In order to create more space in each pelvic level, we need to:
- The top of the pelvis, the inlet, opens more side to side with external hip rotation with abduction and an anterior pelvic tilt. Plus a posterior pelvic tilt creates more space from front to back.
- The middle of the pelvis, the midpelvis, opens more with asymmetrical or side-to-side movements. The upper midpelvis opens more with one-sided open hip positions with external rotation, abduction, and an anterior pelvic tilt. While the lower midpelvis opens more with one-sided closed hip positions with internal hip rotation, adduction, and a posterior pelvic tilt.
- The bottom of the pelvis, the outlet, opens more side-to-side with internal hip rotation with adduction and a posterior pelvic tilt.
However, during pregnancy, we tend to favor a common posture with external hip rotation and extension in the spine. This means that it is much easier for us to find external hip rotation and an anterior pelvic tilt during pregnancy… which means it may be much harder for us to find a posterior pelvic tilt (rounding in the back) and internal hip rotation–both which are really important to opening each level of the pelvis!
Additionally, there is a hyper-focus on wide-leg birth preparation positions, such as deep squats and butterfly poses, that we commonly neglect rounded positions with internal rotation in our birth preparation!
Enter the MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit which includes exercises that focus on helping you find more of a posterior pelvic tilt with internal hip rotation to create more space in your pelvis for birth!
Want to learn more on how to use prenatal fitness to support a strong and pain-free pregnancy, plus exercises to release tension in the pelvic floor and open the pelvis for birth? We also break down how to use prenatal exercise and labor positions to support your baby’s position!
Pre-order our book Training for Two! This book includes 90+ exercises to build your confidence as you navigate fitness throughout your pregnancy and prep for birth, plus a whole chapter on early postpartum recovery!
The MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit: On-Demand Workout
In our birth prep circuit workout, we are incorporating exercises that release tension to make it easier for you to find a posterior pelvic tilt and internal hip rotation. Not only will this help you be more comfortable throughout your pregnancy, it will help you open each pelvic level a lot easier when labor comes!
The top of the pelvis requires a posterior pelvic tilt to move the sacral promotnory, the jucntion between the sacrum and the lumbar spine, backwards. This creates more space from front to back. If you have a hard time finding a posterior pelvic tilt, it may make it harder for your baby to engage into yoru pelvis!
The lower half of the pelvis, the lower midpelvis and the pelvic outlet, both require internal hip rotation and adduction to create more space from side to side. Plus, internal hip rotation is easier to find with a posterior pelvic tilt!
So, you can see that you really do need to be able to easily find these movements to make it easier for your baby to enter and rotate through your pelvis!
In the MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit, we include:
- Forward Leaning Inversions: inversions help to release tension in the lower uterine ligaments to make more space in the bottom of your uterus. This makes it easier for your baby to find a head down position AND lower their head into your pelvis.
- Standing Back Expansion: this breathing drill helps you release tension in your back to make it easier to find a rounded position.
- Forward Leaning Lat Stretch: this lat/back stretch is one of my favorites for releasing tension in the back! Tight back musculature can pull the back of the pelvis UP into an anterior tilt, so we need to release this tension to find a posterior tilt.
- Half Kneeling Hip Flexor Release: the hip flexors pull the front of the pelvis DOWN into an anterior tilt, so releasing tension here can improve pelvic mobility. Plus this exercise is great to help release tension in the round ligaments.
- All Fours Hip Shifted Pelvic Tilts: this exercise brings the hip into a closed position to find internal hip rotation and relieve tension in the posterior pelvic tilt (another area where we tend to have a lot of tension). When doing the pelvic tilts, you can exhale to pull belly up which can help to release tension in the horizontal broad ligament of the uterus too!
- Supported Standing Hip Shift: this is another posterior pelvic floor release exercise that I absolutely love!
We recommend incorporating this circuit into your weekly prenatal routine around 2-3 times a week after 20 weeks. But you can start earlier if you feel you have more tension!
We incorporate these exercises into our daily prenatal workouts in the MamasteFit Prenatal Fitness Programs.
Prepare for Your Birth with MamasteFit Prenatal Fitness Programs
If you want more daily workouts to support a strong pregnancy as you prepare for birth, join our online prenatal fitness programs!
MamasteFit is unique in that we are one of the ONLY prenatal/postnatal training facilities in the United States. We develop our workout programs from our experience of working with in-person pre/postnatal fitness clients and work closely with physical therapists to refine our programming. In addition, we are birth workers, so we combine our experience as perinatal fitness trainers and birth professionals to ensure that our programs actually support your birth preparation and recovery!
Our prenatal fitness programs are offered in several formats:
- 40-Week Prenatal Strength Program in the Teambuildr App:
- This program is a self-paced workout with shorter demo videos. This is ideal if you like to workout in a gym setting and prefer a traditional workout delivery format.
- This program syncs to your current week of pregnancy, so you can start anytime, with one-time payment or month-to-month payment options.
- This program has a full and mini version, depending on how much time you have to dedicate to workouts!
- Prenatal On-Demand Fitness Program:
- If you prefer to follow a video as you workout at the same time, this workout program will be the best option!
- This program syncs to your current trimester, so you can grab the trimesters you need!
- Prenatal Yoga Classes:
- If you want prenatal yoga, join our prenatal yoga program! This also syncs to your current trimester.
Learn the science of pregnancy and birth to take the mystery of labor away! Understand why you are feeling what you feel, and learn strategies to confidently move through pregnancy and birth!
- 9h+ of Video
- Support Group
- Close Captioning
- 5 Workouts/Week
- Gym Workouts
- Self-Paced
Instructor
GINA
Workout on-demand with our prenatal fitness workout videos! Each workout is 30-40 minutes to follow along as you exercise at the same time!
- Birth Prep
- All Trimesters
- Mobility Work
Instructor
GINA
Find comfort and relief from pelvic girdle pain throughout your pregnancy and postpartum period! This program incorporates myofascial sling focused exercises to stabilize across the pelvic girdle joints.
- 3 Weeks
- On Demand Workout Videos to Follow