In our time, fitball is necessarily present in the maternity hospitals of the United States and Western European countries, as well as in many maternity homes in Russia and Ukraine.
Why you need a fitball in childbirth
A large gymnastic ball facilitates the course of the birth process, allows you to relieve the tension of the muscles of the pelvic floor. Wiggling on the ball allows you to establish proper breathing, and also to abstract from pain. Especially it is recommended to use in the first half of labor to facilitate the opening of the cervix.
Choose a ball
Even if the birth chamber is equipped with a fitball, I recommend buying your own. Firstly, you will be guaranteed with the ball in childbirth, secondly, it will ideally suit you in size, and, thirdly, it will be more hygienic. It is advisable to take a husband in childbirth, then there will be someone to pump the ball.
When choosing a ball, first of all, pay attention to the size. If you are tall (above 170 cm), then you need to buy a ball 75-80 cm in diameter, with an increase of 160-170 cm - 65 cm, and for miniature mummies, balls 55-60 cm are suitable. Too big a ball increases the load on the joints, which is highly undesirable during pregnancy and childbirth. The criterion for the correctly chosen size of the ball is the position when in the sitting position on the ball your hips are parallel to the floor.
The color of the ball is also very important. Listen to your desires, because in childbirth, an inner sense of comfort is essential.
Fitball should be strong enough and withstand a load of at least 150-200 kg.
Provisions on fitbole in childbirth
The basic starting points on the fitball in childbirth are the positions sitting on the ball, standing on all fours and lying on the ball.
Exercises sitting on the ball train the muscles of the pelvic floor. Exercises standing on all fours improve uteroplacental blood circulation, reduce the burden on the spine, and therefore, are one of the methods of anesthesia in childbirth. Likewise, the exercises on the ball help to ease the pain in the back and relax.
To use fitball in childbirth, especially in the first period, it is recommended to "make friends" with the ball even during pregnancy, get used to it and try all the positions that are used in fights. But the main thing is not to overdo it! For example, those exercises that are used in childbirth can not always be allowed during pregnancy, especially with certain pathologies of pregnancy, a possible threat. To do this, there are special courses for the preparation of parturient women, where actively using fitball.
What to do on the ball
First of all, the woman giving birth intuitively chooses the positions in childbirth. From the very beginning of fights on fitbole it is convenient to sit, jump, swing back and forth, "draw" eight. On the ball it is convenient to regulate deep diaphragmatic breathing, and also to massage the abdomen, sacrum and waist.
Very good use finds fitball in partnering birth, when in the position "standing on all fours" the husband is doing massage to his wife.
The classic position of "sitting on the ball", first of all, stimulates the activity of the parents, and the "standing on all fours" position, on the contrary, allows you to relax and rest.
Illusion or real assistant
Take with you to the birth of a "miracle ball" or not - it's up to you! I will say one thing, in the modern world there are many ways to facilitate the birth process. There are safe means, there are side effects. To help in childbirth came fitball as a remedy without contraindications and side effects. Its effectiveness is not the same for different women. He is not the main participant in childbirth, but your entire helper, a tool that helps to relax, to establish breathing, to stimulate the process of birth and to anesthetize naturally the birth pains.