Delievery during fit pregnancy.

cocolo89

I have a question for those mommas who have kept up with their exercise throughout pregnancy, whether this one or previous ones. Did you feel like it helped you in the delivery room? How long was your labor? With my previous pregnancy I DID NOT workout one day of the whole 9 months and I had a very easy delivery, I was induced and gave birth same day. I didn't tear at all so no stitches, I had a super fast recovery. I didn't even take Tylenol after I gave birth. I didn't have hemorrhoids, bowel movements were fine.

This pregnancy I have been doing things differently. I have been working out daily from the very beginning. I have been recently told that exercising will make things harder because your muscles are firm and not relaxed and you will most likely tear down there and have ab separation. Also I heard you will have a longer labor. Does anyone have pregnancies they can compare exercising vs. no exercise? I am going on 27wks and getting closer to the big D-day so I would like to prepare myself. LOL

blink1021

With my first pregnancy I did not workout either and had a really easy delivery. Went into labor on my own and from the time my water broke till I delivered was 6 hours total. Didn't have hemorrhoids or varicose veins and I also did not take any pain medication. This pregnancy has been harder on me than the past one, but I am also older too. My doctor told me that most likely I will have a similar delivery to my last one as long as the baby doesn't become too large. You can tear regardless whether you work out or not and hopefully if its necessary the doctor will cut you before that happens. I was cut with my first but I only had one stitch I recovered fast from it and will expect to have it done this time. I am only about 3 1/2 weeks farther along than you so if I deliver I will let you know how it goes.

VelociMama

I've heard the exact opposite. Strong abs and lower back muscles help during pushing, but I'd like to hear what other women have to say as well.

Jenny_Rose77

I've actually heard both too. It doesn't seem fair that you would actually be punished, physically, during labor for being in better shape!

mellynat

I think everyone is different and each body type is different. i wouldn't get too nervous about it and stop working out lol. I believe exercise is defiantly more better for u then no exercise at all.
From my experience with my 1st pregnancy i took brief walks during my 1st and 2nd trimester during my lunch breaks. 3rd trimester I quit working completely and sat on my butt for most of the day other then the days i'd get out of the house and go shopping.. My labor was 10hrs. I got induced at 9am and delivered the baby at 7pm.. Pushing was a nightmare that lasted 2 hours. I did have a few stiches. and i got the epidural but that only helped for the contraction part. they turned off the iv w the epidural so i can "feel" how to push since i wasn't getting anywhere. Recovery wasn't too bad. I was a little sore for a few days.
2nd pregnancy I worked out fairly often 1st trimester mostly doing eliptical and a lot of walking. At 17 weeks I was told I had placenta previa and stooped working out till 28weeks. after I got the ok I started to use the eliptical again and did more walking.. labor was different my water broke early morning and i didn't have any contractions so once I got to the hospital at 3pm I waited as long as I could before they started me on pitocin to speed up the contractions. 7pm is when they started it. got the epidural at 11:30pm and by 12:am I was ready to push. waited for the doctor to come and only 3 pushes she was out. no tears no stiches.. and no soreness.

cocolo89

I think everyone is different and each body type is different. i wouldn't get too nervous about it and stop working out lol. I believe exercise is defiantly more better for u then no exercise at all.
From my experience with my 1st pregnancy i took brief walks during my 1st and 2nd trimester during my lunch breaks. 3rd trimester I quit working completely and sat on my butt for most of the day other then the days i'd get out of the house and go shopping.. My labor was 10hrs. I got induced at 9am and delivered the baby at 7pm.. Pushing was a nightmare that lasted 2 hours. I did have a few stiches. and i got the epidural but that only helped for the contraction part. they turned off the iv w the epidural so i can "feel" how to push since i wasn't getting anywhere. Recovery wasn't too bad. I was a little sore for a few days.
2nd pregnancy I worked out fairly often 1st trimester mostly doing eliptical and a lot of walking. At 17 weeks I was told I had placenta previa and stooped working out till 28weeks. after I got the ok I started to use the eliptical again and did more walking.. labor was different my water broke early morning and i didn't have any contractions so once I got to the hospital at 3pm I waited as long as I could before they started me on pitocin to speed up the contractions. 7pm is when they started it. got the epidural at 11:30pm and by 12:am I was ready to push. waited for the doctor to come and only 3 pushes she was out. no tears no stiches.. and no soreness.

oh wow!! that sounds a lot better!! I dilated really fast with my daughter, BUT i pushed for 3 hours! Sooo this is what I am hoping is the only difference, LOL. Was your 2nd earlier? I am hoping that exercise will also help not to go over due date too long.

nursenikki829

For me it didn't matter either way. For my first and second I wasn't working out or eating super- healthy, but I always stayed active and for my third I exercised for the whole pregnancy. All of my labors were similar (not too long and my pushing times were all under 10 mins, my third one being 2 mins). It really just depends on the person. My midwife also told me that younger women (under 30) usually have easier births too.

mellynat

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oh wow!! that sounds a lot better!! I dilated really fast with my daughter, BUT i pushed for 3 hours! Sooo this is what I am hoping is the only difference, LOL. Was your 2nd earlier? I am hoping that exercise will also help not to go over due date too long.
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Wow 3hours? I thought I had it bad. Lol yes my 2nd was a week early..

