The Best Exercises to Prepare for Labor

Get ready for the big day with these simple exercises to prepare for labor and childbirth.

Your body works hard during labor and childbirth. Labor requires many muscle groups, from your pelvic floor and back to your abdomen and legs. So, strengthening your whole body is a good idea to prepare for this monumental physical event.

Thankfully, there are simple, pregnancy-safe exercises that can help get your body ready. All the exercises can yield great benefits with minimal effort and don't require special equipment. Of course, be sure to check with a health care provider to ensure you have no limitations before you attempt any of these exercises.

Read on to learn about five exercises experts recommend to prepare for labor.

pregnant woman in her 30s exercising outdoors, walking with hand weights
Getty Images / kali9.

Walking

Labor is a cardiovascular activity. Think about it: For an unknown number of hours, your uterus will contract, and your body will actively work to open your cervix and move your baby into position, then down and out of your body.

It's hard work that requires stamina. So, preparing for labor with some cardio activity makes sense. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) encourages those with uncomplicated pregnancies to engage in aerobic and strength-conditioning exercises. Walking is one of the top exercises doctors consider safe and beneficial in pregnancy.

Plus, studies have found that walking can encourage spontaneous labor at term and reduce the need for interventions like forceps or vacuum extraction.

If you've already been walking, you can likely maintain your usual walking routine during pregnancy. However, if you're just starting, start with 10 to 15 minutes and work up to 30 minutes daily. Of course, talk to a health care provider first to be sure walking is safe for you.

Butterfly Stretch

The butterfly stretch is a great exercise to prepare for labor because it strengthens and stretches muscles in your back, thighs, and pelvis, and improves your posture. It also keeps your pelvic joints flexible, improves blood flow to your lower body, and eases delivery.

To do this exercise, follow these steps:

  1. Sit on the floor with your back straight and your legs in the "butterfly position" (the bottoms of your feet together and your knees dropped comfortably).
  2. You should feel a stretch in your inner thighs as you press both knees gently toward the floor using your elbows.
  3. Don't bounce your knees up and down rapidly. If you find it difficult at first to keep your back straight, use a wall to support your back.
  4. Hold the position for 10 to 15 seconds and repeat the stretch five to 10 times.

This stretch is not difficult to do, and it feels great. Not only that, but some studies have found that stretching exercises during pregnancy may also lower blood pressure in the second trimester and control it in the third.

Kegel Exercises

The pelvic floor muscles help support the pelvic organs, including the uterus, bladder, and bowels. If you tone them, you may have less trouble with things like urinary incontinence (leaking urine).

Research has found that of people who experience urinary incontinence, only about 25% seek treatment. Pelvic floor exercises like Kegel exercises are a simple, non-invasive way to prevent and treat pelvic floor issues.

To do Kegels, you first need to identify the pelvic floor muscle. You can do this by stopping and starting the flow of urine, which requires the contraction and release of the pelvic floor muscles. You want to be sure you aren't tightening your abdominal, buttock, or thigh muscles.

You can do Kegel exercises in two ways: Holding or quickly contracting the pelvic floor muscle.

To do slow Kegels, contract the pelvic floor muscle and hold for three to 10 seconds. Then relax and repeat up to 10 times. To do fast Kegels, quickly contract and relax your pelvic floor muscle 25 to 50 times. Relax for 5 seconds and repeat up to four times.

Pelvic Tilt

Pelvic tilts are another excellent exercise to prepare for labor because they strengthen abdominal muscles and may help relieve backache during pregnancy and labor. You can do pelvic tilts in various positions, but down on your hands and knees is the easiest way to learn it.

To practice pelvic tilts, follow these steps:

  1. Get comfortably on your hands and knees, keeping your head aligned with your back.
  2. Pull in your stomach and arch your back upward.
  3. Hold this position for several seconds.
  4. Then, relax your stomach and back, keeping your back flat and not allowing your stomach to sag.
  5. Repeat this exercise three to five times.

Gradually work your way up to 10 repetitions.

Squatting

Squatting is an especially helpful labor position because it opens the pelvic outlet, which the baby must pass through for vaginal delivery. But squatting is tiring. So, you should practice this exercise to prepare for labor to strengthen the muscles needed. If you find the position helpful or comfortable in labor, you'll be better equipped to use it.

To do a squat, using an exercise called a wall slide is especially helpful. Here's how to do it:

  1. Stand with your back straight against a wall.
  2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and about 6 inches from the wall, and keep your arms relaxed at your sides.
  3. Slowly and gently slide down the wall to a squatting position (keeping your back straight) until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
  4. Hold the position for five to 10 seconds.
  5. Slowly slide back to a standing position.
  6. Repeat five or 10 times.
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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Physical activity and exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 2020.

  2. Physical exercise at term for enhancing the spontaneous onset of labor: a randomized clinical trialJ Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2022.

  3. The effect of stretching exercise and walking on changes of blood pressure in nulliparous womenIran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2015.

  4. Prenatal and postpartum experience, knowledge and engagement with kegels: A longitudinal, prospective, multisite studyJ Womens Health (Larchmt). 2021.

  5. The effects of squatting while pregnant on pelvic dimensions: A computational simulation to understand childbirthJ Biomech. 2019.

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