September 16, 2011

“Why am I crying all the time?”…The emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy

We’ve all heard the line, “Big girls don’t cry.”  Oh, but they do!  Pregnancy is such a life-changing event–Hormones are surging and the mind and body are coping with all the big changes that are happening and that are to come.   The feelings may be varied and wide-ranging, depending on your circumstances.  I like to think of a pregnant woman as an entity;  Your senses are super attuned to everything around you.  Your sense of smell and taste are extraordinary and your intuition deepens….it is almost like having super powers.  Your emotions are also scaled to fit–They are BIG emotions.  You may find yourself reacting to things in ways you never did before.  A mundane event, like a stranger picking up something you dropped, becomes a hallmark moment.  A sudden slight, or bump in the arm in public garners a fierce, protective reaction.  A slight criticism sends you into gloom.   No worries!  Even as you sit back and cry while watching a  soap commercial, these emotional changes are perfectly normal!

If you suffer from depression, symptoms, without treatment, may persist through pregnancy.  Consult your healthcare provider.  Check out this link for more info on depression.

Your emotions are a powerful tool.  They can help you become more attuned to what is happening around you and what is happening inside you.  While this is true at all times, no where is this is especially true during pregnancy.   When we don’t allow ourselves to feel or have no idea why we are responding the way we do, we can become confused and even more upset.  We may forget to trust ourselves and second guess our own feelings and intuition.  Usually there is some basis to our emotional state–Something is tipping us off.  We just react bigger then usual. I believe that our emotions can be guides to what is truly bothering or can be signposts to what is right in our world.  You can take this time while you are pregnant to become introspective.  Maybe it is time to examine why you feel certain ways and delve deeply into what is happening.  Maybe your body is just signalling you to rest more.  Perhaps you just need to expend energy–Exercise or get to that crazy cleaning that you really want to do.  Find ways to listen to your body. Nurture yourself first.  This is where yoga can help.

Breathe 

Your breath is your energy, your life force.  We can learn to alter and ‘control’ the breath, which in turns enables us to control how we  react to situations.  The slow deep breathing we practice cues the body to calm down.  This in turn cues the mind to calm down.  As a result, the swirling chaos of emotions begins to lessen and subside.  We are able to think more clearly and figure out what has set us off.  When you are feeling over-whelmed and you have  the space to do so, take a comfortable seat. Even if you don’t have the time and space in a hectic moment, you can do a mini version of this for a few breaths.   

Take a really big inhale and let it out completely…and I mean completely, big sigh and all!  Sit tall in the spine and grow long.  Let your shoulders come down and back and let your heart space lift and open.  Allow your neck to elongate and let the tension at the top of the back melt away.  Start to tune into your breath, breathing deep and full in and out through your nose.  Send the breath all the way down to your baby, filling completely.  Exhale completely and fully, letting go of tension as you do so.  Tune into this rhythm.  Try to create and even inhalation and exhalation, perhaps by counting how long it takes to inhale and then how long it takes to exhale.  From there, try to even out the two.  Allow the throat to be open and soft and notice a gentle ocean sound as you breathe.  Whether if it is just for a few moments or several minutes, let this deep rhythmic breath calm your mind.  Allow this breath to release tension in the body.  When you are through, take another nice deep inhale and then fully let it go.  Notice how much clearer the mind is. 

Move your body!

The benefits of exercise for the pregnant woman are many.  It is good for the body, the mind and the spirit.  The simple act of taking a walk or moving the body can do so much to lift one’s mood.  Yoga is  ideal, because it combines breath work with movement.  Prenatal yoga provides the benefit of exercise and the helps calm the mind helping you find a sense of peace within.  Many postures,  especially forward bending ones, can even alleviate depression.   A simple forward bend is Paschimottannasana:

   Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front.  Legs come as close together as feels comfortable; You want to have them far enough apart to accommodate your growing baby.  If you have discomfort in this position, sitting on a small pillow may help by raising the hips.  Activate the legs.  Heels are reaching, feet are pressing, as if there is a wall in front of them.  The back of the legs are pressing to the floor as the front of the legs lift and press to the back of the legs.  Make sure that the back of the knees are not flush against the floor.  Lift the pelvic floor, engage and lift the torso as arms reach to the sky.  Let the shoulders come down–no tension.  Inhale length.  As you exhale, leading with the heart, begin to fold forward.  Keep the heart lifted.  Remember that it is about finding length.  Grow through the tailbone with each inhale and soften into your length with each exhale.  Find this space for a few breaths, and then inhale back up to sitting.

