Yoga for Birth Prep

Third trimester of pregnancy is often filled with a combination of thoughts that can be summarized as:

“What can I do to stop feeling so $%^&#$% uncomfortable all the time?”

And 

“WTF am I supposed to be doing to prepare for birth?”

Prenatal yoga can be an incredible tool to help address BOTH of these at the same time. 

While an hour long prenatal yoga class can be amazing, I know you don’t always have the time.

This yoga for birth prep guide can provide you with tools and strategies to incorporate yoga into your daily routine to help you feel a little more comfortable right now AND build a great foundation for the labor and delivery process. (Bonus: it will also set the foundation for your postpartum recovery!)

These poses do not need to be done as a sequence so whenever you have a spare moment, you can do what works best for how you are feeling and your environment.

5 Aspects of yoga for birth prep are:

1. Breathing
   
   Benefits: assist with stress and pain management, and being able to tune into your breathing in various positions during labor
   
   Pelvic floor breath work tips: visualize a balloon filling the pelvis, imagine pubic bone and tailbone moving apart, breathe into your back pockets on your pants
   

2. Back and rib mobility
   
   Benefits: ease back tension and stiffness, maintain mobility needed for breathing
   
   Movements to try: cat/cow, archer stretch, thread the needle
   

3. Opening the pelvic inlet
   
   Benefits: relieve pelvic and hip tension during pregnancy, helps baby descend into pelvis
   
   Movements to try: child’s pose, rock backs, deep squats

4. Movement through the pelvis
   
   Benefits: helps baby to settle into the pelvis, relieve muscle tension in pregnancy, to help keep labor progressing
   
   Movements to try: pelvic rocks on a ball, lunge with the ball, kneeling lunges

5. Opening the pelvic outlet
   
   Benefits: helps baby exist the pelvis
   
   Movements to try: hands and knees position with knees in and feet out, sidelying happy baby

Here’s what this could look like during the day:

→ Between morning meetings sit on the ball and do some pelvic rocks 

→ Sitting at your desk during the workday take a pause to focus on breathing between switching tasks. Try focusing on the “breathe into your back pockets” cue to help with pelvic floor and hip relaxation (and who doesn’t need a deep breath to reset!)

→ Playing with your older kiddos on the floor, trying hands and knees rockbacks, or sidelying happy baby

→ Watching TV at night use the ball to support child’s pose with knees in and out, and with knees in/feet out

It is easy to think that you should be doing long stretches of prep each day, but the reality is that these short routines can have a huge impact.

Are you looking for additional guidance around birth preparation?

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