In the progressive muscle relaxation exercise according to the American doctor Jacobson, you progressively, therefore “progressively”, tense one part of the body after another. The difference between maximum muscle tension and maximum relaxation promotes the perception and deepening of relaxation. People who find inactivity difficult, who prefer to be on the move or who find meditation and mental work difficult are more likely to have access to this form of relaxation.

Progressive muscle relaxation exercise during childbirth

During labor, many women feel the need to clench their hands into fists to dissipate the energy of the contraction. You can make use of this according to Jacobson’s method and consciously tense your muscles again at the end of the contraction in order to be able to relax the labor pause as much as possible. That’s what I call energy management. Use the resources.

But the relaxation exercise progressive muscle relaxation can also be helpful for men to channel their own tension; to become aware of it, tense up and then let go. Men and women can benefit from such small methods of birth preparation.

Tensing, pulling on something, pushing against something – we always try this out in antenatal classes. You can see this in my photos of the antenatal classes. Sometimes the pregnant woman pulls on a rope she has made, sometimes she pushes against my hand. It is always so impressive to realize how helpful it is to work with your hands, for example, to better activate the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles when pushing along during birth. I love the moment when women in the course have this small physical experience and are fascinated to realize how big such small measures are. Much of birth is a mixture of physicality and mental mechanisms. And so this little physical exercise can also bring you into the desired “pararsympathetic state”; the part of the nervous system in which you women should be as much as possible.

Have fun with the progressive muscle relaxation exercise!