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Pregnancy / Antepartum

Almost everyone already knows to do kegel exercises during pregnancy, but what are the real goals of this training? There are two important reasons pregnant women should perform Kegel exercises in preparation for delivery:
the first goal is to increase muscle strength. A stronger muscle will be more resistant to tearing during a vaginal birth.
The second goal is to increase muscle control which will allow you to relax and contract your pelvic floor muscles appropriately during a vaginal birth. A stronger muscle will resist tearing, but the importance of being able to relax the muscles can not be overstated. Muscle control and strength is important during delivery because the muscles need to relax while they are stretched and strong muscles are less likely to tear. Less tears, less likelihood of needing an episiotomy. Kegel exercises during pregnancy are a standard recommendation by Midwives and OBGYNs.

Since most pregnant women have some control over their pelvic floor muscles, biofeedback is less important in this ranking. Biofeedback basically tells women whether they are performing the exercises correctly. Secondly, devices that offer medium to high resistance levels are more important here; therefore in the overall ranking heavy weights and the Kegelmaster are ranked high here:

Recommended Devices during Pregnancy

	Price	Resistance / Weight	Sensor Type or Weight	Biofeedback	Overall Ranking
Kegelmaster	$94.90	medium to high	sensor is 4" long and 1 1/8" wide: 4 exchangable springs		9.0
Pelvexiser	$54.95	very low to medium	3 exchangeable sensors: length: all are 2.5" long; width: 0.7", 1.1" and 1.4"		8.0
Kegelcisor	$74.95	high weight	15.2 ounces; smaller end is 7/8", larger end is 1" 1/8,		7.5
Energie	$44.95	high weight	14.08 ounces; smaller end is 1.7", wider end 2.5" wide		7.5
Kegel Enhansor	$74.95	medium weight	5.6 ounces;smaller end is 3/4" wide, larger end is 1" wide		7.5
Kegel Exercise Weights	$54.95	very low - low	length 1.8" long, 0.9" wide (6 weights from 0.5-5 ounzes)		5.5
Stepfree Weights	$59.90	very low	1.8" long, 0.8" wide; weights have to be assembled (5 weights; 1-3 ounzes)		5.0
PMTx	$44.95	very low	sensor is 2" long, 0.8" wide		4.0
Kegelpro	$39.95	very low	3" long by 1 1/4" wide, one spring		3.5
Pyrex Barbell	$49.95		0.8 ounces; 4.4" long, large end is 1 1/4" wide, small end is 3/4" wide		3.5