Lucy Flynn, BABYGO® team
The ball's blown up. It's in the corner of the living room, you've had a bounce on it, and now you're not sure what you're actually meant to do on the thing.
This is the page for that. Nine exercises, in the order we'd do them, each with a note on which trimester it suits. The seated ones take two or three minutes and you can do them while the kettle boils. The kneeling and standing ones want a bit more floor and something to hold on to.
If you don't have a ball yet, there's a short bit on size further down, because the wrong size is the one thing that makes all of this harder than it needs to be.
Quick answer: Sit on the ball with your feet flat and your hips a touch higher than your knees, then work through the nine below: hip sways, pelvic floor flicks, a core rollout, wall squats, child's pose, wall push ups, a lunge, pelvic tilts and the rocking hug. The seated ones suit every trimester. The kneeling and squatting ones need more care after 28 weeks. Stop if anything hurts.
Key facts
- Size: the 65cm ball suits most people up to about 5ft 8in (1.73m), the 75cm if you're taller. Sitting on it, your hips should be a touch higher than your knees, feet flat.
- The NHS says 30 minutes of walking a day can be enough in pregnancy, and any amount is better than nothing. You should still be able to hold a conversation while you move.
- Pelvic floor: the NHS suggests 3 sets of 8 squeezes a day. Exercise 2 is those, done on the ball.
- After 16 weeks the NHS says not to lie flat on your back for long. None of the nine asks you to.
- Our ball's wall is 2000 micrometres thick and it's tested to 1000kg. Bouncing on it is fine.
On this page
- Why keep moving in pregnancy
- Five things to sort before you start
- The 9 pregnancy ball exercises, in order
- Is a birthing ball the same as an exercise ball?
- Why the exercises are easier on a ball
- What pregnancy ball exercises actually do for you
- What causes the aches and pains?
- Three things to do on the ball while you're doing something else
- Does it help my baby get into position?
- Questions we get asked
Why keep moving in pregnancy
The NHS line is simple: keep active every day, and if 30 minutes of walking is all you can manage, that's enough. If you can't manage that, any amount is better than nothing. The test is whether you can still hold a conversation. If you're breathless as you talk, you're doing too much. The full advice is on the NHS exercise in pregnancy page.
What it does for you is less dramatic than the internet says. It won't guarantee you a quick labour and it won't stop you needing help on the day if you need it. What it does is keep your back, hips and pelvic floor working while everything else loosens, so you get to 36 weeks still able to get off the sofa without a plan.
And the ball makes that easier to keep up, because half of these exercises are just sitting on it properly.
If your midwife has told you to take it easy, or you've had any bleeding, ask before you start. Not because these moves are risky in themselves, but because your midwife knows your pregnancy and we don't.
Five things to sort before you start
- Inflate it properly. Let the ball reach room temperature, pump it up in stages, leave it overnight and top it up the next day. It feels hopelessly slow the first evening. That's the material, not you, and it's the thing customers ask us about most.
- Bare feet or grippy socks. The NHS says barefoot is best, or non-slip shoes or socks. Tights on laminate is how people end up on the floor.
- Check the height. Feet flat, hips a touch higher than your knees. If your knees are up by your hips, the ball is too small or too soft.
- Somewhere to hold. A wall or a worktop for the standing ones. On a hard floor, our stability ring stops the ball drifting when you sit down and stand up, which is the least secure moment.
- Little and often. Ten minutes twice a day beats one heroic session on a Sunday. You're more likely to keep it up, and it's kinder on your joints. The same goes for plain sitting on it: there's no set time, stay on while it's comfortable and get off when it isn't.
BABYGO® Electric Ball Pump
If the hand pump is beating you, this does the work. Fits the 65cm and 75cm balls and the peanut ball. The ball still needs to warm up and be topped up the next day; the pump just takes the effort out of getting there.
