After baby has engaged into the pelvis, they need to rotate through the middle of the pelvis! This is where most of us will spend the majority of labor: rotation!
The midpelvis, or the actual bony structure that baby is navigating through, has two main levels: the upper and the lower midpelvis. In addition, we need to focus on releasing the pelvic floor!
So, what can you do during pregnancy?? We can ensure that we have the movement capability to open each level of the pelvis and release the pelvic floor to make it easier for baby to rotate through the pelvis for birth.
3 Mobility Exercises to Help Baby Rotate: Open the Middle of the Pelvis
Baby rotates through the midpelvis (the middle of the pelvis) and pelvic floor. Each pelvic level opens in a different way (there is no one movement that opens the entire pelvis), so focusing on opening the upper and lower midpelvis + releasing the pelvic floor can help with baby’s rotation during birth.
The middle of the pelvis opens more with:
- Upper Midpelvis:
- External rotation of the femur with an Anterior Pelvic Tilt: open the upper midpelvis more for baby to BEGIN their rotation into the pelvis
- Anterior Pelvic Tilt makes external rotation EASIER
- Lower Midpelvis:
- Internal rotation of the femur with a Posterior Pelvic Tilt: open the lower midpelvis for baby to FINISH their rotation under the pubic bone.
- The lower midpelvis is where we will commonly see late labor stalls!
- Pelvic Floor Relaxation and Release
Let’s explore three mobility exercises that you can do to make opening the MIDDLE of the pelvis and PELVIC FLOOR easier!
1. Adductor Rock Backs: External Rotation Support
The upper midpelvis opens more with external rotation (wide knee) and an anterior pelvic tilt (arching in the low back). This movement pattern creates more space diagonally in the upper midpelvis, making it easier for baby to BEGIN their rotation into the pelvis.
Commonly, I will see my clients favoring an open hip position as they sway with their contractions as a clue that baby is beginning their rotation into the pelvis.
The adductor rock back releases the inner thigh, or adductor, that can pull the pelvis into internal rotation. Releasing the adductor can make external rotation easier to find! Watch the breakdown video of how to do the mobility exercise below!
External rotation and an anterior pelvic tilt tend to be easy to find during pregnancy and labor due to it being a common postural tendency.
Wide knees or legs can be problematic if you have pelvic girdle pain, particularly for the pubic symphysis (SPD) or the front pelvic joint. If this is the case, focusing more on pelvic tilting could be beneficial to avoid pain. We also will want to work to resolve pelvic girdle pain before labor!
If you have pelvic girdle pain, we want to:
- Resolve it the best we can during pregnancy! You do NOT need to be in pain as a part of pregnancy.
- If you still have pain in labor, check out this blog for some tips on managing pelvic girdle pain during labor.
2. Standing Hip Shift: Internal Rotation
The lower midpelvis opens more with internal rotation of the femur (knees in, ankles out, or a closed hip position) with a slight posterior pelvic tilt (makes IR easier).
This movement pattern creates more space diagonally in the lower midpelvis (and the opposite upper midpelvis) to help baby FINISH their rotation under the pubic bone.
Commonly, I will see my clients continually shift their weight into the same leg over and leg if their baby is getting low in the pelvis and they are getting ready to start pushing.
Interested in learning about intuitive movement patterns during labor? Join our childbirth education course or birth workers course!
The lower midpelvis tends to be the place where baby can get “stuck” and we experience a late labor stall. You are 8cm, and you stop seeing progress. Or you are pushing for a long time, but baby isn’t finishing their rotation under the pubic bone. Solutions to a late labor stall could include opening the lower midpelvis!
Why is this potentially a problematic area? The lower midpelvis opens more with internal rotation, which is the opposite of the common prenatal postural tendency (emphasizes external rotation) and internal rotation is commonly neglected in fitness programming.
If we can FEEL internal rotation during this supported standing hip shift, we will be able to incorporate it into our exercises as we prepare for birth OR we can find internal rotation during labor to support opening the lower midpelvis!
Watch the video below for a breakdown of how to do the mobility routine.
If you want more of a breakdown of WHAT to do throughout your prenatal workouts, check out our prenatal fitness programs! We offer it in two formats:
- 40-Week Prenatal Strength in the Teambuildr App (traditional delivery format)
- Prenatal On-Demand with full-length workout videos that you follow along as you workout
3. Side Lying Breathing Drill: Release the Pelvic Floor
In addition to opening the bony structure of the pelvis, there is a sling of muscles that baby needs to navigate during birth: the pelvic floor.
Most of us have too TIGHT pelvic floors (as opposed to too-loose). It is common to misunderstand the difference between TIGHT and STRONG.
Tight does NOT equate to strong. Tight is a muscle stuck in an end-range position; this would be considered a position of weakness!
The pelvic floor has a full range of motion it needs to be able to move through for optimal function:
- Lengthen or stretch
- Relax or release
- Shorten, tighten, think Kegel
It is important that the pelvic floor can SHORTEN or tighten as a part of the daily function (we need contraction in the opposite of increased demand) BUT as we prepare for birth, we need to focus on RELAXING the pelvic floor.
Breathing drills are a great way to MOVE the pelvic floor. So while you may not consider this a mobility exercise, it definitely supports the movement of your pelvic floor!
Watch the video below for a breakdown of how to do the breathing drill to move your pelvic floor!
Our prepare your pelvic floor for birth course includes thoracic and hip mobility + pelvic floor relaxation exercises to release tension as you prep for your birth! This course is self-paced and completely online, so you can find pelvic floor relaxation on your own schedule!
Open the Pelvis to Prepare for Birth!
Baby rotates through the pelvis during birth! We can open the entirety of the midpelvis with swaying and shifting weight from side to side. The midpelvis has two levels: upper and lower. And baby also needs to navigate through the pelvic floor!
What we can do during pregnancy is ensure that baby has the space to navigate the pelvis!
We can focus on ensuring that we can OPEN the midpelvis by incorporating mobility drills and exercises to find an external AND internal rotation of the femur and a posterior or anterior pelvic tilt + releasing the pelvic floor!
If you want a structured prenatal fitness program to guide you to prepare for birth, join our prenatal fitness programs! We offer them online so you can do them anywhere + start anytime, even if you are in your third trimester!