six tips for a healthy pregnancy
Movement is medicine. I know you feel big, you feel achy, the last thing you want to do is move your body. However, movement now is what will help you during your labor later. Endurance is a major thing we want to be working on during this time. Labor is an endurance activity, so we want to make sure that our bodies are prepared for the marathon. Now, I’m not saying go run a marathon. I’m saying, it is best to take this time to go on long walks, hold a deep squat, maybe even see how long you can hold a wall sit. Training your muscles for endurance during this time will pay off so much later!
Limit your sitting. I know we have jobs that keep us sitting most of the time, but I want to encourage you to get up hourly to move your body. Also, if you have to sit, consider investing in a yoga ball or a kneeling chair. These two options help alleviate some of that extra pressure on your pelvis and sacrum. That is important because we want these joints moving well during labor, not stuck in an unhappy position because we were constantly putting pressure on these joints during pregnancy.
Limit your stress however you do this best. I don’t know about you, but I continually learn that my stress is the lowest when I prepare and give myself time to do things. When I procrastinate on a project, hit snooze instead of following my morning routine, or simply surround myself with negative people, my stress levels start to spike. I want to encourage you to find the things that get you stressed out and set boundaries for yourself and baby. Your baby feels everything you do. In fact I just got done reading a research article stating “a mother’s stress during pregnancy changes neural connectivity in the brain of her unborn child”. So take this time to set boundaries, accept the help that is offered, and start tasks before it becomes a stressor.
Prepare for postpartum now. I always like to tell pregnant moms who don’t have family close by to hire a postpartum doula. These wonderful people help clean your house, do laundry, stick a meal in the oven or feed your baby so that you can take some time to rest or take a shower. If this is something you’re interested in, reach out and I can provide you with an amazing referral.
Bond with your baby! This time is so special, because it is the only time that you and baby will have this private time together. You are a team going into labor so make sure you are taking this special time to talk to your baby, feel your baby and bond with this beautiful baby your body is creating!
Make sure you are belly breathing! Believe it or not your pelvic floor and diaphragm are mirror images of each other. That means that if you are not properly breathing, your pelvic floor may show some dysfunction. Proper belly breathing involves taking a big deep breath in through your nose, feeling that breath expand down into your belly and around your back (360 degrees) and slowly letting that air out through your mouth. This diaphragmatic breathing will help relax your pelvic floor and bring your body back to its calm and relaxed state.
I hope this blog leaves you enlightened and motivated to connect back with your body and how amazing it truly is. If you are in need of a Webster Certified chiropractor to guide you through this pregnancy journey, please call or text 480.712.1020.
