Prenatal Yoga
Oh, the things that happen to a pregnant woman's body! Abdominal muscles that stretch an extra 50 percent. A uterus that expands to the size of a watermelon. And a bladder that shrinks to the size of a mustard seed. OK, we're kidding about that last one, but third-trimester mamas will swear it's true! Truly, with all those amazing changes, a mama's blossoming body needs extra support, attention, and care. Prenatal yoga—known to strengthen a woman's body, encourage relaxation, and make labor recovery easier—is, quite possibly, the perfect exercise for pregnant women.
What Women Say About Prenatal Yoga
Recent research has shown that prenatal yoga can shorten total labor time and boost a woman's ability to cope with labor pain. While research is compelling, the stories that women tell about prenatal yoga are the things that truly inspire. In their own words, here's how prenatal yoga is helping women have better pregnancies and better births:
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"I'm certain that prenatal yoga was a major factor in [my baby's] excellent fetal condition during my long labor and, ultimately, his correct position in my pelvis."
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"I found my weekly prenatal yoga classes as a retreat from the stresses of the day, and I gained a great deal of knowledge during each session. The yoga also helped strengthen my core and [pelvic] floor, which helped during delivery. [It gave] me the strength, the tools, and the positive influence to make it through and accomplish my goal [of a natural childbirth]."
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"Prenatal yoga classes helped me make it through this pregnancy with some peace and perspective."
More self-confidence, more knowledge about birth, less stress, greater health and well-being—prenatal care providers note that these qualities contribute to positive birth experiences. Prenatal yoga puts women in touch with their bodies. It gives them time to connect to their breath and to really notice and nourish the little life they're carrying inside.
Create a Community
Being pregnant can be surprisingly isolating. A prenatal yoga class gives moms-to-be a place to connect with women sharing the experience of being pregnant. Non-pregnant friends and family members may find it challenging to connect with and empathize about the aches, pains, anxieties, and questions related to a rapidly and dramatically changing pregnant body.
Women in prenatal yoga classes build connections with each other as they share the highs and lows of pregnancy. They chat about things like estimated due dates, tips for getting better sleep, the scoop on care providers, what to eat, and where to shop for maternity clothes. Friendships take root as bellies grow big and beautiful.
The sense of community that can develop around a prenatal yoga class helps women open up to express their fears and doubts. It empowers them to share information that has helped them in their own pregnancy, and it gives them a place to freely ask questions. Rather than carrying unresolved concerns into their birth, these women are walking into the delivery room, or wading into the birthing tub, filled with knowledge and confidence.
Move Into Labor
Physically, mamas who attend prenatal classes build the strength they need for childbirth, and they develop the confidence they need to believe in the wisdom of their own body. The poses and breathing techniques that they learn in class often become useful, familiar tools as they labor. Two particularly helpful poses for labor are child's pose and lunges:
Child's Pose
How to do it: Start on your hands and knees. Bring your hips to your heels, and separate your knees wide to make plenty of space for your belly. Bring your chest toward the floor by lowering down to your forearms or stretching your arms all the way out in front of you so your forehead can touch the floor. Relax your neck and jaw, and breathe deeply down the length of your spine toward your sacrum and hips. Practice the pose for 5 to 10 minutes.
How to make it work for you: Comfort is most important here, so if having your hips to your heels is hard on your knees, place a small, rolled up blanket or pillow behind your knees. If being on your forearms or having your head on the floor is uncomfortable, use pillows to make yourself cozy.
Why it helps: During labor, this position allows moms to rest between contractions. In this position, their partner or doula can easily give a helpful hip squeeze or use long, firm massage strokes down a mama's back to help her feel better. During the pushing phase of labor, this pose can help slow baby's progress just a bit so the perineal tissues have time to stretch around baby's head.
Hands and Knees Lunge
How to do it: On your hands and knees, step your left leg out to the left, with your knee bent. Be sure your foot is a step or two beyond your knee. Also position your foot so your toes point away from your body. Begin to circle your hips. Allow your breath to move freely in your body, inspiring your gentle, circling movements. Be sure to circle in both directions. You can bend your elbows to encourage ease. Snake your way through spine, letting your shoulders become part of the movement. If you want a deeper stretch through the inner thighs and groin muscles, gently lunge toward your bent knee. Pause there for a few breaths to allow your body to stretch and release. After 3 to 5 minutes of circling, breathing, lunging, and moving, change legs.
How to make it work for you: Put on your favorite music and let the rhythm of breath and song encourage you to move freely. If your wrists or knees bother you, fold up an extra yoga mat or blanket to use as a cushion.
Why it helps: In labor, lunging and squatting increases the pelvic opening, giving baby more space for delivery. Keeping your body in motion encourages the progression of labor.
Becoming a Mother
Birth is a transformative experience: In a moment, women become mothers. For women who have a dedicated prenatal yoga practice, that transformation is often a positive one. Being in touch with your breath and your body, and trusting your inner strength helps you navigate birth beautifully—even if your birth doesn't look exactly like the birth of your dreams. There may not be specific research to back up that observation, but week after week, prenatal yoga women become postnatal yoga mamas, and the stories they tell are stories of strength and inspiration.