Helpful Cues for Pushing
What are helpful cues when it comes to pushing? Our pushing cues are: Knees In, Ankles Out (Internal Rotation of the Femur) Allow for Space for the Sacrum to Move (Get off your back) Neutral Spine with Lat Engagement Belly Breath to the Baby Panting These cues tend to be the opposite of what you […]
The Pelvis: Muscles that Support the Lower Body
The Muscles that Support the Pelvis What if I told you that you could exercise to prepare your body for labor, and that helping your baby find an optimal position for birth begins during pregnancy? If we understand what muscles support the pelvis and influence it’s movement, we can ensure that we focus our fitness […]
SI Joint Dysfunction
By: Gina Conley, MS Exercise Science The SI Joints Dysfunction The SI Joints are two posterior pelvic joints that attach the sacrum to the ilium. The SI joints are a major junction where we transfer load between our upper and lower body; this means a lot of force and stress is moved through these joints. […]
The Pelvis: Muscles that Support the Upper Body
By: Gina Conley, B.S. Exercise Science and Certified Birth Doula The Muscles that Support the Pelvis What if I told you that you could exercise to prepare your body for labor, and that helping your baby find an optimal position for birth begins during pregnancy? If we understand what muscles support the pelvis and influence […]
Pain During Pregnancy? Could be 2 things
By: Gina Conley, B.S. Exercise Science, Certified Birth Doula If you’re having pain in the front of your pelvis during pregnancy, it generally is one of two things: Round Ligament Pain: Associated with a sharp, sudden pain in the lower abdomen on either side Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction (SPD): Associated with pain with single leg, sideways, […]
How Did MamasteFit Come to Be?
By: Gina Conley, Owner, Head Coach, and Birth Doula of MamasteFit In an instant—everything changed. Maybe it was more than an instant, but motherhood was life-changing. I could never be prepared for what I felt when I became pregnant, as I navigated my pregnancy, and when I became a mother. I had no idea what […]
Can you prevent diastasis & abdominal separation during pregnancy?
The answer is most likely not. By 35 weeks gestation, nearly 100% of pregnant women will have diastasis. Diastasis happens to nearly every pregnant woman that carries to term regardless of what she does during pregnancy. Diastasis Recti Abdominis (DRA) is the separation, or rather stretching, of the linea alba, the connective tissue between the […]
Breath and Movement Coordination
Breath coordinated movement is a powerful means to improve function. Breath is how we stabilize! When we inhale, we breathe down and out. This increase in pressure stabilizes the spine. When we exhale, we breathe up and in. This increase in muscular activation also stabilizes the spine. Inhalations are the eccentric/lengthening portion of our breathing […]
2 Labor Comfort Principles
By: Gina Conley, CD(DONA), MS Exercise Science How can your birth partner provide better comfort during labor? Unless you plan to have a scheduled cesarean, you will most likely feel contractions during labor. We encourage you to share our labor comfort principles with your birth partner so that you can both prepare to find comfort […]
The Anterior Oblique Sling: Pregnancy and the Postpartum
By: Gina Conley, MS Exercise Science, Head Coach of MamasteFit The Anterior Oblique Sling runs diagonal across the front side of the body, connecting the oblique and opposite adductor. This sling system stabilizes the pubic symphysis (front pelvic joint on the pubic arch), and aids with rotational movements (think swinging a baseball bat or throwing […]
Pregnancy: Vertical Press Modifications
prenatal fitness program The vertical press, or strict press/overhead press, helps to move the shoulder through its normal range of motion upwards. The vertical press is a functional movement and develops all three deltoids and upper back musculature. Vertical presses also develop core stability, as the core needs to activate in order to maintain a […]
Horizontal Pull Modifications for Pregnancy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-irg_0AGFUo The horizontal pull movement during pregnancy is typically a rowing type movement that focuses on building the musculature of the back. Strengthening the musculature of the back support maintaining optimal posture by helping to counter the shift up and out of the center of gravity as the belly grows. In addition, a strong back […]