Pre-labor: benefits of Aquanatal Classes

When I was in my third trimester I signed myself up for Aquanatal Classes. I have learnt from my experience,  that next time round I will be going to classes as soon as I am allowed to. For me these classes were something very new to me and I found that I ended up sold on the idea and benefits of exercising in water whilst pregnat and felt a general well being and better body circulation (I didn't get any more pins and needles in my arms at night), and was excited I was preparing myself for birth.

What are aquanatal classes?

Aquanatal are for expectant mothers from their twentieth week right up to before giving birth. It is like aqua areobics especially designed for  pregnant mothers. These classes are generally taken by a physiotherapist and is conducted in a warm hydrotheraphy indoor pool.

For me it was fantastic to feel a lot lighter in the pool and do gentle exercises that I could feel was directly helping my pelvic floor.  I could also feel that all my muscles on my tummy, lower back was getting a great gentle work out and I am sure my baby inside was having fun experiencing the sounds of water against my belly.

I have found a great information site on Aquanatal Classes and explains very well why...aqua natal classes are ideal for pregnancy exercise;

"The buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure and natural resistance of water make it the ideal medium for exercise during pregnancy, particularly in the later stages when the extra weight may make other forms of exercise too tiresome or difficult.

Buoyancy. Most aqua natal exercises are done in chest-depth water, which means that a pregnant woman will only experience 25-30 percent of her body weight. This relieves stress on weight-bearing joints and permits increased freedom of movement. Not surprisingly, most women find this sensation of being light and agile very enjoyable.

Hydrostatic pressure. When the body is immersed in water it experiences hydrostatic pressure - a sort of inward squashing force. Hydrostatic pressure can significantly reduce swelling on the lower limbs and also help relieve joint pain.

Turbulence and resistance. The natural turbulence and resistance properties of water can be used to offer a workout of varied intensity.

Buoyancy, turbulence, resistance and hydrostatic pressure all act together to make maintaining an upright posture somewhat challenging for a pregnant woman, forcing her to use (and consequently strengthen) her core stability muscles in the back and stomach."

The activities I was doing to keep healthy and help my chances of a natural labor were...

• Aquanatal classes once a week
• Walking every day
• Chiro

I am not sure if any activities attributed to my labor. Baby arrived on the due date, and it was a two and a half hour labor, with no time for any pain relief, except for gas (which I didn't really want have and I wrote in my birthplan), but ended up taking as much as I could (smile).

I do reccommend even just trying a class once. For me I felt relaxed and each class I felt stronger and more confident that my labor muscles were being prepared for my impending event of delivery.