bumpy roads during pregnancy third trimester

Their fitness level: If your client is relatively new to working out or it’s been a while since they last exercised, you’ll want to start on the low end of what you feel they’re capable of, then slowly work your way up the scale on their exercise program.

That said, how little or much your client should exercise during the third trimester also depends on the following: This should be distributed between a variety of aerobic and resistance training activities. How Much Should Your Client Exercise During the Third Trimester?Īccording to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists pregnant individuals should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week accumulated over a minimum of three days per week. Here are some commonly asked questions about exercise during the third trimester. FAQs About Exercising During Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Lower labor pain levels are also reported.Įxamples of breathing and relaxation exercises you could include in your client’s exercise program during the third trimester of pregnancy include slow, rhythmic, and shallow breathing. Breathing and Relaxation ExercisesĪccording to a 2022 systematic review, researchers found evidence that practicing breathing and relaxation exercises during pregnancy reduces the need for pharmacological support (specifically, epidural anesthesia). Thankfully, posterior-strengthening chain work-i.e., exercises that strengthen the “backside” of the body-could help counteract your client’s posture and increase their comfort during birthing. This results in a more kyphotic posture where the abdominal muscles are overstretched, and hip flexors get incredibly tight.īeyond potentially causing lower back pain, this can also make it difficult for your client to get into their preferred birthing position, like the squatting position. The further your client gets into their pregnancy, the more their pelvis gets pulled into an anterior tilt. Pelvic floor exercises, including kegels, heel slides, and diaphragmatic breathing could help produce strong and well-controlled pelvic floor muscles to facilitate labor. That said, there are specific core exercises your client should avoid to help prevent abdominal separation or diastasis recti and we’ll explore this in more detail later. Research shows that strong abdominal muscles may play an important role in the voluntary pushing mechanism triggered during the final phase of vaginal delivery.

Strength training exercises particularly worth focusing on include: Core and Pelvic Floor Exercises With permission from their healthcare provider, your client could start or continue to strength train even as they progress into their third trimester of pregnancy.Ī large body of evidence shows that resistance training could encourage a healthy pregnancy and lower the risk of complications-from preeclampsia to pre-term birth to stillbirth-and c-section. Other positions, including the occiput posterior (OP), where the baby is head down, facing the naval, or breech position, where the baby is lying bottom or feet first, are known to lengthen labor time, increase pain, and may even necessitate assisted delivery and c-section.Įxercises that may encourage your client’s baby to engage in the OA position include: In the OA position, the baby is head down with their face looking at your client’s spine. Generally, the most effective position for the baby to journey through your client’s pelvis is the occiput anterior (OA) position. Research consistently shows an association between higher VO2 max and shorter duration of labor.Īccording to a 2021 meta-analysis of 16 studies, researchers found that prenatal aerobic exercises can help shorten vaginal labor time and reduce the frequency of cesarean section (c-section).Īerobic exercises you could suggest to your client include brisk walking, riding a stationary bike, yoga, and water aerobics or swimming. Regular aerobic exercise during pregnancy could improve your client’s physical fitness and, in turn, their maximal oxygen uptake or VO2 max-the maximum amount of oxygen they can breathe in during physical exertion (labor and birth, for instance). Note that your client should always get approval to exercise from their primary healthcare provider. Third Trimester Exercises to Prepare for Birthĭoing the following exercises during the third trimester of pregnancy may help your client through the birthing process.

Bumpy roads during pregnancy third trimester