Why "Hip Openers" Aren't Enough to Prepare for Birth

17 hours ago

2 min read

You may have been told, or read online that "hip openers" are the key to prepare for a speedy birth, but that just isn't the case! Let me show you why "hip openers" are just one piece of the puzzle to prepare for birth.

pregnant brunette woman with black sports bra and pink leggings sitting on a purple yoga mat with a yoga strap and yoga block taking a move well for pregnancy class

Hip Openers Have Their Place, But They are Just One Piece of the Birth Prep Puzzle

First of all, what are "hip openers"? Hip openers are commonly used as a term to describe a stretch with the hips in external rotation, for example pigeon pose, figure 4, squats with the toes turned out, etc. Many people (including providers) don't know that your pelvis is actually mobile, and can create different shapes and amount of space at each of the 3 pelvic levels. Yes, there are 3 different pelvic levels:

The Pelvic Inlet, or top of the pelvis where baby first engages to get labor started
The Mid Pelvis, or the middle of the pelvis, where baby spends time rotating and moving down
The Pelvic Outlet, or bottom of the pelvis where baby comes out

Each Pelvic Level and Amount of Space is Affected by Movement

Depending on how we are moving our pelvis, legs or hips, we might be creating more space at a certain pelvic level. It's true that hip openers are one way to do this for one of the levels...the inlet! Here are some of the ways we can change the space available in our pelvis.

You can create more space in the Pelvic Inlet with external hip rotation (hip openers)
You can create more space in the Mid Pelvis with lunges and asymmetrical movements
You can create more space in the Pelvic Outlet with hip internal rotation

2 pregnant women sitting on yoga mats in sports bras and leggings watching move well with lindsay teach about levels of the pelvis in a move well for pregnancy birth prep class

So What Do Hip Openers Actually Do to Prepare for Birth?

Practicing hip openers during pregnancy is a great way to create more space at the pelvic inlet (top), which is where baby will first descend into the pelvis as labor begins. This type of movement (hips in external rotation) can help baby navigate down without too many tight tissues impacting their movement, aka it can help early labor move along more smoothly. Remember that there are 2 other levels that baby needs to navigate, so while "hip openers" are a great place to start to prepare for birth, don't stop there!

Prepare ALL Levels of the Pelvis With My Self Paced Prenatal Exercise and Birth Prep Program

If you're looking for guided, educational classes to empower your pregnancy and birth, check out my self paced prenatal exercise and birth prep program, "Aligned and Empowered". With over 35 classes to support you, a free 1:1, and automatic access to my self paced postpartum program, it's the gift that keeps giving!

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