How fit do you have to be for a natural birth?

[raines]

All the pregnancy literature has a section on fitness and how important it is for labour. What if your main excercise is walking around shops and you get out of breath just going up a flight of stairs (that's before pregnancy)?! Will that make the birth more difficult? I have visions of being so knackered that I can't push anymore! If you hadn't guessed this is my first baby...

It is like the hardest work out you've ever done. Before DD i worked out every day twice a day, I was really fit and I still found it exhausting. (and I had a relatively quick and easy birth) I'd say it would be an advantage.

fit? Hmm vaguely remember that when I was at school... I'm a size 20, my only exercise is walking round the shops buying cake and pies (note, not to the shops!) and I don't do stairs or hills because I have to sit on a bench half way up! If it made any difference to childbirth I'd be 5.5 months overdue now!

Not saying fitness doesn't help but believe me, if I can, anyone can!

Obviously it's not impossible but being fit must help because physically it's pretty exhausting. You need stamina.

Well I was/am very unfit but I was fine having dd - vaginal delivery with gas & air. I wasn't particularly fit pre-pg and put on loads of weight, back pain, sore hips all the rest but when it came down to it I was fine.

This is why 'fit' is a tricky word. 'Fit' to give birth isn;t the same as being fit to run a marathon or whatever. Having said that, I was pretty active for most of my pg and had a quick and natural birth (no pain relief) but my sister had bad MS and did little exercise bar running after a toddler with her second and had a 40 min natural labour. So genetics play a part as well.

No harm in keeping moving during pg, good for other stuff besides stamina in labour. Walking great exercise, as is swimming if you can manage it.

I didn't have any pain relief and my labour was only 5 hours. It was the most exhausting experience I've had and I trained very very hard before falling pregnant. Next day I felt like I'd been beaten up, every muscle ached. Obviously it just shows that every experience is different and it doesn't matter what anyone says, it won't be a reflection of your own experience.

I agree EP, the women in my family had similar experiences to me

I am hoping for a similar experience with DC2 (without the episiotomy and continual monitoring anyway). Think my established labour was about 3 hours, 2nd stage 50 mins. Going to have some G&A next time though!

This is an interesting question, but I've yet to be convinced that normal "fitness" makes a blind bit of difference. The main muscles doing the work are the uterine muscles, which you can only exercise by giving birth.

Having said that, you'd think fitness would make a difference to your general stamina. But then again, women in comas have given birth naturally.

Paula Radcliffe made a big thing of keeping running throughout her pregnancy, only to have a terrible 27 hour labour.

the exercises that WILL help (during and after) are those pelvic floor exercises so get squeezing!

Labor can be hard work, but you don't have to be a marathon runner to do it. They say walking really is the best exercise for pregnancy, so walking around shops counts. Look into pre-natal yoga or pre-natal pilates.
Belly dancing is also good exercise and doesn't feel like it when you're doing it. And it helped me get used to my new belly, while dancing around the house in my sports bra.

I don't know how much being fit changes the birth itself (I was fit...was in the gym on crosstrainer on my due date but labour was still long and I needed forceps in the end.) I firmly believe that it makes a difference with how well you recover afterwards, and how quickly your body regains its shape. Unless you are ill, or advised not to by docs, I would always advise pregnant women to exercise (doing whatever is most suitable for them of course!)

There is an argument (I saw it on another thread this week) that fitter women with more toned muscles might actually have a harder time in labour. Which fits with my experience - all the fittest most energetic women I know had quite hard births while some of the women I know who have never done any exercise just popped them out.

I was really ill for all my pregnancies, very sick, very unfit. I had quick, easy labours with all of them.

I stood for most of the time with my 2 births. All I wished for was that I had had stronger thigh muscles - didn't half make my legs ache.

I gave birth twice with only a TENs for pain relife. Both straightforward natural deliveries including one at home.

I was pretty unfit for both of them TBH. I didn't see it as "exercise" - it was just something I had to do!

I wouldn't worry. I was probably fittest when I had DS1 as had carried on being a gym bunny until well over half way through the pregnancy, but had a nightmare labour and delivery and was too exhausted to push when it came to the bit.

Was probably a lot less fit with DS2 and DS3 but had natural (ie drug-free) births each time with them.

My top tip is to spend as much of labour as you can sitting on a gym ball - it is comfortable and keeps you in the optimum position for allowing your body to do what it needs to do.

I am absolutely convinced, without doubt, that orgasms are the most relevant 'exercise' to birth, they exercise the uterine muscles!

As for general fitness, I'm not (and haven't been) particularly fit but if I were to follow any pregnancy exercises, it would be the active birth ones with a view to using them during birth.

Well, I'm not particularly fit and a bit lardy but managed to give birth standing up and with no pain relief. Was up and about straight away and back home just as DD (15 mths at the time) was waking up. She didn't even realise I had gone. No aches and pains the next day whatsoever

I ran the London marathon a good few years back (dont worry nothing like that these days lol) and distinctly remember there being a big sign hanging up at about mile 25 saying "John - NOW you have a vague idea what its like to give birth). Didnt mean much to me at the time but I chuckle about it regularly now.

Saying that your body is meant to be able to do this and will do it - its not really a case of it saying I cant be bothered at 3 cm. It finds the energy from somewhere and you will manage however unfit you are in everyday life. You have all the adrenaline and other hormones pumping about and dont really realise how knackered you are towards the end and afterwards. Then you get that tiny baby and its all worth it...despite having odd aches and pains for the next few days and wondering how on earth you pulled that muscle...

You can do it!!!!!

i was quite fit 1st time round but second time was only 11mnths after the first and i had SPd and OC and i still done it vaginally with only g&a.

have faith in yourself and your bdy.

xx

im not fit either and very over weight and it didnt stop me from having 3 natural deliveries,best advice i can give is to stand up sway ,rock anything like that to incourage your baby on its way