Incorporate movement and breath into your days.  Allow yourself to rest when you need rest and be active when you have the energy.  In the midst of emotional chaos, breathe and find your center.  Your life is about to change in a very dramatic way….don’t be hard on yourself.  Surrender into yourself and go with the flow.

~Namaste

© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga.  Janet is also a Certified Prenatal Fitness Educator with ICEA.

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August 23, 2011

Tearing each other down…

These female elephants from Disney’s Dumbo were mean and harsh.  Sometimes that behavior is mirrored in our own converstations and judgements.   

I have been following the Baby Project on NPR–Basically, it is a collection of stories following nine pregnant women of various backrounds. As a prental yoga instructor and mother, I love reading the stories..Everyone’s experiences are so different and I am usually moved.  Recently, I read a post that particularly stood out.  It was the story of Lateefah Torrence and her broken epidural.  While it ended happily–her baby was born healthy–I felt so bad for her.  I know first hand how things may not always go as planned!  It was an awful experience for Lateefah and it had to take lot for her even share it.   She went in with a lot of expectations that just did not come to fruition.    As I finished reading, I made the terrible mistake of  scrolling through the comments.  Wow!!!  So much negativity, degradation, ‘I told you so’s “and out and out name calling.  Sadly, most of the negativity came from other women.  Some of it came from those who are completely anti-conventional birth in the hospital.  Some it came from others who just said things like, “Quit your whining.”  Still more were from some who seemed to believe that this woman had no right to tell her story and have complaints because their ’birth story was worse and besides, she came away with a healthy baby.’  

Why do we judge each other so harshly?  Why were these women being so self-righteous about their own birth experiences and not capable of sharing a little compassion?  Why couldn’t this story serve the writer and other women as a lesson in navigating the potential problems in a hospital birth?  Isn’t the intention of sharing stores like these  a way to educate ourselves and help foster a conversation to improve maternity care in this country?  Why cannot we see this?    Perhaps, this negativity and criticism would not exist if Lateefah was standing right there in front of some of these people telling her story.  Her eyes, her expressions, and gestures would convey much more then the words glowing on a computer screen could.  Perhaps, one would bite their tongue, hold back, or even show a little understanding.  Maybe it is the result of the distance and safety of our own little keyboards and our glowing screens that help foster judgement and let fly commentary that seemingly comes without consequence.  But there is a consequence….names and words do hurt.   The yama, Ahimsa is the practice of non-violence.  It is not just the physical action.  It means not to do harm to others or yourself, in thought, word or deed.  Perhaps, before we set out to judge and criticize one another, we should think first, “Will this hurt the other person?”  

We all hold opinions and we have a right to express them.  When it comes to pregnancy, childbirth and beyond, the opinions are especially strong and passionate.  There is a way to express our opinions without negativity and judgement.  It is not easy, but sometimes,by taking a deep breath and taking a few moments to gather ones’ thoughts and to contemplate another’s perspective,  opinions can be expressed in a more constructive way.  Sometimes, we need to go outside our personal perceptions and let go, cross the bridges that divide and recognize the value of our of shared experience.   Only this will foster a climate of understanding.  

Perhaps Atticus Finch said it best:  “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
- spoken by Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Namaste and Shanti

  • © mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2010-2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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July 21, 2011

“I’m a Hot Mama!”–Feeling the heat during pregnancy.

