I like seeing the kids in costumes on Halloween. It’s always fun to dress up and today these little ones can be anyone they want…favorite superhero, movie character, animal or who they want to be when they grow up.
I remember dressing-up my daughter when she was little and having so much fun showing her off in her cute little costumes 🙂
It’s definitely a fun day for kids, adults too, and got me thinking about the women I’ve helped prepare to be new moms. So, I ask this question…
Q: How can a woman best prepare and protect herself for pregnancy and the needs of a newborn?
Before we can answer this question, we need to understand the new demands being required of her body.
For example, her hormones will shift, and the structure of her body will change. She’ll encounter shifts both psychologically and emotionally, at the same time dealing with her same everyday lifestyle routines.
Her body will go through a number of adaptations both during pregnancy and post-partum. And when that lovely baby is born, she now has an additional load to carry that gets bigger every day.
Imagine a mother walking into the house after grocery shopping with a baby in one arm and sitting on her hip, diaper bag over her shoulder, groceries in the other arm, and a phone pressed between her neck and her shoulder….lots of load and demand in an unstable environment.
I love Farel Hruska’s definition of motherhood:
“Motherhood happens asymmetrically, in less than optional positions, with ever-increasing, non-compliant load.”
So how do we train and prepare for motherhood as we all know being a mother is hard work? 🙂
A: It all begins with mobilizing and stabilizing one of the major joint structures of the body — the hips. A mother’s body demands power every day and if she lacks stability, that power is diminished.
Unfortunately, it’s common for pre- and post-natal women to complain of low back pain. On first thought, most would think it’s a lack of abdominal core strength, which is only partially correct.
The abdominal core does help bring the pelvis back into neutral, however, the hips and glutes play a much bigger role in keeping her body in that neutral position, which results in less back pain.
The musculature needs to be there to support her skeletal structure and all of the shifts encountered during the pre- and post-natal period.
Also, this can be affected for a long time post-childbirth. For example, the hormone Relaxin causes ligament laxity to help with the child birthing process but can stay in the body up to a year postpartum. That laxity creates instability, so glute activation is huge for helping a woman stay strong and stable, preventing low back pain.
Our skeletal structure is the foundation of our body and our musculature needs to be balanced and able to strengthen and move in order to keep this foundation in the right place. When our musculature is compromised, our foundation will start to shift and that causes problems such as pain and discomfort.
I’ve worked with a number of pre- and post-natal women and truly enjoy helping them keep control of their body during this very special time in life.
I’ve even been there myself, 25 years ago! And today I am eagerly awaiting my 3rd grandchild to enter this world sometime in the next couple weeks.
If you plan on being pregnant, are currently pregnant, or know someone that is, please reach out to me.
I’m here to help all women become strong, and stay strong, throughout the beginnings of motherhood and beyond!
Heather Binns
