Stretching For Pregnant Women: Back, Hips And Legs

Stretching for pregnant women can protect against, or at least reduce, back pain and hip pain. In addition, they can also prevent cramps and the feeling of heavy legs.

Changes in a woman’s body during pregnancy make her back, hips and leg aches frequent. Fortunately,  stretching for pregnant women will help them reduce the severity of their discomfort.

In today’s article, we’ll recommend a few of them that can help you.

Stretching for pregnant women

Stretching during pregnancy can help reduce back, hip, and leg pain as well as protect against their occurrence. However, they also have many more benefits: they can help pregnant women stay fit, relax and prepare for childbirth.

This is a stage of life in which a pregnant woman has to apply certain restrictions. This is why she shouldn’t overdo it while exercising. In addition, she should avoid positions that put pressure on the abdomen.

Moreover, while experts recommend exercise during pregnancy, you should seek medical advice before starting exercise . In addition, note that exercise is not recommended in the following cases:

• A high-risk pregnancy,
• Risk of miscarriage,
• Low placenta and other ailments.

Advantages of stretching for pregnant women

The main advantage of stretching in pregnancy is the improvement in muscle flexibility. Good muscle flexibility can be helpful in childbirth.

Apart from that, however, experts recommend stretching exercises to improve your posture. They help to maintain a healthy body posture and reduce or prevent pain from happening.

These problems can worsen during pregnancy. As the center of gravity shifts, the back must bear a greater load. This is what usually causes pain in women. Therefore, stretching during pregnancy can help reduce discomfort. Besides, they help maintain a better sense of balance.

In addition, if you do the exercises correctly, you will be in control of your breathing. Deep and gentle breathing while stretching increases the feeling of relaxation, which has a positive effect on both mum and baby.

Cat’s back

This exercise will help you reduce and protect against back pain and sciatica.

• At the very beginning, kneel on all fours with your hands under your arms.
• Then slowly arch your back upward.
• Then slowly bend your back downwards in a slow and conscious movement.
• Repeat the exercise six times.

Pelvic flexion: the sternum

This exercise will help you reduce back pain and hip problems.

• To get started, lie on your back.
• Then bend your knees, leaving your feet resting on the ground.
• Then push your hips up to raise your pelvis and loins.
• Remember that your movements should be relaxed, conscious and slow.
• Hold this position for a few minutes.
• Repeat 10 times.

Toe walking

This exercise will help protect against problems such as cramps or leg pains.

• Stand up straight at first.
• Then slowly rise on your toes and inhale.
• Then slowly begin to descend as you exhale until your heels are firmly on the floor.
• Repeat the exercise five times.

Thigh stretching

• At the very beginning, lie down on a solid surface.
• Then take the exercise tape and place it over your foot.
• Use the tape to lift your leg as high as you can. Make sure you don’t feel any discomfort or pressure on your stomach.
• Hold this position for a few seconds, making sure you breathe properly.
• Then repeat the exercise for the other leg.

Body flexion

• First, sit cross-legged in Turkish.
• Then pull out one of the legs.
• Then tilt your body forward towards your extended leg.
• Remember that your movements should be slow, gentle and full of awareness. You have to control your breathing all the time.
• Repeat the stretching with the other leg.

Back stretching

• First, sit on your heels with your back straight.
• Then bring your fingers together and slowly lift them up.

• Press against the floor to stretch your back as much as possible.
• Remember to always control your breathing.
• Besides, if you want, you can also slightly twist the torso from one side to the other.

Precautions

At the end of this article, we would like to draw your attention to a few precautions:

• Before you begin exercising, consult your physician.
• Whenever possible, you should stretch under the supervision of a trainer.
• Stretch once a day. Exercise should become part of your daily routine.
• Always control your breathing by inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply.
• Wear appropriate sports clothes.
• Hydration plays a key role during pregnancy, especially before, during and after exercise.
• Avoid hard or soft surfaces entirely. It is best to practice on non-slip mats.
• Never put pressure on your abdomen or press it against the floor.

• If you feel unwell while stretching, stop immediately.
• Combine stretching with low-intensity aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, aqua aerobics, etc.).