Baby, it is hot out there! If you are pregnant, you are probably feeling the effects more then the next person. Why do pregnant women feel so hot during pregnancy? A woman’s metabolic rate increases 15-20% during pregnancy. As this rate increases, so does heat production.  This is why you may feel like stripping everything off of your body and retreating into an air conditioned cave.   When the weather is unbearable hot, like it is right now, you can begin to feel down right miserable.  Not only that, but it can be unhealthy for you and your baby.   

Keep Cool! 

Barbie is feeling the heat during her pregnancy! Stay cool and keep hydrated, Barbie!

 

Heat stress is something to take seriously when pregnant.  It can lead to birth defects in the first two months of pregnancy–This is why women are cautioned against the use of hot tubs and saunas during pregnancy.  Excessive heat is not desireable at any time.  There is no way for a growing fetus to dissipate heat, except through mom.  If your core temperature rises, so does your baby’s.  Dangerously high core temperatures will put you at risk.  

Moving the body.  

Exercising though pregnancy is excellent for the body.  The increased circulation and blood volume all help heat dissipate.  Regular exercise will increase the sweat threshold response, allowing you to cool the body more efficiently.   If you can keep fit and healthy, you will then, in turn, be better equipped to handle the heat.  This doesn’t mean to go for a long run when it is super hot or  jump into a hot power class!  Precautions should be taken!

Here are some guidelines:

  • Avoid exercising in hot and or humid environments.  Exercise in a climate -controlled facility.  (We run an air-conditioner in our prenatal class at Hilltop Yoga)
  • If you feel lightheaded, nauseous, faint, are excessively sweating or uncomfortably hot, STOP.
  • Avoid high intensity work-outs for prolonged periods of time.
  • Drink, drink, drink!  12 glassses, or more during the heat, will help you stay hydrated!

Always, listen to your body!  Never go beyond its edge!!!   To read more about heat and the pregnant body, click this: 

http://www.aafp.org/afp/980415ap/wang.html

~Namaste

© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga.  Janet is also a Certified Prenatal Fitness Educator with ICEA.

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July 9, 2011

“I’ve got shifty hips!”–The softening of the ligaments and joints in pregnancy.

 ”A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips,” so the expression goes.  For many of us, the widening of our hips may bring a negative reaction.  For much of human history, however, the hips have been a symbol of sexuality and fertility. The hips are the home of our second chakra, our sexual and emotional chakra, ruled by the element of water.  Images of fertility goddesses usually have full hips or even exaggerated hips which would be anathema in today’s weight obsessed world.  But the widening of the hips are important and necessary in pregnancy and childbirth. 

 

Fertility Goddess, Uma. Notice the wide hips and full breasts. You can read about Uma and other goddesses at A Goddess A Day.

 ’Shifty’ or ‘loosey-goosey’ are just a couple of descriptions of how the hips feel when they go through the process of softening and the subsequent widening during pregnancy.   The body secretes the hormone,  relaxin ,which causes the ligaments and joints to loosen.  The purpose of this is to allow the pelvis and the hips to expand in order to accomodate your growing baby and help make  your baby’s entrance into this world more accessible.  For most women, this process is a source of just a little discomfort which can be relieved with exercise and stretching. 

{For about 1 in 35 women, however, the secretion of relaxin can  result in Symphisis Pubis Dysfunction.   Due to the softening,  small gaps form between the bones in the pubis, resulting in too much ‘play’ which leads to pain and discomfort.  It is best to follow your care givers advice regarding this and avoid postures that open the pelvic floor deeply.} 

Strengthen and Stabilize

In order to cope with the newfound softness, it is best to strengthen the muscles supporting the pelvis.  Prenatal yoga  focusses on the areas of most concern to the pregnant mom.  Many postures highlight the hips and the pelvic floor.  The Transversus Abdominus (TVA) muscle is activated through standing postures and during deep belly breathing .  The TVA not only stabilizes the core and pelvis, but it is the primary muscle used in pushing during labor.   Yoga  is hugely beneficial to the pregnant body and can counteract the minor aches and pains that come along with this remarkable transformation.. 

