A Fit Pregnancy Equals Easier Labour and Quicker Recovery.
- Fiona Keene
- Jan 9, 2016
- 4 min read
African culture has taught us that when you are expecting, you should get enough rest, not lift anything heavy and generally take things easy. Well, this was me for when it came to my first pregnancy. I slept and ate a lot during my first and second trimester. As I watched the pounds pile on, I realised I could not go on a diet because I was pregnant, so the best I could do was to try and eat clean but we all know that some cravings are irresistible. I mean hey, if Kim Kardashian who probably has a chef still finds herself indulging her cravings then who am I to fight them sometimes, right? Well my fellow women, we can all agree that all pregnancies are different and some situations cannot be helped. More and more research is proving that exercising and keeping fit during pregnancy has several advantages for you and your baby to come.
At 7 months I travelled to the UK. I had a lot of energy and the environment encouraged me to take walks. I went to have my baby in my hometown of 15 years, Cardiff. No sooner had I got back home than I jumped straight back into my long-term hobby of hairdressing. I told my mum I wanted to help out in the salon. I was on my feet an average of 6-8 hours a day! When I was not working, I went on walks in the city centre with my friends and of course ate at all those restaurants with foods that I craved for in Lagos but could not have like TGIs (thank God for our new Hard Rock Cafe in Lagos)! Anyways, I noticed that even whilst I was having a full English breakfast everyday, enjoying different cuisines for lunch and eating my Ugandan food for dinner, I did not gain any extra pounds in my last trimester!
Even better, when labour came, I remembered to walk through my contractions and breathe slowly in and out. When I got to the hospital at 1pm I was told that I was only 2cm dilated so I had to go back home and come back later. I stopped at Tesco and bought some Raspberry Leaf Tea which I have been told helps get the labour going. I drunk it, went for a walk up the hill with my mum and friend until I realised I could not walk back down, so I had to get a lift home. At 4:30pm my brother said he had a feeling we were not counting the contractions right and he strongly suggested that we go to the hospital, on arrival there at about 5pm, my contraction felt like they were at their highest. The midwives and nurses were telling us off for coming back in without calling, they said they did not have a midwife or a room ready for me. Seeing as I had opted for a natural delivery with a water birth and gas and air, they usually to prepare the room ready before you come in. When my next contraction came, I was told that the best they could do for me was give me a training midwife who was about to graduate. I should have been scared but the truth is at that time, I just wanted this baby to come out. At approximately 5:15pm they examined me and I was 7cm dilated. I have never seen a group of staff so shocked. In my groaning and moaning (not shouting because my mum always advised me to save my energy for the pushing), I asked them, Why is the water birth not ready? The trainee midwife was like, "Oh I did not know you opted for one". Truth is most parts are a blur but from the time I got in the water, which must have been about 5:40pm, I felt the need to push. They said I shouldn't that it might be hours before the baby comes! I shouted this baby is not waiting for that long. By 5:55pm, my Jeremiah was born and I suffered not tears or complications. I was in the pool by myself, the main midwife had to leave another lady in labour and come attend to me once she heard I was pushing and they could see the head. All I did was follow instructions, when to breath, when to push and when not to. The little man swam out and was then grabbed out of the water.
Why bother with all these little details? Some people can argue that it was luck, others might say it was the Raspberry Leaf Tea, I can tell you from my experience that of course prayers, keeping fit by walking and my kegel exercises made my labour come and go in no time at all.
I am determined to exercise and keep fit in my second pregnancy. Hopefully this will help me keep the pounds off and make my second labour even easier! This is me right now at 12 weeks.
For more information on benefits of fit pregnancy refer to the link below.
http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts/18-billion-benefits-exercise-during-pregnancy
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