Baby needs to ENGAGE or enter into the pelvis either before or during labor for labor to progress. When baby engages in the pelvis, they can apply more pressure against the cervix and more easily rotate for birth.
If baby is not yet engaged before labor, it is okay! Engagement is NOT an indicator of labor onset or a requirement for labor to begin. And your baby could be engaged for WEEKS or MONTHS before labor even happens!
So, what can you do during pregnancy?? We can ensure that we have the movement capability to open each level of the pelvis to make it easier for baby to engage and move through the pelvis for birth!
3 Mobility Exercises to Help Baby Engage:
Open the Top of the Pelvis
Baby engages, or enters, the pelvic inlet (the top of the pelvis). Each pelvic level opens in a different way (there is no one movement that opens the entire pelvis), so focusing on opening the pelvic inlet can make baby’s engagement in the pelvis easier!
The top of the pelvis opens more with:
- External rotation of the femurs: wide knees; this opens the pelvic inlet more side to side
- Posterior Pelvic Tilt: butt tucking under, this opens the pelvic inlet more front to back by moving the sacral promontory out of the way
- Anterior Pelvic Tilt: arching in the back; this does NOT change the pelvic diameter but changes the pelvic angle which can make it easier for baby to enter
- Anterior pelvic tilt changes the pelvic position making external rotation EASIER
Let’s explore three mobility exercises that you can do to make opening the TOP of the pelvis easier!
1. Squat Therapy: External Rotation of the Femurs
External rotation, or wide knees, opens the pelvic inlet more from side to side. Hip positioning and movement tend to influence a greater opening than pelvic tilting.
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!
The squat therapy mobility routine involves spending time in a deep squat position. In this movement:
- 10x pressing both knees apart in this squat position
- 10x pressing one knee away
- 10x thoracic rotations with or without weight
It is important that we can relax in this position!
It may be helpful to place something under the heels if ankle mobility makes coming into a deep squat position difficult, or you cannot put your feet flat.
Or sitting on a yoga block or small step for support at the bottom.
Watch the video below for a breakdown of how to do the mobility routine + tips on how to modify it as needed.
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!
2. Adductor Rock Backs: External Rotation Support
We may also need to release tension in the muscles that pull the hip into internal rotation: the adductors and hamstrings.
Releasing the inner thigh, or the adductors, can make external rotation easier to find!
The adductor rock back is an easy exercise to do to release the inner thighs.
Start with your butt towards one heel, with the opposite leg extended out to the side.
Sit back towards the heel to feel more of a stretch in the inner thigh, then come back up to an upright position. Take the time to pause at any sticky points, or points that feel more tight.
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. Quad Release and Pelvic Tilts: Posterior Pelvic Tilt
The inlet opens more with external rotation of the femur and with a posterior pelvic tilt! Pregnancy emphasizes the externally rotated and extended position, so finding a posterior pelvic tilt can be challenging!
In order to find a posterior pelvic tilt, we need to release the muscles that pull the pelvis more anterior:
- Quads
- Hip Flexors
- Lats
In the quad release with pelvic tilts mobility drill, we start with releasing the quads. You can reach back to grab your foot and then feel a stretch in the front of the thigh or you can place the foot on an elevated surface such as your couch.
After you do your quad stretch, come to an all-fours position and do pelvic tilts. You can place a yoga block under one knee to target one side at a time!
Watch the video below for a breakdown of how to do the mobility routine.
Open the Pelvis to Prepare for Birth!
Baby needs to engage into the pelvis either during pregnancy or labor. When baby engages does not determine labor onset or how fast/slow labor will go, so trying to force baby to engage during pregnancy is unnecessary.
What we can do during pregnancy is ensure that baby has the space to more easily navigate the pelvis! We can focus on ensuring that we can OPEN the pelvic inlet by incorporating mobility drills and exercises to find an external rotation of the femur and a posterior or anterior pelvic tilt!
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!