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| Home > Preparation for Child Birth > Relaxation > Relaxation during Activity
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| | Relaxation during Activity
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You should learn to relax during physical activities. This will prepare you more realistically for labor, which may probably involve the same sort of activities. You should aim to achieve the same state of relaxation and mental rest as with passive relaxation.
Walk around your home or yard, concentrating on the muscles needed to maintain your posture and gait. Try to relax all other muscles which are not linked in the particular activity. Relax your shoulders, arms, and hands. Relax the muscles of your face.
Practice relaxing in different positions - standing, sitting, semi sitting on your hands and knees, squatting, and lying on your side. Different positions require dif-ferent muscle groups and allow for release of tension in others. Practice will make you relax efficiently during labor.
Practice relaxing while performing such activities as wash-ing clothes, reading or cooking. Active relaxation re-quires you to be awake and alert as you continue an activity; while, releasing the tension from muscles that are not needed for the particular task.
Practice relaxing while performing the stretching exercises. Relaxing while you stretch enables greater stretch with less pain.
Visualize that your contractions have started while you practice relaxation and breathing patterns. By imagining the intense sensations of labor contractions while relaxing, you can make each practice session a labor rehearsal.
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