Prenatal Visit Three: Birth Ball Support for Labor
Labor isn’t just something that happens to your body, it’s something your body can move through. And one of the most effective tools to prepare for labor is something simple and powerful: the birth ball.
At Melancentric, your third prenatal visit is all about movement, positioning, and confidence-building using a birth ball. It’s part of your Medi-Cal doula support and it could be the game-changer you didn’t know you needed.
What Is a Birth Ball?
A birth ball is a large, firm yoga-style ball used during pregnancy and labor to:
Promote optimal fetal positioning
Ease back pain and pelvic pressure
Encourage flexibility and range of motion
Prepare your body for labor by softening and opening the pelvis
What We Practice in This Visit:
During your visit, we’ll explore:
Sitting techniques to promote baby’s position (anterior vs. posterior)
Rocking, bouncing, and circling for hip flexibility and release
How to use the ball during early labor at home and in the hospital
Partner-assisted movements using the ball for lower back relief
How to combine ball use with breathing or guided focus
“I used the birth ball every night for weeks, and it helped my hips so much — by the time labor came, it felt like second nature.” – Melancentric Client, San Bernardino
Is This Safe with an Epidural?
You can absolutely use the ball before getting an epidural. Once you have one, you’ll switch to a peanut ball (covered in Visit 4), but many hospitals allow use of a birth ball in early labor and even with IVs or monitoring in place.
What’s Next?
In Visit Four, we’ll go deeper into physical tools like the peanut ball especially useful for moms who may be laboring in bed or planning on getting an epidural.
Ready to learn how to use your birth ball?
