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Did Exercise During Pregnancy Help Delivery?

This question can be debated and debated on for a long time.  But most people told me that exercise during pregnancy will make for an easy and quick delivery.   So the question is, how was the delivery now that the entire pregnancy was filled with some sort of exercise?  Easy and short?

To include the labor and delivery, it lasted about 2 hours.  I didn’t realize it, but that is extremely short.  It was rough and painful, but then again, it’s never pain-free.  Here’s the quick story, since there really isn’t much time in 2 hours, it will be quick!

• Contractions started about 11pm, within a few minutes of each other.
• By 11:20 or 11:30, contractions were within a minute of each other.
• Called the doctor about 11:30 or a little later and she told me to come in immediately.  She would meet me there.
• 11:52 out the door, a friend was coming for our Lucas, sleeping in his bed.
• Just after midnight, entered the hospital and tried to register but the computer was down.
• Into WETU, where they did a short evaluation, then onto a stretcher, onto an elevator and up to the delivery floor.
• Finally, the doctor evaluated me, 9.5cm.  No time for epidural, ugh.
• She broke the water and told me to push.
• Less than 7 minutes of pushing and the baby was out.  1am

I would say that exercise helped my body get ready for this event and possibly made it go so quickly.  I would have never imagined such a quick delivery.  If I had stayed at home even a little longer, who knows, I could have had the baby at home.

I urge you to exercise, if you are pregnant.  It can only help.  Birth is an athletic event.  Don’t go into it unprepared.  And caring for your newborn is also athletic… sometimes, with all the equipment, getting up and down and so on.  So get prepared, exercise while pregnant!

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