Over the past week, I’ve been publishing videos to my Instagram that contain very helpful information for pregnant people preparing to give birth. So I wanted to bring the videos to my blog for better access!
Breathwork For Labor Prep
First, we’ll take a look at this breathwork video for preparing for labor. This Flower Bloom Breath is very helpful to condition the pelvic floor to soften and relax. The imagery used can aid in relaxation, and the body position of the Supported Deep Squat helps prepare the body for relaxation in a common labor and delivery position. Watch the video below for details!
Labor Positions
Next, we’ll take a look at just a few different labor positions. By no means should these be the only positions in your repertoire, but it’s good to have some positions in mind for the different phases of labor and to practice these positions beforehand.
Pushing Positions
When I gave birth, I found myself pushing in a position that wasn’t ideal for my own core and pelvic floor health. So I think this the most important video to explore. My plan was to push in whatever position I found myself in, but I unexpectedly needed an epidural so I didn’t have the knowledge of the best ways to push. I wrote another blog post about the details of pushing with an epidural and what information is good to include in your birth plan. The video below offers 4 different examples of birthing positions for medicated or unmedicated as well as dependent upon the positioning of the baby. Just like the labor positions, these are best practiced before you go into labor!
Your First Postpartum Exercise
Finally, here is a great breathwork exercise that is perfect for your first postpartum exercise — whether you had a medicated or unmedicated birth, or a vaginal or c-section delivery. These Deep Breathing exercises help to reconnect your diaphragm muscle and pelvic floor muscles, reduces the chances of experiencing symptoms of dysfunction, and can be started prior to your 6-week checkup, as long as you’re feeling up to it. I’ve also written a previous blog post on postpartum exercises that includes this Deep Breathing exercise and a couple others. I walk you through the different levels of the Deep Breathing exercise more in-depth as well as several others in my Postpartum Rebuild program.
Do you find these videos helpful? Do you have questions I can help answer? Let me know either in the comments below or use the contact form on my website. I’d love to hear from you!
