Labor and Delivery - Do Your Kegels

By Karen Butterfield

Labor and Delivery can't come soon enough once you hit your ninth month. The Kegel exercise will be key for getting you ready.


I hope since the beginning of yoru pregnancy you have been exercising. If you read throughout this website, we talk all about exercising. But, whether you're 2 weeks along or 39 weeks along, it is never too late to begin doing Kegel exercises to prepare you for what it's going to take during labor and delivery.

A Kegel is a simple exercises that keep you fit for not only labor and delivery, but post-partum recovery. Doing kegels will help keep your pelvic floor muscles firm and tight. This will be more difficult as they may weaken naturally from the increasing weight of your baby.

Let me give you three quick reasons why you want to do your kegel exercises. First, they can help you be less likely to tear your perineum or need an episiotomy during delivery. That itself is reason enough. Second, it can help keep you from developing hemorrhoids - another nasty side effect of labor and delivery. And third, you won't pee on yourself or have urine leakage when you sneeze or cough. A fine side affect from having babies.

So, how do you actually do a kegel? First, let me clear up one thing. This is no just focusing upon strengthening the pelvic floor strengthening. In other words, don't just try and squeeze your vagina muscles. You're missing half the exercise if you just do that.

Watch this video on doing kegels:



Karen received her degree in education and family life, and is also the mother of four kids.