Buddha Squat

One of my favorite postures to teach in class is Buddha Squat.  It is not as deep as a full squat, but it serves to strengthen the legs, tone the pelvic floor and activate the TVA muscle. 

Barbie in Buddha Squat--Unfortunately, she cannot press her heels to the floor.

  • Begin with legs a little more then hip distance apart. 
  • Turn heels in toward each other and begin to bend deep in the knees.  Be mindful that the knees do not go beyond the ankles.

    Barbie in Buddha Squat near the wall--Notice her little baby bump?

  • The inner thighs rotate externally–think “roll open.”  Press deeply into the feet.  Spread the toes wide.
  • Tailbone comes down, engaging the pelvic floor and lengthening though the low back…This will counteract over-arching.
  • Hands come to namaste.  Breathe in deep and full for a few breaths. 
  • Slowly lengthen the legs to straight. 

If you feel unbalanced in this posture, perform it near a wall or hold onto the back of a chair, for safety.  Always listen to your body!

If you notice too much pain in the pelvic floor, always, come out of the posture.  If you are suffering from SPD,  do not perform the posture.  It might be possible to modify with a chair.  Avoid this posture if your baby is breech during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy. 

 Namaste!

 

© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga.  Janet is also a Certified Prenatal Fitness Educator with ICEA.

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July 1, 2011

“Calgon!!!! Take Me Away!!”

  I remember this  Calgon commercial from when I was kid…A woman, dressed in business attire cries out, “The traffic, the boss, the baby, the dog.”  She is then, at once surrounded by these images and the accompanying cacophany of sound.  She exclaims, “Calgon!  Take me Away!”  and she is whisked into a beautiful tub looking peaceful and content.  This commercial gave me the impression that being a mother was just horribly stressful.  I used to wonder how these mystical bath bubbles could actually soothe and let all the chaos of life melt away.  I never believed that it could, not for an instant.  The slogan was like a jokey cry, mocking the stressed out mom.

After a stressful day, Barbie just wants to cry out, "Calgon! Take me Away!"

Fast forward a few decades later….The joke is on me.   With three kids, I have survived many Calgon moments.  The cry “Calgon, take me away!” has become a euphemism for those moments when I would just like everyone to disappear.  If only a box of soap bubbles would make it all go away!   If only it was that easy!! 

Parenthood is hard enough when both parents are doing their share, but when your partner is called away on business and  you are on your own for awhile with an infant and/or kids, parenting takes on a new level of challenge.  You are on all the time. Right now,  I am finishing a two week stint solo parenting our brood of three.  This is the second such mission in the past two months.  It hasn’t been easy, but I have experience under my belt and have come to terms with what does and does not work.  

When I am on my own I, have a hard time “shutting off.”  There is a slight rush of adrenaline that runs through me at all times.  Usually, when  I am running in high gear, I am able to turn to my yoga mat and utilize the extra energy I am exuding to find my physical and mental peace.  But, when I am alone and have no one to mind the kids, I am left with very little in the way of a physical outlet.  I find myself performing desperate asana in the kitchen, using the tree in the yard as a support for my handstands, and jumping into posture at every chance I get. 

 

I know I should just sit…sit and meditate, activate my bandhas, conjure my tapas and burn away the garbage, and I do try, that is until someone comes busting in to tell me about whatever insult the other lobbed and how I should do something about it.  I have to remind myself then, “Breathe, Janet, breathe.”   And I do…A LOT.  Many big breaths are sucked in and many great big exasperated sighs are exhaled in great big bellows of discontent.  Sometimes, I am loathe to admit, I lose it and fire out orders like a drill sargent.  They shoot from my mouth like bullets aiming to shut the chaos down.  It really takes breath control to conjure such a voice…Could that be considered some kind of pranyama?   I always feel disappointed in myself, but then remember, I can try again. 