RBXChas

I doubt it has much to do with anything, except that if you are physically fit (ie, used to working out hard), then your breathing, your exhaustion level, and the psychological aspect of L&D might be easier.

Last time I was pregnant, I did not work out at all and ate like crap. I gained 65lbs, but I lucked out otherwise and did not have any issues with hemorrhoids or anything. I was in labor for 11 hours total, and I had an epidural that took me from 3-4cm to 10cm in no time flat. Once it came time to push, it was very fast and took all of 3 pushes before my son came out. At first my OB said I didn't tear, then she looked closely and said, "Well, I think you need just one little tiny stitch." I was sore afterwards, but not ridiculously so, and I only took Aleve for the first two days or so afterwards for uterine cramping, which is totally normal.

My SIL had her daughter about 9 months after my son was born, and she was very fit. She ran regularly and continued to work out as much as she could during her pregnancy. She was in labor for about 20 hours; she got an epidural after 12 hours or so, and it was still another 8 hours until she delivered. She said it wasn't painful, just tiring because she'd been in labor for so long (and in a lot of pain for most of it). She tore and needed several stitches and had bad hemorrhoids.

But that could just be me versus her; there's no way to know for sure. Frankly, your own personal history and your family medical history are better indicators. My first pregnancy and L&D pretty much followed the same path as my sister's two, which followed the same path, more or less, as our mother's four.

I'm no doctor, but chances are, barring any complications, if your last delivery was relatively easy, any subsequent one(s) will most likely follow suit. My guess is that being fit can only help things

jls8209

But that could just be me versus her; there's no way to know for sure. Frankly, your own personal history and your family medical history are better indicators. My first pregnancy and L&D pretty much followed the same path as my sister's two, which followed the same path, more or less, as our mother's four.

I hope I follow in my mom's footsteps! With both of us her water broke before any contractions started. 7hrs start to finish for me (1st baby) and 3hrs for my brother.

I have a few friends who laboured for a VERY long time (40+ hours for two friends, 80 hrs for one!) and that just sounds awful!

cocolo89

But that could just be me versus her; there's no way to know for sure. Frankly, your own personal history and your family medical history are better indicators. My first pregnancy and L&D pretty much followed the same path as my sister's two, which followed the same path, more or less, as our mother's four.

I hope I follow in my mom's footsteps! With both of us her water broke before any contractions started. 7hrs start to finish for me (1st baby) and 3hrs for my brother.

I have a few friends who laboured for a VERY long time (40+ hours for two friends, 80 hrs for one!) and that just sounds awful!

80 HOURS!???? OMG, thats torture! Both of my sister's had really fast and smooth labors so I am sure its more hereditary compared to friends.

Jenny_Rose77

The longest labor I heard of was 5 days. My friend was having contractions, lost her plug, her water broke...everything...but she wasn't effacing. She wanted to do a drug-free delivery, but her midwife eventually said that she thought an epidural would relax her enough to efface and deliver. It worked. This situation, however, is crazy atypical.

cocolo89

The longest labor I heard of was 5 days. My friend was having contractions, lost her plug, her water broke...everything...but she wasn't effacing. She wanted to do a drug-free delivery, but her midwife eventually said that she thought an epidural would relax her enough to efface and deliver. It worked. This situation, however, is crazy atypical.

5 DAYS?!!?! Oh wow, poor lady!!! Aren't you supposed to deliver with-in 24hrs of your water breaking in order to avoid a c-section cause being without fluid is harmful for the baby and risky ? Wow that's a looooong time to be in pain/labor . glad everything is good!!

jls8209

The longest labor I heard of was 5 days. My friend was having contractions, lost her plug, her water broke...everything...but she wasn't effacing. She wanted to do a drug-free delivery, but her midwife eventually said that she thought an epidural would relax her enough to efface and deliver. It worked. This situation, however, is crazy atypical.

5 DAYS?!!?! Oh wow, poor lady!!! Aren't you supposed to deliver with-in 24hrs of your water breaking in order to avoid a c-section cause being without fluid is harmful for the baby and risky ? Wow that's a looooong time to be in pain/labor . glad everything is good!!

Your body keeps producing amniotic fluid after your water breaks. My friend that was in labour for 80hrs had her water break early, and they had to be careful about her position in bed because if she rolled onto one side the baby was on top of the cord and squishing it. So, you keep producing fluid, but not the full amount. I think the biggest risk is of infection from the membrane being ruptured.