gently bouncing and rocking on your ball can encourage your baby to move down and in a good position. Sitting on the birthing ball nicely opens up your pelvis region, making more space in there for your baby to move down into. Also, sitting upright and rocking around gently on the ball allows for gravity to do its work too.
   There are lots of poses and postures you can do with your ball during labour that will ease pain, allow your baby to get ready and bring them to you safely. Again, this is something I am happy to chat with you about if you do want to get in touch.

In short, please get yourself a birthing ball; go somewhere like Argos and buy an exercise ball for a reasonable price. They come in different sizes. Make sure that when sitting on it, your knees remain lower than your hips.

Try these sites for some basics on what to do and how to do it:

https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1048463/using-a-birthing-ball
https://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/3rd-trimester-pregnancy/the-benefits-of-a-birthing-ball