These moments challenge the yogi in me more then any other.  I have to remember to breathe, I have to remember to detach, even if the mess is piling up and the windows, walls and floors are shaking with the barelling energy of my three willful children.  The dishes will get done, eventually.  The dinner will be whatever it is and it will be eaten.  I cannot control the situation and I need to just flow.  I imagine myself in a difficult posture–Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana–my nemesis.  It takes my breath, strength and softness to breathe into it, and some days feel just like that.

For Barbie, some days feel like she is standing in Buddha Squat on her tiptoes for hours.

I realized in the past that I had been too hard on myself.  I was self-critical and would push myself past my edge.  I was not practicing Asteya–(non-stealing). When I was honest with myself, (Satya) I realized that I was giving all my energy into running the household  at the same level I did when my husbnad was home.  If I kept doing that, I would have nothing left for myself, or my kids. We would all be miserable.   When I was able to accept this revelation and let the unnecessary things go, it was liberating.  It was moksha–liberation, from the expectations I created. 

If you feel free, you are free.  You can run outside with your kids, catch a frisbee and bask in the warmth of the sun.  You can live in the moment and enjoy the company of these little people that are part of your life and world.  Yes, they will do things that will make your eyes swirl. Yes, you may lose your cool once in awhile, but remember, we always have another chance, with each breath,  to try again.  That is why we say we “practice” yoga.  There is no perfect.  When all else fails, lock yourself in the bathroom, take out that old box of Calgon and fill up the tub.  Sink into those soft bubbles and be whisked away. 

Barbie is soothed and transported.

Namaste.

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© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga.  Janet is also a Certified Prenatal Fitness Educator with ICEA.

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June 28, 2011

When there is no choice.

photo of women in Mozambique with babies by Andrea Hsu/NPR

All Things Considered, on NPR,  is running a series on the state of maternal care around the world called Beginnings-Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond.  The segment today was about Mozambique, in sub-Saharan Africa.  Michelle Block of ATC, travelled and explored Mozambique to witness the experiences of mothers and babies and the conditions under which they give birth.  The segment brought tears to my eyes and also served as a poignant reminder of how much we have here in our country.  While we can point to many disparities in birthing and maternal and infant care in our country, including the high rate of C-Sections, we live and birth under conditions which are generally safe and clean.  We give birth to babies who usually grow up and become adults.  In Mozambique, that is not the case.  The statistics are startling:

“In her lifetime, a Mozambican woman has a 1 in 37 chance of dying during pregnancy or within a short time after a pregnancy has ended. One in 10 children won’t live past the first year. One in 7 dies before reaching the age of 5.”

These are horrible statistics!  Most women do not birth in medical facilities, nor are they assisted by a skilled health worker.  Many are simply attended to by a relative or a friend.  In the countryside, many babies are born in small mud huts.  If there is an emergency, there is very little recourse.  There is no skilled nurse.  There is no option for an emergency C-Section. 

“In the countryside, more than half the babies born are delivered like Belita’s was: not in a health facility, but at home. The women are often attended by a relative or friend, but not by a skilled health worker. The risks are great for both mother and child.”

While all of this sounds depressing an awful, and it is, there are efforts underway to bring about positive change.  There are efforts underway to train skilled health care workers.  There are efforts underway to educate.  Even in Mozambique, with a terrible patient to doctor ratio at the very few hospitals available,  nurses are being trained to perform emergency C-Sections, hysterectomies and treat ectopic pregnancies. 

“So nurses like Simbini have been trained to perform emergency surgery: She can do C-sections and hysterectomies. She can operate to treat ectopic pregnancies or sepsis. All these things that the U.S. health system would consider the exclusive province of a doctor, she can do as a nurse.”

