During the Third trimester the body starts preparing itself for labor and childbirth. There are changes that you experience in your third trimester like growing belly, breathlessness, constipation, acidity, feeling lethargic & low in energy. In the end of your third trimester you may experience pubis pain, pelvic pain, back pain, and heaviness in your pelvic area as your due date is nearby, preparing the body for labor. There is a list of exercises to do & to avoid during third trimester.
The third & final trimester of pregnancy starts from 27th week and runs until the day of your delivery. Experts have recommended many types of workout suitable for pregnancy for a maintained health of mother and the baby. During the third trimester it’s still safe to follow a workout routine for your healthy delivery & childbirth.
During the Third trimester the body starts preparing itself for labor and childbirth. There are changes that you experience in your third trimester like growing belly, breathlessness, constipation, acidity, feeling lethargic & low in energy. In the end of your third trimester you may experience pubis pain, pelvic pain, back pain, and heaviness in your pelvic area as your due date is nearby, preparing the body for labor. There is a list of exercises to do & to avoid during third trimester, given below,
Best Exercises to do during Third Trimester of Pregnancy
- Walking: Keeping your pelvis active is an important thing to do during the third trimester as Pelvic flexibility & strength plays an important role in childbirth. Walking is the best exercise that provides flexibility & strength to your pelvis so your baby will come to the right position & would be able to find its way during childbirth without stucking anywhere because of a trained & flexible pelvis.
- Pillow Squeezing: Sit on a chair or couch and keep a pillow in between your knees. Now, slowly inhale and while exhaling squeeze the pillow between your knees, breath normally, squeeze for 10 seconds and release slowly. Do 5 to 10 rounds of this exercise. This is good to train your perineum muscles, provide good strength to your cervix and perineum that plays a major role in childbirth. This exercise is also an alternative to kegel exercises that is performed to train our pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy. Pillow squeezing is a simple and easy method to train pelvic floor muscles and will prevent muscle tearing during childbirth. It’s also good to prevent preterm labor before 37th week, as the strong muscles of the pelvis can hold the baby for a longer time during pregnancy. Start doing these squeezing from the beginning of your third trimester will help to give better results during labor & childbirth.
- Knee Close Squats: Stand against the wall, keep both of your hands on the wall in front of you to take support, open your legs wider than shoulders, keeping your toes in and heels out, facing both of your knees. Now slowly inhale and perform a squat in this position while taking your hips down, exhale and come back to standing position. Repeat 10 to 15 times in one set. Perform 3 to 4 sets on the basis of your comfort. Knee close squats are helpful to open the pelvic brim, release back pain, and create space for the baby from the back of your pelvis. This is one of the best exercises to do for head engagement of a baby into the pelvic, after the 36th week of pregnancy. This also prevents posterior baby position which is considered as the most painful and prolonged labor condition during childbirth. Start performing this exercise from the beginning of your third trimester will give better results.
- Cat Cow Movement: As the third trimester started, your baby started growing faster brain & body both. An increased weight & size of a baby in the womb during the third trimester increases the size of the belly that changes your overall center of gravity (CoG). To compromise with this change in your body, your spine puts its own efforts, that brings a change in shape of spine & puts pressure on your back muscles, due to which you might feel constant pain in your back & hips. Cat cow movement or marjari asana is one of the best exercises to deal with this intense back pain in the third trimester. Following this exercise with a series of cat cow positions will provide more benefits in your labor & back pain.
- Labor Meditation: Stress is one of the major effects of pregnancy that you surely face during your third trimester, if not before. Labor dreams, fear about labor pain, anxious nights, & stress about the future, brings a lot of tension to your body & mind that impacts you & your baby’s health a lot. Labor meditation is the visualization technique that prepares you for your special day of delivery. It’s important to start practicing it constantly every day from your 8th month, to overcome the fear & stress of labor and to bring a healthy childbirth.
Activities to avoid during Third Trimester of Pregnancy
- Lying Straight on Your Back: Third trimester is the time to provide good blood flow to your uterus as your baby is growing faster during this time of your pregnancy. Lying straight on your back will compress the back muscles and prevent the blood from passing through the uterus, restricting the growth of your baby.
- Running/Jogging: If you are following a running program or if you’re a runner by practice, you can follow a moderate level running program throughout your pregnancy. But during your third trimester it’s not recommended to follow any jumping or jerking movements as it may bring injury to your placenta. Chances of placental abruption increased during the third trimester, avoid any intense running program and replace it with brisk walking, curb walking or stairs climbing.
- Full Forward Bending: Any compress of belly may reduce the space for your baby & put your baby under stress. Full Forward bending is not recommended during the third trimester of your pregnancy, due to abdominal compression and its side effects. Replace all your forward bending postures with half forward bend of 90 degree. In your day to day activities avoid full forward bending and perform deep squats instead.
- Intense Twisting: Twisting is important for releasing tension from your spine and lower back. An intense twisting posture can cause damage to your uterus & provide abdominal compression. Listen to your body and modify your twisting postures according to your comfort or follow a prenatal yoga program that will cover simple twisting postures for the third trimester & release your back pain.
- Heavy Weight Lifting: Though weight training has its own benefits during pregnancy, still it’s not recommended to follow an intense weight lifting during the third trimester. If you are following a weight training program before and during pregnancy, you can follow the gym program with safe weights exercises based on 50% capacity of your one Rep Max. Third trimester is not the right time to start with a weight training program as it may cause cervix opening, preterm labor and surprised labor before time.
Women who do exercise during pregnancy, consume a lot of benefits like good cardiovascular health, good fetal heart rate, healthy pregnancy, labor & childbirth. Exercise during the third trimester is important to achieve a healthy baby, healthy delivery & labor without complications.
Observe your body carefully and choose a healthy workout program for your pregnancy (Read our previous article about “5 ways to choose best exercise during pregnancy”). Prepare your body & mind for the upcoming challenges of labor while joining us at our workshop on Labor & Childbirth.
Thanks for reading!
May mother earth bless every being with the sense of fertility, with a healthy body and with higher consciousness. Respect & Gratitude!