The 9 pregnancy ball exercises, in order
Same nine as always, same order. Do the seated ones first while you warm up, the floor and wall ones in the middle, and finish on the hug. If you only have five minutes, do 1, 2 and 8.
| Exercise | Best in | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Side to side hips | Every trimester | Hips, pelvic pressure |
| 2. Kegels (pelvic floor quick flicks) | Every trimester, every day | Pelvic floor |
| 3. Core ball rollout | First and second | Core, lower back |
| 4. Wall ball squat | Second and third, shallow | Legs, glutes, upright positions |
| 5. Child's pose with the ball | Every trimester | Back, shoulders, calming down |
| 6. Wall ball push up | Every trimester | Arms, chest, upper back |
| 7. One leg ball lunge | First and second; hold on in the third | Balance, legs |
| 8. Cat and cow pelvic tilts | Every trimester | Lower back, posture |
| 9. Rocking ball hug | Second and third, and labour | Back, forward lean, baby's position |
Every exercise has a short video on our birthing ball exercises page, and there's a link under each one.
1. Side to side hips
- Sit on the ball with your feet flat and your knees above your ankles.
- Move your hips slowly from side to side.
- Let your weight shift through your bottom as you go left, then right.
- Feel the release across your hips and lower back.
- Switch to small circles if you like.
- Keep going for a minute or two, or until you start to tire.
Trimester note: the one to start with in any trimester. If you have PGP, keep the sways small and stop if it flares.
2. Kegels (pelvic floor quick flicks)
- Sit on the ball, feet flat, knees above your ankles.
- One hand on your chest, one on your tummy. The tummy hand should move as you breathe.
- Squeeze the muscles you'd use to stop yourself weeing and to stop wind, at the same time. Don't clench your bottom or hold your breath.
- Squeeze and lift as you breathe out, let go as you breathe in.
- Do them quickly: tighten, release, tighten, release.
- Aim for 8 quick squeezes, three times a day. Add slow holds, counting to 10, when the quick ones feel easy.
Trimester note: every trimester and after the birth too. The NHS's 3 sets of 8 a day is the target; tie them to meals so you don't forget.
3. Core ball rollout
- Kneel in front of the ball, knees hip-width apart.
- Rest your forearms on the ball, hands in loose fists.
- Keep your back flat, brace your tummy, and slowly roll the ball away from you.
- Straighten your arms as far as feels steady without letting your hips drop.
- Hold for 3 seconds.
- Bend your elbows to roll the ball back.
- Repeat a few times, within what your body will give you.
Trimester note: first and second trimester. In the third the bump usually gets in the way, and if you see your tummy doming into a ridge as you brace, leave this one out and ask your midwife about abdominal separation.
4. Wall ball squat
- Stand with the ball between the wall and the curve of your lower back.
- Feet slightly wider than hip-width, toes pointing slightly out.
- Leaning into the ball, lower yourself slowly into a squat.
- Keep your shoulders level and your hips square.
- Stop when your thighs are level with the floor. Don't go lower than your knees.
- Hold for 3 seconds, then push slowly back up.
- Repeat within what your legs will give you.
Trimester note: second and third. Keep it shallow after 28 weeks, and have a chair beside you the first few times. Squatting is one of the upright positions you may want in labour, so this is practice as well as strength.
5. Child's pose with the ball
- Kneel in front of the ball, knees hip-width apart, or wider to make room for the bump.
- Both hands on the ball, roll it away from you.
- Drop your head between your arms and lean forward.
- Push your bottom back towards your heels.
- Breathe in slowly. As you breathe out, let yourself sink.
- Hold for as long as it's comfortable and feel it in your back, shoulders and neck.
Trimester note: every trimester. Put a cushion under your knees in the third, widen them as the bump grows, and don't be surprised if this is the one you fall asleep in.
6. Wall ball push up
- Stand facing a wall, holding the ball at chest height, arms out.
- Press the ball against the wall with your hands just wider than your shoulders.
