“A lot of my training was useful during labour…breathing for sure but grounding too… to help with all these thoughts… that you can’t make it, it is too painful and this is not what I wanted (I had to be induced at hospital at the end because I broke my waters and 24 hours later I still had no contractions)… Again thank you…this training is about life. I see it now.”
Isabelle
“What I wanted to share regarding yoga and pregnancy and birth…
a) I had no lower back pain throughout my pregnancy. None. And I attribute this to elongation of the lower spine.
Things I found useful…bridge on the ground/bridge at the wall. Cat/Cow. All movements of the tailbone. This awareness and control also helped me when it was time to push. I elongated my spine through the tailbone and envisioned my pelvis widening. Even though I was pushing abdominally and vaginally, it felt as though I was able to soften and widen. All this awareness of the pelvis widening, its elasticity, was encouraging and very useful in labour.
b) The breath. Especially the extended exhalation was a saving grace during contractions and in labour. It was very helpful to have a birth partner remind me to exhale. Opening meditations of water, wave, the tide, I found soothing, reassuring and natural. Helped to remind me to soften to what the body was meant to do. Going with the flow (literally).
c) Toward the end of my pregnancy and during recovery ‘mula bandha’/pelvic floor lifts were very useful for bladder control – also useful to talk about as some students in prenatal yoga have little awareness or access to this part of the body.
d) Knowing how your body feels, what your body needs is useful in communication with nurses/midwives/doctors. It enables us to ask questions, share our concerns and make decisions in the face of ‘expert’ advice.
e) I liked my prenatal yoga class to be about awareness and contemplation. It allowed me time to acknowledge and honour the changes that were occurring in my body. Sometimes we need permission to slow down. We can’t let others know what we need if we aren’t aware or accepting of what it is we need.”
Lauren Anastasi