Approaching your due date can be a scary and exciting time all at once. There are so many moving parts to consider and even more opinions being thrown your way. While most pregnant people first think of preparing their home or physically preparing their bodies for labor, preparation for your mind and soul is just as important.
The onslaught of various stresses, seeds of doubt, and a belief that you are not ready creates an environment ripe with darkness. But those feelings of fear, doubt, or pain can be beneficial, too. How can you transform those negative beliefs into positive ones? A subtle shift in your perspective and understanding can cause a ripple effect to occur, benefitting all other aspects of your preparations.
Let’s try together:
What is one negative thought you have been focusing on? Changes in your body, fears about labor, frustrations…Hold that feeling in your body.
How can you turn this statement around? What good is that feeling doing for you and your baby? How are those thoughts benefitting you? (for example, these changes in my body allow me to create new life).
As you inhale, breathe in your new perspective and exhale what no longer serves you.
*Remember, there is a reason yoga is referred to as a practice. Progress takes time.
There are many Asanas, or postures in yoga, that are beneficial elements in preparation for childbirth. Like all prenatal yoga, the benefit of these poses increases the longer you incorporate them into your pregnancy. The earlier you start, the more prepared your body will be when labor begins. Of course, it is never too late to start! These postures keep the body moving, open or relax certain areas key to childbirth, and offer a sense of ownership or control over the body, which all help to aid the progression of your labor.
Movements in Table Pose
PC: fitnessfatale.com
WHY: Cat/Cow is wonderful for relieving back pain during pregnancy and can also relieve pain during contractions in the early labor stage. This undervalued pose strengthens the abdominal and lower back muscles, can improve circulation, and often helps move the baby into a more comfortable position. From cat/cow, the spine can also be moved around in a circular motion to explore hidden crevices of the upper body and torso that haven’t gotten a chance to move frequently.
HOW: Move to all fours on your hands and knees. You can support the knee joints with an added towel or folded blanket. Your spine is in a neutral position with your shoulders over your wrists and hips over your knees. As you inhale, gently lower your belly and open your chest forward. As you exhale, pull your baby in towards your spine like you’re giving them a hug and round your spine. Tuck your chin to stretch your neck out, too.
Asymmetrical Hip Movements
PC: bostonyoga.com
WHY: Asymmetrical movements in the pelvis and hip region help your baby get into a proper position and encourage movement downward. Remember to move on each side evenly instead of favoring only one leg or hip.
HOW: In a standing position, place one foot on a chair, a step or even a low table slightly off to the side instead of directly in front of you. As you exhale, bend deeply into that supported leg. Alternatively, you can do this in a kneeling position with your hands on the thigh of your bent knee. Take several breaths to lunge in and out of this position before switching to the opposite side. Other asymmetrical movements beneficial during labor include walking and using the stairs.
Side-Lying Stretches
PC: yogainternational.com
WHY: Lying on the left side of the body not only invites relaxation, but encourages blood flow directly to the heart with an assist from gravity. Lying on one’s back in the later stages of pregnancy is often not tolerated for long because the growing weight of the uterus compresses the vena cava vein, which promotes circulation. Some consequences of this compression include sweating, dizziness, and nausea, which can be helped by lying on the left side of the body.
HOW: Come to a side-lying position on the left side of the body, supporting the head in a way that feels comfortable. Pull your top knee towards your armpit, supporting the leg with your available arm. Take several breaths to straighten and bend your lifted leg to encourage a stretch in the hamstring and calf muscles. This also helps to relieve tension in your lower back. When in a relaxed position, you can also place a folded blanket, bolster, or pillow in between the thighs to minimize discomfort in the pelvis and improve opening.
Squatting
PC: nourishmovelove
WHY: Many women labor or even deliver in a squat position, and have been for centuries.
HOW: Spread the feet wide with the toes pointed slightly outward. With an exhale, sink your hips down towards the ground as your knees move in the same direction as your toes. In your third trimester, it might feel best to support underneath your sitz bones with a block or stool. A partner can also hold onto your arms for support as you sink down. Stay for several long breaths.
Practicing these asanas can come a little easier in the earlier stages of labor than when contractions start to lengthen and intensify during active labor. While movement is still beneficial, helpful, and essential to keep progress moving forward, there are techniques to use when intentional movement starts to become less of a priority.
There are countless studies that point to the relationship between the jaw and the pelvis. As children, we are often told to hold our bladder, to quiet down or close our mouths when chewing. The areas of the mouth and pelvis then become connected to closure, silence, and repression. In order to allow the pelvis to open for childbirth, we must also attend to the space where our words and breath live. One simple action to take is a gentle jaw massage using your hands or enlisting the hands of a support partner. Dragging pressure on the jaw from the base of your ears to the chin can help release that held tension. You can alternatively make a tapping sensation with the fingertips like raindrops to gently encourage the jaw to let go.
Another way to open and release from the jaw or mouth is by the use of mantra, which roughly means “that which protects or guards the mind.” A simple mantra begins with the words “I am,” to which you can add any phrase or words that promote confidence and positivity in your body. I am ready and able and open. I am ready and able and open. If words feel like too much, the use of humming or primal sound is perfectly instinctive and natural. Try humming on your exhale to engage deeper into your own body.
All of these techniques, postures, and tools are available to you throughout your pregnancy, but especially as your time for childbirth draws near. Remember you have the skills and power to bring positivity and transformation to your birth experience. We are proud to support you here at CocoonCare no matter what stage of your journey you are on. If you have any questions regarding our services, please don’t hesitate to reach out by phone at (312) 348-6283 or by filling out our contact form on the CocoonCare website.
About the author:
Sarah Kloos earned a B.A in English at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and has been teaching yoga since 2018. Her work has been published in Entropy Magazine and The Laurel Review.
.png)