- Keep your body straight and your feet planted.
- Breathe in and lean in, bending your elbows until your chest meets the ball.
- Breathe out and press away.
- Straighten your elbows and stand tall again.
- Repeat within what your arms will give you.
Trimester note: every trimester. Step your feet closer to the wall to make it easier. Your arms will thank you for it in six months' time, when the baby weighs the same as the shopping.
7. One leg ball lunge
- Rest your right foot on top of the ball. Keep your standing knee soft.
- Hands on your hips, or on a worktop beside you. Breathe in.
- Push the ball back with your right foot until your shin and knee are resting on it.
- Bend your left knee forward, keeping it behind your toes.
- Squeeze your left glute and lunge.
- Breathe out and draw your tummy in towards your spine.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Straighten your front leg, breathe in, and swap legs.
Trimester note: first and second. From the third, only with a hand on something solid, and skip it altogether on days your balance feels off.
8. Cat and cow pelvic tilts
- Sit on the ball, feet flat, knees above your ankles.
- Fingertips on the front of the ball.
- Let the ball roll you forwards, then backwards.
- Tuck your pelvis under as you roll back, tip it forward as you roll forward, so your tummy works against the ball.
- Breathe out as you draw your tummy in, breathe in as you let it out.
- Keep going for a minute or two, or until you tire.
Trimester note: every trimester, and the one people rate most in the third for a tight lower back. It's also a good one for the early hours of labour, if you get there and forget the rest.
9. Rocking ball hug
- Kneel in front of the ball, knees hip-width apart, a cushion underneath if you need one.
- Reach over the ball so your arms and chest are resting on it.
- Hands on the far side of the ball, head facing forward.
- Rock gently forwards and back, or left and right.
- Let your weight shift through your bottom as you move and feel your back let go.
- Keep going for as long as it's comfortable.
Trimester note: second and third. This is the forward-leaning position the NHS talks about for helping your baby's head down into the pelvis, and it's the one most people end up in during contractions.
Is a birthing ball the same as an exercise ball?
Same shape, different spec. A birthing ball is anti-burst, so if it ever gets a puncture it deflates slowly instead of popping under you, and the NHS says to look for that rating whatever ball you buy. The full comparison, spec and sizes included, is in our birthing ball guide.
What size birthing ball do I need?
Go by height: the 65cm for most people up to about 5ft 8in, the 75cm if you're taller, and if you're right on the line, sit on a friend's before you order. The chart and the sit test are in the size guide.
BABYGO® Birthing Ball
If you don't have a ball yet, this is the one every exercise on this page was written for. In 65cm and 75cm, with a hand pump, a tape measure, spare plugs and our 100 page pregnancy book in the box. One reviewer wrote: "Beautiful colour ball that helped my wife with pain relief doing exercises on it, the guide was helpful and overall its very sturdy".
Why the exercises are easier on a ball
Because the ball carries the bump. Sitting or leaning on it takes the weight off your lower back and pelvis, so you can concentrate on the muscle you're meant to be working instead of on staying upright. Most of the moves below are the same stretches you'd do on a mat, only you don't have to get down to the floor and back up again.
It's hard to slump on a ball. There's no backrest, so your body sits tall without you thinking about it, which is most of the posture advice you'll ever get in one object.
Swap your chair. Not for the whole day. Half an hour at the desk or in front of the telly on the ball instead of the sofa, and you've done some of your exercise without doing any.
What pregnancy ball exercises actually do for you
Four honest things.
Your back. Sitting tall and tilting your pelvis (exercises 8 and 1) moves the joints that get stiff from carrying the bump out front. It's the first thing people mention in the reviews: back pain, third trimester, sturdy.
Your hips and pelvis. Small sways and circles keep the hip joints moving as the ligaments around them loosen. Not a cure for pelvic girdle pain, but a way to keep moving within what's comfortable, which is what the NHS asks you to do.