 Education and outreach are some ways to help.  There are many organizations out there trying to help people and improve their situation and way of life.  It is daunting.  I know there are many cynics.   Perhaps it is the yogi in me.  I care.  I think it will help to just simply open up the conversation and shed light on the state of maternal care, even if it just opens our eyes to it or helps us imagine what it would be like to be in such a dire situation.  Though on the surface,  it is very much a woman’s issue, it is really all of our issue.  It is the way we are born into this world.  When we explore the disparities, we appreciate what we have.  I cannot help but see what others do not have and be grateful for what I have.  It is humbling.   The words from the U2 song, “Crumbs From Your Table”, come to mind: 

“Where you live should not decide
Whether you live or whether you die”
~Bono

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© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga.  Janet is also a Certified Prenatal Fitness Educator with ICEA.

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June 15, 2011

Be Informed! Know your choices!

When I had my first child a little over thirteen years ago, I went into the birthing process without any real knowledge of what to expect and relied on my doctors to make many of my medical  and birthing decisions.  If I only knew then what I know now!  My water broke and I arrived at the hospital only to be pumped with pitocin.  I was also “checked” for dilation way too many times and after hours of very “unnatural feeling” contractions, I wound up having  a C-section–my son, who probably wasn’t quite ready to be jarred out of the comforts of the womb in such a dramatic way, was presenting brow first and my cervix was not dilating.  It was a scary and miserable experience, but it had a silver lining– I got a beautiful, big, (8lb., 11 oz.) healthy, baby boy out of the deal.   I could not help, but believe, however, if the doctors had just been patient, given me sometime, and not given me the pitocin so soon, I might not have had that C-Section.  If I had been more informed and more assertive, I might have guided the the birth process in the way I wanted it to go.    I knew I wouldn’t let that happen again.

According to a study Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, many first time mothers are significantly unprepared to make decisions regarding birth options.  Many seemed to rely on their doctors or midwives to make decisions.  Many did not know the risks and safety issues nor the pros and cons of procedures such as episiotomies, Cesarean sections, or epidurals.  Less then 30% of women, many first time moms, did not attend any kind of child birth education class.  The study also found that those who were under the care of midwives were usually more informed.  Here is the link to the article in the LA Times describing the study:  http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-childbirth-20110614,0,2941171.story?track=rss

I was that woman 13 or so years ago.  I was uninformed.  After the birth of our son, I became a little wiser.  Through talking with other moms, hearing about their birthing experiences, reading and staying informed,  you can really educate yourself.  There are birth classes  available and there are people to talk to.  Ask questions of your care provider!  Make known your concerns, worries, hopes and desires.  If you don’t get the feedback you desire or feel uncomfortable with that person, find someone else who you can trust and count on.  Hire a doula if you want or need the support.  Trust your instincts! 

It is important to take care of the body, mind a spirit when you are  pregnant.   Building body awareness is a huge focus in my prenatal yoga class at Hilltop Yoga .  Through breath and movement, we try to cultivate this knowledge.  It is through this heightened sense of self that we learn to listen to our body’s wisdom and tune into our instincts.  There is no gurantee that your birth will ever go as “planned.”  It will go as it goes.  Be open to the process and be aware of the options and choices you may or may not have to make.  It is important for you and it is important for your baby. 

Four years after my C-section, another state and a new doctor later, I found myself in better cirucumstances.  I was much more informed.  My doctors did not make my decisions…I did.  I told them what I did and did not want during my birthing process and they honored and respected that.  I was able to deliver two more beautiful and healthy children via VBAC.  

~Namaste

© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga.  Janet is also a Certified Prenatal Fitness Educator with ICEA.

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June 3, 2011

Busting out! –coping with prenatal and postnatal breast size.

