The birth ball is a physical therapy ball that helps women get into positive positions for labor and birth. This article describes why and how a birth ball can help mothers have a more comfortable pregnancy and positive birth experience.
More than likely, most people you talk to do not know what a birth ball is or what it is used for. A birth ball is a physical therapy ball that helps women get into positions that help labor progress. It's also great to sit on one while you're pregnant or to soothe a fussy baby.
If you suffer from backache or pelvic pressure while pregnant, a birth ball is for you. I found it a lot more comfortable to get on and off the birth ball than getting in and out of a chair or couch. I had a very mobile pelvis that got even more mobile the more babies I had. It was easy to do the pelvic rock as I leaned forward on the ball. The ball helps keep your pelvis mobile too. That's important when you give birth as this also helps labor to progress.
With my last labor, the birth ball helped me get into upright or forward kneeling positions that would have been a lot less comfortable had I not used the ball to support my body. I even used it postpartum to help firm and tone my lower muscles.
Think a birthball might be for you? Check with your local childbirth educator, doula, hospital or birth center to see if they have a birth ball available for patients to use. If they don't, you may want to consider purchasing your own birth ball. You can purchase one on the Web from doula teacher and trainer Polly Perez.
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