My Top 3 Ways to Prep my Pelvic Floor for Birth!
As I near the middle to the end of my third trimester, I am shifting my focus during my workouts to prepare for birth. My workouts have lowered in intensity and are slowly lowering in overall volume as I near 37+ weeks. One aspect of my birth preparation is my physical preparation. My workouts are […]
Twists During Pregnancy: Are twists safe or dangerous??
You may have been told that twisting throughout pregnancy is dangerous, and to avoid twists once you find out you are pregnant. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth! We need to twist for optimal spine function and to support our core and pelvic health. Now, what we may want to avoid is deep […]
Right Upper Quadrant Pain… But No Blood Pressure Issues? Check the Thoracic Spine!
If you are experiencing pain in the upper right quadrant, or right below the bottom of the rib cage towards the front, it could be a sign of hypertension or a preeclamptic issue during pregnancy. Pre-eclampsia is a serious prenatal complication that is the leading cause of maternal death, so symptoms associated with pre-eclampsia should […]
Laboring on the Toilet: 3 Tips to Speed Up Dilation
The toilet is commonly referred to as the “dilation station” in the labor world! The reason being is that when we are more relaxed, our cervix can more easily dilate as baby presses down on the cervix with contractions.
Our Top Postpartum Care Items!
There tends to be a lot of focus on preparing for birth that we may forget that there is a postpartum period too! While Amazon prime is usually most frequented at 2 am the early days postpartum to buy that thing that promises relief, it still takes some to arrive! Having a few helpful items […]
5 Exercises to Find Relief from Neck & Back Pain Early Postpartum
Early postpartum (and probably beyond early postpartum) neck and upper back discomfort can be fairly common. Why? Let’s consider some common postural tendencies of early postpartum! As we are recovering early postpartum, we typically take a more protective posture where we round around the front while holding and feeding baby. We may begin to favor […]
Top 3 Things to Do to Support Your Postpartum Healing!
After an entire pregnancy of focusing on our baby’s arrival, they are finally here! So, now what? There may be this urgency to get back to where we were pre-pregnancy, especially with all the changes that come with postpartum. We may have a shift in our family dynamic with a new baby, between us and […]
Belly Band to Heal Diastasis?? Probably Not.
If you browse long enough on social media and you are in the motherhood realm, you will likely come across an ad saying that this new belly binder or band will heal your diastasis and close your abdominal gap! In theory, it makes sense: if I bring the abs closer together, it must be healing […]
4 Ways to Breathe During Labor
How we breathe during labor can support a more relaxing experience! Breathing is a great tool that we can use to slow our heart rate, respiration rate, and activate our parasympathetic nervous system! Let’s explore four ways to use breathing during labor! Breathing Techniques for Labor and Pushing There are four main breathing techniques we […]
Top 3 Causes of Diastasis Recti (DRA)
Diastasis Recti, DRA, or a gap or separation of the six-pack abs, is a worrisome topic for many during their pregnancy and postpartum! There is a lot of pressure to close the gap, and tons of programs target shrinking your waist and healing diastasis. But, what actually causes diastasis? If we want to “heal” or […]
4 Ways to Prevent Coning During Your Prenatal and Postnatal Workouts
We want to minimize coning during our prenatal and postnatal workouts, as it can cause excessive damage to our core! The more coning we experience under exertion, the more damage we could be causing. This means it could cause a lingering diastasis or make it harder to heal postpartum! Let’s break down four ways to […]
Coning & Diastasis: 2 Ways to Protect Your Core During Pregnancy
Can you prevent diastasis during pregnancy? The answer is no because diastasis is a normal adaptation to pregnancy! We need our core to expand and muscles to stretch and separate to accommodate for our baby’s growth. But! This does not mean we shouldn’t be considerate with our movement patterns and with abdominal coning. The more […]