Exercise ball - For labor?

You might have noticed in my last post that one of my questions had to do with bringing an exercise ball with me to the hospital. No, I'm not planning to exercise while in labor!

I've read that using an exercise ball can be helpful for not only exercise (I've done abs on them before) but also for active labor. You can sit on them or kneel with your arms over the ball. You can also use them after birth to rock the baby - and get back into shape!

The nurse who taught our birth class a couple months ago recommended using one. Sibley hospital has several for use by women in labor, but you can also bring your own to make sure you have one to use and so you can use it both before and after labor.

Read more about using a "birth ball" during labor here and here and here. For pictures of the different positions, click here and here.

A while ago, I ordered a Valeo exercise ball from Amazon.com for $24.99. Now that we're moved into our new house and have more room, I asked Papa Bean to blow it up! Here is my beautiful pink ball, waiting to be labored on!