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An Easy Exercise to Prepare for Childbirth

prepare-for-childbirth

You know how I said I was planning to go to a local prenatal fitness class? Well, I went. And it was awesome. Not only did I get a great workout and meet a few other awesome mamas-to-be, but I also learned some great things about what to expect during childbirth and then after childbirth, too.

Lately, I’ve been reading a ton about pelvic floor health and my prenatal fitness class instructor, Josie Werkowitch of Mom to the Core and mom to two little girls, is a bit of a pelvic floor aficionado herself. During the class, we talked about using prenatal exercise as a way to train and prepare for childbirth (sound familiar?), and we talked about keeping those pelvic floor muscles strong (yet also flexible, as having tightness in this region can cause havoc, too) throughout pregnancy and after. Carrying a baby puts a lot of weight on your situation, if you know what I mean, and, really, anything you do where you can feel a lot of pressure or force down there is a sign that it’s too much for your pelvic floor to fully support. I’ve been doing a ton of modifications to my workouts, but this was a really good reminder for me to, yet again, listen to what my body is telling me and follow its lead.

Another great tip I got from class? How workouts can actually help you mentally for childbirth — in addition to physically, obviously. This pregnancy workout tip was so great, in fact, that I made Josie demonstrate it on camera for all of you to see! (Josie, thanks for being such a great sport — especially considering I totally sprung the idea on you at the last second!)

A bonus tip from Josie! After you do give birth, ease back into things. She sees so many moms jump right back into high-intensity workouts as soon as they’re cleared after birth, but really, your body has been through a lot. So take some time to rest, focus on your alignment and pelvic floor health, and work back up to those tough workouts. Easy does it is the name of the game.

Did any moves or exercises prepare you for childbirth? —Jenn

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