Your pelvic floor. It's under strain all through pregnancy and the NHS wants you doing 3 sets of 8 squeezes every day. Doing them sat on the ball is as good a reminder as any.
Your familiarity with the ball. The NHS says only use a birth ball in labour if you've practised on it during pregnancy and feel safe on it. Every week you spend on it now is practice.
What causes the aches and pains?
Your body loosens the ligaments around your pelvis so it can open for birth. Helpful in the delivery room, less so at 24 weeks when the same ligaments are meant to be holding your pelvis steady on a walk to the shop. Add a bump that moves your centre of gravity forward, and your lower back ends up doing work it isn't built for.
For a lot of people that's an ache by the evening. For up to 1 in 5 it's pelvic girdle pain, PGP, which the NHS covers on its pelvic pain in pregnancy page.
If that's you, tell your midwife and ask for a physio referral. The ball helps some people with PGP and not others. Keep to the small seated sways, and if a move flares it up, that's your answer.
Balance changes. As the bump grows your centre of gravity moves and you'll feel less steady, especially standing on one leg. That's why the lunge (exercise 7) comes with a "hold on to something" note from the third trimester.
Three things to do on the ball while you're doing something else
Phone call, the news, waiting for the bath to run. You don't need a mat or a plan for these.
- Gentle bouncing. Small, feet flat, hands on your knees. It keeps your hips moving without effort.
- Rocking forwards and back. Let the ball roll you, and let your pelvis tilt with it.
- Pelvic floor squeezes. Nobody can tell.
None of these will bring on labour, whatever the group chat says. They will make the last month easier to sit through.
Does it help my baby get into position?
It can help. The position midwives like for birth is head down with your baby's back towards your front. The NHS says upright, forward-leaning positions on the ball help bring your baby's head further down into the pelvis, which is why exercises 5 and 9 are in here and why you'll see them again in labour.
What the ball won't do is turn a breech baby or start labour. If your baby is breech at 36 weeks, your midwife will talk you through the options; that's their call, not the ball's. And if you've come here for exercises to induce labour, we've written up what the ball can and can't do in the last weeks separately, so this one can stay about the exercises.
Before you start. If you have placenta praevia, bleeding, high blood pressure, or you've been told to rest, check with your maternity team first. Stop and call them if you feel dizzy, get pain or bleeding, or your baby's movements change.
Want this timed to your weeks? Tell us your due date and we'll send what to expect, what to do and what to sort each week, including when to start on the ball. 10% off when you're ready.
Questions we get asked
Can I do these pregnancy ball exercises in the third trimester?
Eight of the nine, with two changes: keep the wall squat shallow and hold on to something for the lunge. The core rollout is a first and second trimester exercise, so swap it for the cat and cow pelvic tilts. The seated ones (1, 2 and 8) and the two kneeling ones (5 and 9) are the third trimester favourites for a reason.
Do these exercises help induce labour?
No. Nothing you do on the ball reliably starts labour, and the NHS says there's no proven way to bring it on at home. What the ball does in the last weeks is keep you upright and comfortable and help your baby's head settle into the pelvis. We've gone through what the ball can and can't do to bring on labour separately.
Can I do pelvic floor exercises on the ball?
Yes, and it's a good place to do them because sitting on the ball reminds you. Exercise 2 is the technique; the NHS target is 3 sets of 8 squeezes a day.
Can I use a gym ball instead of a birthing ball?
If it's anti-burst rated and the right size for your height, yes. If it's a thin one that came free with something, or it's the wrong size, don't. The NHS says anti-burst is the thing to look for.
Next: if you're wondering when in pregnancy to begin, read when to start using a birthing ball, or if you're ready to sit on one, the birthing ball collection and the size guide are where to go.
This is general guidance from the BABYGO® team, not medical advice. Your midwife or GP knows your pregnancy; ask them if anything here doesn't fit your situation.
