Because curb walking creates uneven movement, it can push your baby further into your pelvis. This puts more pressure on the cervix, which could make it dilate.
However, this will only happen if your body is truly ready for labor.
But what if you are at that point in your 39th or 40th week and want to get the ball rolling? As long as your doctor has no problem with it, go for it!
That said, plenty of mamas have a big problem here…they may not have a curb nearby.
“The sidewalk in front of my home is flat,” read one of my messages from a mama named Megan. Another one told me about how there were several feet of snow outside, and she couldn’t even see the curb. “The snow is still piling up,” Larissa told me.
So, for Megan, Larissa, and any other mama that wants to curb walk but can’t due to situations like these, here’s what you can do…use the stairs!
How to curb walk on stairs?
If you have stairs in your home or building, climbing them can help you just like curb walking. Simply going up and down the stairs can create this effect while you curb walk at home.
Again, you need to be careful, though, because falling down the stairs is very serious, especially while pregnant. I recommend you have someone with you and that you hold the banister.
I know some of you do not have stairs in your home. Some of you may have stairs leading up to the front of your home, but if it’s winter and you’ve got ice and snow, I do not want you trying to curb walk on those stairs. Don’t feel left out, though…you can do the following things!
Other curb walk alternatives…
If you can’t get to any stairs or curbs, you can use these tactics to curb walk!
Put on some heels
You can slap on a high heel shoe on one foot and a regular flat-bottomed shoe on the other. Then walk around your house, preferably assisted by someone else. This creates the same results.
Of course, unless your feet are too swollen to get in your heels.
Try a stool
Do you have a little step stool you use to grab stuff off higher shelves? I know I do. You can simply step up and down from it to use it like stairs for curb walking.
Remember, you’ll need to be in the last bits of your pregnancy, and your body needs to be ready for labor for this method to help possibly. If you are, give it a try and see if you wind up pushing yourself into labor!
Leslie Berry lives with her husband and two young daughters in Los Altos, California, where she loves helping other moms get comfortable with motherhood and embracing the insanity with facts peppered with laughs.
