A GUIDE TO MASSAGE FOR PREGNANCY & LABOUR

A full colour Step by Step Guide to Using Simple Massage and Positive Touch in Pregnancy and Labour, written by Katie Whitehouse, an experienced Massage Therapist who specialises in pregnancy massage and teaching fathers-to-be to massage their partners in labour

A GUIDE TO BABY MASSAGE

A full colour Step by Step Guide to Baby Massage, written by Katie Whitehouse, an experienced Massage Therapist and Baby Massage Instructor and founder of Vital Touch.   The photographs and tips in the booklet make massaging your baby fun and easy

The perfect relaxation music for pregnancy and birth used by Katharine Graves for all her HypnoBirthing classes and recordings.  With no track change to disrupt relaxation, this 60 minute solo piano recording by Catherin Marie Charlton is perfect to soothe your mind and body, or for playing in the background during rest.

Experience the calm and beauty of this peaceful piano music that takes you on a journey through a world of calm and serenity.

£29.99 Plus £4.99 P & P (Total £34.98)

One high quality anti-burst birthing ball with dual action pump.

The perfect birthing ball for use in pregnancy and labour and to help to get you back in shape after pregnancy. Each ball comes with a non-slip surface.

Ball colours may vary: 

55cm: Red

65cm: Blue

 

One Incredible DVD "A Simple Guide to Pelvic Floor and Core Exercises"

This useful DVD will demonstrate how to identify and rectify abdominal seperation through simple exercise, plus perform simple pelvic floor and core exercises (running time 20 minutes, NTSC).

Used on many post natal wards  through out the UK

3 x A2 Exercise Wall Charts

Easy to read high quality wall charts including safe and effective pregnacy, post natal and advanced toning and stretching exercises. Designed by pre and post natal exercise specialist Newborn Fitness.

 

Information on Optimal Foetal Positioning

Late Pregnancy Postures 
Getting your baby into the best positions for birth
Exercises to help move your baby
Helpful positioning tips during labour with your birth ball

 

If you are Pregnant! Why have a Birthing/Exercise Ball?

Unless there are medical reasons to avoid it, pregnant women can and should try to exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week. Birthing Balls, commonly known as an Exercise Ball, Gym Ball, Swiss Ball or Fitness Balls, are great for relieving discomfort during pregnancy. They provide a firm, yet soft place to sit. They also force good posture, allowing for decreased straining of your muscles. In the short term, exercise helps all of us feel better physically and emotionally, and the calories burned helps prevent excessive weight gain. People who exercise regularly develop stronger muscles, bones and joints. And over time, the benefits of regular exercise are even more impressive: lower risks of premature death, heart disease and other serious illnesses.

Using the birthing ball throughout pregnancy will keep the deep supportive muscles of the spine in shape and help stimulate postural reflexes. The birthing ball has many additional uses in the later stages of pregnancy when sitting can become very uncomfortable and getting up and down from a chair becomes increasingly hard. The pregnant woman can roll up off the ball; it's much easier than getting out of a normal chair.

For pregnant women, however, exercise has added benefits. There is evidence that exercise can help preventgestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that sometimes develops during pregnancy. And for women who already have gestational diabetes, regular exercise is recommended along with changes in diet to help bring the disease under control.

In addition, exercise can help relieve stress and build the stamina needed for labour and delivery. It's also worth mentioning that exercise can be very helpful in coping with the postpartum period. Exercise can help new mothers keep the "baby blues" at bay, cope with postnatal depression, regain their energy and lose the weight they gained during pregnancy.

In studies on maternal position during the second or pushing stage of labour, it has been found that either sitting up or lying on the side to push instead of lying on the back resulted in:-

• Shorther second stage of labour
• A reduction in assisted deliveries (vacuum and forceps)
• A reduction in episiotomies
• A smaller increase in second-degree perineal tears
• Reduced reporting of severe pain during second stage of labour
• Fewer abnormal foetal heart rate patterns

 

 

 

 

Description:

The Miracle Box Ball is safety tested by the GS Institute and is rated with a maximum load of 250kg as burst-resistant . This quality ball comes boxed complete with a hi-pressure 6" pump and is ideal for working out, for yoga, pilates, physiotherapy or use as an ergonomic chair. Conforms to EU Medical Devices Directive. Other benefits of using this ball can be during pregnancy & labour.

What size Excercise/Birthing Ball do I require?

The suggested ball size is related to your height. This is so that when you sit on the ball (when correctly inflated to the indicated size) your knees are positioned slightly lower than your hips. The recommended ball/height size is as follows:


Height 5'5"/165cms and under - 55cm Gym Ball 
Height 5'6"/167.5cms - 6'1"/185.5cms - 65cm Gym Ball

For further information on exercise quidelines during pregnancy click here

 

 

(1) A specially designed anti burst birthing/exercise ball, for safe & effective training. 
(2) Interactive Exercise Charts downloaded from www.lifestylexperts.com (RRP £19.99), free to themiraclebox 
Please read instructions carefully before using the exercise ball. Not suitable for small children due small parts.