Pelvic Floor Quadrants and Stance Influences
The pelvic floor can be thought about as having four quadrants: left and right, front and back (anterior/posterior). Our stance and general posture can influence the tension in the pelvic floor. We are meant to move, so having the pelvic floor be in a certain position during moving is not an issue. It becomes an […]
7 Tips to Enhance Pushing with an Epidural
An epidural is a great tool to use during labor if you need rest and/or relief from contractions. But epidurals can make movement slightly more challenging during labor and while pushing. We can still move, but we may need more support, and depending on the density of the epidural, we may be limited on movements. […]
Faster Labor: 3 Exercises Throughout Your Pregnancy
Faster Labor : One of the benefits of exercising throughout pregnancy is that labor tends to be a little faster. Now, if you exercise, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are guaranteed to have a fast birth, but it could increase the likelihood. But why?? When we exercise throughout pregnancy, including resistance training and aerobic […]
7 Breathing Drills: Move the Pelvic Floor
7 Breathing Drills One of the first core exercises we can do postpartum is Breathing Drills! During pregnancy, these drills are great to help you learn how to shift your pelvis around. This will ensure that you have the required range of motion in your pelvis to help baby descend and rotate through the pelvis with […]
Understanding Shoulder Dystocia
Shoulder dystocia is a birth emergency when baby’s shoulders are caught above the pubic bone after baby’s head has been born. If shoulder dystocia happens to you, it is important to follow the immediate instructions of your provider and medical staff to resolve the dystocia. Please note that this blog is not medical advice, and […]
Fetal Ejection Reflex: Spontaneous Pushing
Fetal Ejection Reflex Towards the end of labor, you may begin to spontaneously bear down or push during the peak of a contraction. This transition occurs as the baby descends into the pelvis and places pressure to initiate the fetal ejection reflex. This spontaneous pushing can be a signal that is now time to push […]
3 Ways to Address Pelvic Girdle Pain
What is pelvic girdle pain?? Pelvic girdle pain is usually pain or discomfort associated with something going one at one of the pelvic joints: pubic symphysis towards the front; the two sacroiliac joints on the back; or even the sacrococcygeal joint by your tailbone. The pain is usually experienced with a single leg, shifting weight […]
Top Relief Tip for Early Postpartum and C-section from Coughing, Sneezing, and Laughing!
You may find that shortly after giving birth, whether it was from a cesarean birth or vaginal birth (or a cesarean birth that you pushed for a long time prior to), when you cough, laugh or sneeze, you likely feel a lot of pain at your incision site and/or perineum! Sudden increases in intraabdominal pressure, […]
Sway Back Posture: Finding Neutral
Sway back posture is when your hips push forward and your ribs shift backwards. This postural tendency involves a clenched or shortened abdominal wall, pelvic floor, and glutes; and an over-lengthened or stretched back, hip flexors, and quads. This is a common position during pregnancy and postpartum, as it allows us to bring baby to […]
Counter Pressure During Labor: How It Works + 3 Techniques
Counter pressure is a labor comfort measure that can be applied by your birth partner or member of your support team to help decrease the intensity of your contractions. It was my favorite labor comfort measure in all three of my births!
TENS Unit for Labor: How to Use It for Contraction Relief
A TENS unit for labor, short for Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, uses electric currents to stimulate the nerves. This stimulation acts as a distraction tool, and can be incredibly helpful with relief from contractions during labor. What is a TENS? The TENS has four (sometimes more) electrode pads, that can be either small or long […]
The 3 Stages of Labor
3 Stages Of Labor 1st Stage of Labor: cervix opening and thinning to 10cm dilated and 100% effaced, while baby also moves down in the pelvis; 2nd Stage of Labor: pushing to the birth of the baby 3rd Stage of Labor: placenta being born After labor is the fourth stage, postpartum, also known as the […]