The "Cure" for Round Ligament Pain

Have you ever been walking around or lying down, minding your business, when all of a sudden you feel a spasm or pain on the lower part of your belly? Usually it is close to the bikini line and to the right?

If so, you are probably experiencing round ligament pains. Abdominal pains during pregnancy can be very disconcerting, but round ligament pains are quite common.

According to WebMD, "Your uterus is normally the size of a pear. Thick ligaments, one of which is called the round ligament, hold your uterus in suspension within your abdomen. As the uterus grows in size and weight, these ligaments become very long and thin, stressing and tensing like rubber bands." The pain that you feel are these ligaments pulling on nearby nerve fibers.

There is no need to suffer in silence from these pains. An exercise called hip hikes actually helps to alleviate the discomfort.

To do hip hikes:
1) Stand next to a wall with a stability ball between your right hip bone and the wall. Make sure that your shoulders and hips are perpendicular to the wall.

2) Lift your right leg a few inches above the floor.

3) Move your right hip up and down. Make sure that this action in coming from your hip and not your right leg.

4) Do 10 to 15 reps on the right side and then switch to the left side. Do 2-3 sets on each side.

Try this exercise and let me know how it helps!

A Simple Exercise for Pregnancy and Delivery (Part 2)

Another great exercise that is good during your pregnancy and also prepares you for labor and delivery is hip circles. In class, we do this on the ball, but you can also do this standing.

To do hip circles on the ball:
-Sit tall on the stability ball with your shoulder blades back and down, abs engaged and the top of your head towards the ceiling. Your feet are hip width apart (or a little wider).
-Without moving your upper body, begin to move your hips clockwise in a circular motion. Start by making small circles, with each one getting a little bigger.
-Once you have made the biggest circle you can, begin to move your hips counter clockwise in a circular motion. Start with making the biggest circle you can, with each one getting a little smaller.

Click here for a video demonstration (towards the end of the video).

This exercise can be done every day to start to prepare your hips for delivery. In my classes and during personal training, we do this exercise as a "break" between other strength exercises. This may not seem like much of an exercise in early pregnancy, but you will be happy that you did it during delivery. This can also be done during labor as a comfort technique.

A Simple Exercise for a Better Pregnancy and Delivery (Part 1)

There are a couple of very easy exercises that I like to do with expectant mamas that help to relieve discomforts during pregnancy and prepare them for labor and delivery. In class, we do them on a stability ball but they can be done standing and seated as well.

The first is called pelvic tilts. To do pelvic tilts:
-Sit on top of the ball with your feet hip width apart and flat on the floor.
-Engage the abs and roll the shoulder blades back. Sit as tall as possible.
-Slide your hips slightly forward on the ball. (The ball will move with you)
-Slide your hips back (moving past your starting position so that your tailbone is tilted behind you.)

Click here for a video demonstration.

You can repeat this exercise as many times as you can. Start with a small amount of repetitions (10) and increase as you go along. If you are early in your pregnancy, this will seem easy, but it is good to do to prepare your hips for labor. This exercise is also good for relieving lower back pain and can be done after you have the baby as well. (Babies love to be held during exercises on the ball.)

In class we do a set of these in between other exercises as a "break" but you can also do pelvic tilts as an exercise on their own.

Training for the Main Event

Are you looking to stay healthy and strong during your pregnancy while training for labor and delivery? Check out my FREE Pre-natal workout.

Before you start, however, make sure that you have your doctor's/midwife's consent to engage in physical activity. You know, just to be on the safe side.

Once you have his/her consent, it's time to get fit!

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/13573-how-to-work-out-during-pregnancy

The Expectant Yogi

Yoga has a lot of benefits for expectant mothers. But what if you have never done yoga before? Read my article "The Expectant Yogi" to find out the benefits that yoga has for both veteran and newbie yogis.

Exercise During Pregnancy Benefits Mother and Child

This is a very interesting article about the benefits of pre-natal exercise on both mom and the baby.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025261.html

Yoga Pose of the Week-Pigeon

There is another pose that I would suggest doing every day during your pregnancy. (Actually I would suggest doing this pose every day for ever.) It is a wonderful pose for opening the hips. It also helps to alleviate or prevent those nasty sciatica pains.

To get into the pose:
1) Begin on all fours, with your knees directly below your hips, and your hands slightly ahead of your shoulders. Slide your right knee forward to the back of your right wrist; at the same time bring your right shin across your body on the floor. The outside of your right shin will now rest on the floor.

2) Slide your left leg back, straightening the knee and descending the front of the thigh to the floor. Lower the outside of your right buttock towards the floor. Place a blanket or pillow under the right buttock to stabilize the hips and keep them even. Push the left hip forward and the right hip back.