One of the yoga sites I like , Kinetic Vigilantes posted an insightful and amusing article about practicing yoga with the more then average sized bust.  The article is called Yoga or Bust! 3 Tricks to to help you stop fighting your boobs during yoga.   As a well endowed woman,  I totally identify with the feelings of suffocation brought on during plow pose.  I know I have to adjust my body through practice to accomodate my chest and I pick out tops that  keep the “girls” under control.  This article also got me thinking about how breast size becomes a real concern during pregnancy and even more so, after, when they are filled with milk to feed our babies.   During and after pregnancy the boobies can expand to unwieldy proportions or give a normally moderate sized bust line a big boost.  You may go from an A to a D cup, for instance–or a C to a DD(!!!!)  No matter–The weight and girth of these girls will put stress on the upper back, shoulders and chest.  In order to adjust to our new proportions, it is important to find some postures to alleviate the pressure, keep the area strong, and keep the heart space open. 

Here are some exercises that can help alleviate some of the strain.  They can be practiced during pregnancy and then continued after.  After you have your baby, you will find there is more of a strain in the shoulders and upper back, due to nursing and holding baby.  The heart opening postures are even more important at this time to counter-balance the rounding of the shoulders. 

Shoulder Circles:

Standing or in a comfortable seated space.  Grow long and tall in the spine.  Slowly lift the shoulders and roll them back, articulating each movement as you go.  Breathe in and out through the nose, deep and full as you move.   

Rotate the shoulders up, back and around.Shoulder and Heart Opener: From standing, grow long through the back. Roll the shoulders open and interlace the fingers at the tailbone. Inhale as you lengthen through the arms and open the heart to the sky. Keep the tailbone in just enough so that you don't over-arch the low back. Breathe in deep and full.Find your clasp, lengthen and open the heart to the sky. Mindful of the low back!

Alternate side shoulder openers with clasp:  Seated or standing.  Right arm reaches to the sky.  Left arm lengthens and is brought up the back, back of hand between the shoulder blades.  Right arm bend and finds a clasp with left.   This can be done with a towel or strap if the you cannot reach.   Elbows travel back, as if towards each other.  Spine remains tall and long.  Neck is lengthened.  Breathe in deep and full, inhaling length and exahling softness.  Release and repeat on the opposite side. 

Keep the spine growing tall.
Shoulder release:  Right arm extends across the chest, lengthened.  Hook the left arm under the right.  Be mindful that you are keeping the shoulder in its socket.  Gaze comes over left shoulder. Spine is tall and long.  Breathe in deep and full.   Release and repeat on the opposite side. 

Keep shoulder in socket.

 Shoulder Blade Pull:  From seated or standing.  Extend arms out to the sides like a “T”.  Bend the elbows so that the tips of the fingertips are just touching, right in front of the sternum.  As you inhale, begin to draw the shoulder blades together.  The fingers will travel away from each other.  Keep the arms at the same heart.  You may choose to take a breath or two in this space or you may begin to travel the fingertips towards each other on the exhale.  Move mindfully.
 
 
Remember to practice these exercisese, slowly, mindfully and with your breath.  They are easy and portable and can be done just about anywhere.  Namaste!
 

© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga.  Jane is also a Certified Prenatal Fitness Educator with ICEA.

 

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May 26, 2011

“Why Do I Still Look Pregnant?!!!!” –Dealing with the post-natal belly.

Barbie’s belly will always be flat. Lucky Barbie!

After nine months of carrying a baby and stretching your belly to it’s limits–many women believe, or want to believe– that they will snap right back into their pre-baby bodies.  I know I was one of those women and I was sorely disappointed when, after my first baby was born, via C-section, that I still looked pregnant several months after I delivered.  I was sadly surprised when I couldn’t just slip on my old pair of jeans.  It probably did not help that I had gained more then I should have during my first pregnancy…but those chocolate milkshakes were worth it, or so I thought!  If I only knew then what I know now!  Some women do bounce back quickly.  They are the naturally thin women, women who have kept in excellent physical condition and/or the ones who have elastic skin that was able to withstand the burgeoning growth of their little one stretching the boundaries of mom’s body.  For many of  us, we are left with that extra fold of skin and fat, which takes awhile to flatten out.

Get Moving!

