How To Get Healthy for Your Baby in 2023 with Prenatal Yoga – Calling all soon-to-be mamas: The Stark County Community Action Agency is going to help you get into the best shape during your pregnancy with prenatal yoga! Follow along with the step-by-step poses right here on Newsymom!
This informational campaign comes to you in partnership with the Stark County Community Action Agency.
If you haven’t experienced it yet, you’ll come to find that pregnancy is TOUGH on your body. You’re going to grow, stretch, cramp, feel nausea, experience back pain and headaches, and have shortness of breath!
However, don’t be scared because the Stark County Community Action Agency has your back! There’s one solution you can start practicing right now to prepare your body for childbirth (and help keep you healthy): prenatal yoga.
Benefits of Prenatal Yoga
There are so many benefits to practicing yoga at anytime, but during pregnancy, you’ll find these benefits:
- Sleep improvement
- Reduction in stress and anxiety
- Increase in flexibility, strength, and endurance in muscles needed for childbirth
- Decrease in lower back pain, nausea, and headaches
- Better breathing through practice and techniques
Prenatal yoga is something that you can do from home right now and even sign up for a class if you’d like!
Follow some of these safe yoga poses to get you moving this year:
1. Butterfly Pose – This is a great stretch for the inner thighs and takes some weight off your belly. It is also the perfect position to massage aching and tired feet!
2. Half-Supported Squat- This is an elevated variation of the deep birthing squat that you see in most pregnancy or natural birth books. Having one leg up and one leg tucked back will help you stay balanced, make sure to repeat on both sides!
3. Child’s Pose- You can do a variation of this pose on your elbows if you are more heavily pregnant, as shown in the photo above. This pose is great for the torso and helps if you need a break from your baby on your bladder! Try to hold this one for 5-10 deep breaths.
4. Supported Triangle-. This post is great for stretching out the hamstrings and creating balance. Try to do this pose with a block under your supporting hand and with your back to a wall for added support.
5. Warrior II- This is a fantastic stretch for strength and stamina. If standing, make sure your ankle is under your knee and not behind it. Feel free to try this one while sitting sideways on a chair, this is a great alternative for moms with discomfort while bearing weight on one leg. Hold this pose for 5-10 breaths and try to say an affirmation to yourself between each breath for example, “I can do this, I AM doing this.”
6. Standing Glute Stretch- This is for the moms with achy hips! It stretches out stabilizing muscles in the hips that, when tight, can lead to sciatica. Try to do this one at a wall with support of both hands.
7. Revolving Head to Knee Pose- With a growing bump, this is the perfect pose to help lengthen the sides of the body. You should feel a sense of space and freedom! On days when you feel sluggish, try this while sitting down for 5-10 breaths.
Keep these important tips in mind while practicing yoga at home:
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Keep cool – Keep the room you’re practicing in cool to avoid overheating! Hydrate often and ditch any “hot” yoga while your bun is still in the oven! 😉
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Watch the poses you do. – Don’t do any poses that put pressure on your abdomen (like twists and forward folds), strain your back (lying on your back poses), or deep backbends! Make sure to bend at the hips, not your back, and avoid belly-down or crunch-type poses.
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Don’t overdo it, either. – Be gentle with yourself during yoga practices. Don’t strain or push yourself! The idea is to increase flexibility over time. It’s not meant to be a sprint!
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When in doubt, ask your healthcare provider! – If you’re unsure about a pose, ask your healthcare provider whether it’s safe for you to perform while pregnant.
Remember to get active this year and keep your babies safe! When you need a helping hand, don’t hesitate to check out the SCCAA Community Actions Pathway HUB. They’ve got the education, resources, and support to help new and pregnant mothers get through life’s crazy roller coaster ride!
Melissa Klatt
Reporting