3) Walk your hands back toward the front shin and push your fingertips firmly to the floor. Lift your torso away from the thigh. Lengthen the lower back by pressing your tailbone down and forward.

4) To go deeper or to increase the stretch in the hips, you can walk your hands forward to extend the arms and rest your head on the mat or cross the arms to rest the your head on your forearms.

5) Hold the pose for as long as you feel comfortable, then switch sides.

10 Amazing Benefits of Prenatal Bellydance

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The Hot Mama Fitness Studio will offer BirthDiva Pre-Natal Bellydance starting in June. Why would you want to bellydance during your pregnancy? Our instructor, Shayla, tells us why:

1. Bellydancing makes moms feel great about their bodies. You will learn to appreciate your curves and build your self-esteem.
2. Bellydancing can improve your flexibility.
3. Bellydancing can help ease the discomforts of pregnancy and labor.
4. Bellydancing can give you the endurance that you need for labor.
5. Bellydancing can tone and strengthen your leg muscles to prevent fatigue in while pushing.
6. Bellydancing can help encourage your baby to descend in labor.
7. Bellydancing is the perfect way to tap into your feminine energy.
8. Bellydancing can improve your core strength which will increase your balance.
9. Bellydancing can calm an active baby in the womb.
10. Bellydancing is FUN!

Sign up for classes now at www.hotmamafitnessstudio.com. We will see you at class!

Shaylah is a mother of four and the owner of BirthDiva, LLC. She offers natural childbirth classes (Bradley Method®), birth and postpartum doula services, and prenatal bellydance classes in the DC metropolitan areas. She can be reached at www.BirthDiva.com or 202-271-3240 .

Vionna’s Top Ten Reasons to Exercise During Your Pregnancy

1) You will lower your risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension and gestational diabetes.

2) You will increase your upper body strength so you will be able to carry the baby, the car seat, the stroller, that cute baby bag your best friend bought you……

3) You are less likely to experience urinary incontinence and abdominal separation.

4) Exercise helps to reduce many of the discomforts of pregnancy including cramps, back pain, fatigue, nausea, varicose veins, swelling, and cramping.

5) Maternal weight gain and fat accumulation is reduced.

6) You can continue to improve your cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance.

7) Your energy levels will be much higher than non-exercising expectant mothers.

8) You will be able to maintain good posture and a positive body image.

9) You can meet other expectant mothers in pre-natal fitness classes.

10) You are likely to have an easier, shorter and less complicated
labor.

Massage Throughout Your Pregnancy

For many of us a massage may only seem like a luxury, but when you are pregnant it often becomes a necessity. But still many people put it off until the last minute. While research shows that massage therapy can help women to have shorter more comfortable labors and quicker recoveries, a one-time session will not bring about the same benefits as multiple sessions throughout your pregnancy.
It is difficult to maintain balance during pregnancy. It seems like if it is not your hormones it is your ligaments. Massage can help to maintain posture, hormone levels and fluid levels in the body. It also can help to keep your organs functioning better.
While there are massage therapists that prefer to not work during the 1st trimester, there is no evidence to support that it should be avoided. But even with that caveat many women may not want to be massaged during this time. Frequent urination, morning sickness, breast tenderness and dizziness may make a full hour session uncomfortable. Your therapist can work with you to create a shorter session designed for stress and fatigue relief. Massage in the first trimester may also allow you a time to focus on yourself at the start of this new journey.
Massage during the second trimester is like “preventative maintenance” for what is to come. Your morning sickness is probably over, but your body is just beginning to shift. Massage can help to encourage deeper breathing and help alleviate back pain. You may find that constipation and/or heartburn are becoming an issue during this time. Massage can also help improve digestion.
During the third trimester massage will help to prepare the body for labor. It will help alleviate the pain caused by joint separation or ligament pain. Stress levels rise during the third trimester as it finally sinks in that you will have the baby and soon. Massage can help you relax and as in the first trimester give you time to focus on just yourself.
If you have a doula she will most likely perform some sort of labor massage to help with pain management and stress. If you do not have a doula taking a series of childbirth education classes and/or a workshop in labor massage for couples might not be a bad idea.
Massage therapy can be a wonderful compliment to a healthy pregnancy. If you have any questions about whether massage during pregnancy is appropriate for you, ask your birth care provider.

Janet Brown, LMT is the owner of Integrative Health Massage Therapy. She is the mother of a wonderful little boy who is her inspiration for her work. She is trained in pregnancy and fertility massage. She offers workshops in Pain Management for Labor and Infant Massage Classes.
http://jbrownlmt.bravehost.com

Zen Mama Classes Starting

New Zen Mama Pre-Natal Yoga Classes will be starting in March in Bethesda!

For more information go to http://www.fitindc.com/zen_mama.php

If you would like to start a class in your neighborhood, please email us at info@fitindc.com.