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Birth Ball Skills

How to Have a Faster Labor with a Birth Ball + Video

Birth Ball Skills

updated 11/24/2019

There are a few obvious ways to use a birth ball during pregnancy and labor, and then there are expert ways to help improve the position of the baby in the pelvis and SHORTEN LABOR. Does a baby ready for exit or a shorter labor sound like your kind of goals? 

I get SO many questions like, “How does the labor ball help with labor? You just sit on it and bounce, right?” 

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! click here to read my full disclosure policy

Um…..no, not really.

It’s actually a really awesome labor tool when sized correctly and used in a way that supports a woman’s specific labor. Back pain? There’s a position for that!

Want to add some pelvic stretches to increase comfort in pregnancy and help baby work her way down low? There’s a position for that! (pair with belly oil, and your bump will have zero complaints!) A Rebozo can be your best friend, too!

Loving the water? Use a ball in there too! 

 

To save you from asking that same question to your labor nurse, I’ve compiled some of my favorite and most effective positions in this short video. Also, you can get your own birth ball from Amazon, and it’s super affordable! Practice at home and take to the hospital if they don’t have any.

Related: Delivery Room Rules: How to Navigate Hospital Rules in Labor and Delivery

The Birth Nurse Spinning Babies RoanokeIf you’re not using a hospital grade birth ball, what is yours made out of? It took me a long time to find a 75cm ball that I loved. Most exercise balls just aren’t that big or don’t feel safe enough for my preggo belly. 

Hospital grade, or burst free (up to 2000lbs), like these, are safer and last for many years and won’t break the bank. 

Because *spoiler alert*       ———     babies are expensive. 

I loved rocking my babies on them while they were newborns, and now they love wrecking each other and the basement with them as toys on rainy days 😛

A post you might like: When You Have to Ditch Your Birth Plan

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Taking Control of Your Childbirth Online Course is OPEN! Enroll now!

Are you a labor nurse or doula? Share your fav birth ball positions below! I’d love to learn from you and help others at the same time! The babies need all the help they can get on their travels Earth side 🙂


Disclosure: Some of the links on my site are affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. In this post, I received 3 birth balls to create this video but the opinions are honest and all my own. I only share about things I truly LOVE.

Picture of Mandy Irby
Mandy Irby
Mandy Irby is a board-certified labor nurse with 13 years of experience supporting survivors of assault and trauma through pregnancy, birth planning, and at their bedside during childbirth and pregnancy loss. Mandy is an international educator through her online, on-demand childbirth ed classes and community exclusively for nurses to shed the shame and powerlessness they feel to change the very system L&D nurses were setup to fail in. She's passionate about shaping the future of nursing to improve childbirth outcomes! As a creative educator, Mandy co-authored Amazon best-seller, Baby Got VBAC.  Many know her through her wildly popular, tongue-in-cheek social media platforms.

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38 Responses

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