     Yoga serves the post-natal body as well as it does the pregnant body.  When we practice yoga, we engage the lowest pieces of our body–the perineum space.  Throughout prenatal yoga, we use this technique when we stand, squat, or mindfully practice our Kegels.  After the baby is born, it is crucial to bring strength and energy back to this space.  12 hours after you give birth, barring any complications that would prevent it, you should do your kegels.  Soon after that, you can begin soft, gentle abdominal exercises that coordinate breath with movement.   

     The Sarhmann Exercises, developed by Shirley Sarhmann, a physical therapist, are a  highly recommended and effective way of rebuilding strength in the lower abdominal muscles.  Catherine Cram, MS, the leading expert in prenatal and post-natal fitness writes about rebuilding the core in this instructional and informative article (←Sarhmann Exercises!!) Remember to listen to your body!  If you had a C-Section, follow the guidelines for exercise post C-section. 

 Forget about the skinny jeans for awhile.

     While it may be tempting to charge headlong into an intense exercise routine post-pregnancy, chances are, your body won’t let you.  This is the time to cultivate patience with yourself and your body.  Life with a newborn is exhausting on so many fronts.  This doesn’t mean that you should raise the white diaper flag and surrender and become a blob.  It just means that it is important to take it slow and listen to your body;  It has just gone through some dramatic changes.  Build up your abdominals, do your kegels and get walking.  As you begin to adjust to life with baby and you feel well enough, try and get out to a mommy and baby exercise class( such as my mommy and baby yoga class!) or maybe leave baby with someone for a short while so that you can get to a class or work-out.  If none of that works, simply pop baby into a carriage or baby carrier and go for a walk.  Baby can sleep and you can get some fresh air and exercise, which does wonders for one’s mood.  Incorporating an exercise routine into your life with a baby is important!  When you nuture yourself, you can better nuture those who need you the most!   

Namaste!

© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Janet MacFarlane is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher at 500 hours, with a specialty in  prenatal yoga. 

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April 18, 2011

Namaste!

Hands at namaste

I recently had the opportunity to teach a prenatal yoga class to a group of women clients at Shared Pregnancy in Lansing, MI.  It was a bustling crowd of ladies, some with young babies in tow and others who were pregnant.  I laid out the yoga mats I borrowed from Just B Yoga.  We gathered in a spacious room in the basement of the church across the street from Shared Pregnancy and we got moving!  It wasn’t your typical yoga class.  There was chatting, there were babies cooing and crying…many distractions!  But we got moving anyway, because our lives are filled with distractions and sometimes, if we wait for the that perfect moment to come, it never does. 

As a teacher, at first, I felt it was going to be a challenge, as it became obvious that several of the clients, some from India, did not speak English as their primary language. I adapted and explicitly demonstrated postures as I spoke.  At one point I had us bring our hands up overhead and then bring them down through the heartspace in the gesture of  Namaste.  The faces of the women from India lit up and with lots of delight, they repeated, “Namaste!” and giggled.   This was so joyful!   Namaste, the gesture, means  “I bow to you.”  It honors the divine spark that we are all believed to carry in our heart space.  In India, it is a gesture of respect and is used commonly. The energy of the room was transformed and we continued the session on a very light note.  One woman practiced with her beautiful 6 month old, who laughed and smiled as her mom raised her up and down in the different postures.  Another woman left her mat so she could hold her friend’s infant, so the new mom could join in the class.  It was fun and several women asked me questions afterwards.  

I was very impressed with this remarkable community of women at Shared Pregnancy.  The work that the people here are doing is supportive and beneficial.  Before me was the evidence:  a group of women of different ethnicities and backgrounds, supporting and encouraging one another, holding each other’s babies and giving one another support in what can be a challenging and difficult time in most people’s lives.  Shared Pregnancy is doing good work.

As the class dispersed and I began to clean and roll up the mats, I noticed one completely embedded with sparkles that came from the skirt of one of the Indian women.  I giggled at the sparkly gift.  Namaste!

© mahamamas.com and Janet MacFarlane, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janet MacFarlane and Mahamamas.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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