The value of exercises in obstetrics

Since the turn of the century, the belief has persisted that women who attain a high standard of physical fitness through exercise, would tend to have normal, easy labours with good uterine function. Based on this belief, extensive exercise programmes were evolved by Read, Vaughan, Randell and Heardman to facilitate labour. However, the benefits of these exercises have been extensively debated in medical literature. The majority of opinions have accepted that antenatal education is of no significance in shortening the period of labour or influencing the occurrence of complications, but is of psychological value only (Buxton, 1962). Although the value of exercises is not entirely that which has been attributed to them and some exercises can be refuted, it will be shown that they have a definite place in the management of the obstetric patient.