How the Trilogy of Bodywork, Doula support and Birth education can transform your birth and motherhood experience : Part 2 by Amanda Chow
Hi, I’m Amanda Chow. As a pregnancy chiropractor, doula, and childbirth educator I help women prepare their mind & body for labour, so they feel empowered, confident, and ready for birth and motherhood.
In the first part of the series, I shared my ideas on doula support and how it can elevate your birth experience. In this second blog we can do a deep dive into Bodywork and why I think it is such a key to a more straightforward birth.
Pregnancy is a time of remarkable physical change and adaptation. As your body accommodates your growing baby, it's essential to maintain balance and alignment in your spine and pelvis to ensure a comfortable and healthy pregnancy.
As your belly grows it can put pressure into your lower back. As breast size increases it creates tension in our upper back and with the softening of ligaments due to the hormones at play during pregnancy, your joints can be more vulnerable to injury and strain.
It is the perfect time to review your exercise plans and consider a shift into specialised prenatal classes. Pregnancy water classes or swimming, prenatal pilates and prenatal yoga are great choices for movement. Continuing with high impact classes may increase your risk of straining your pelvis and specifically causing pubic symphysis dysfunction.
Pregnancy chiropractic care is highly effective in alleviating common pregnancy-related discomforts such as back pain, pelvic pain, and sciatica. Through targeted care, we address the root causes of these discomforts, providing relief and enhancing your overall well-being during pregnancy.
It’s a lot more fun if you can enjoy this special time without aches and pains.
In addition to gentle chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue and other fascia body work can contribute to body balancing and an optimal positioning for baby.
What do I mean “Optimal Positioning?”.
The ideal positioning for baby is head down towards your pelvis with their spine lined up with your tummy. The heaviest part of baby is their head so ideally gravity will help to achieve this position. Sometimes rotation or imbalance in the pelvis can affect the ligaments attached to the uterus and create some torsion meaning baby will not have enough room to move into the is preferred position. Body balancing will help prevent this and by promoting a well-aligned pelvis and uterus, we support the natural rotation and descent of the baby during labour, aiding in a smoother birth experience.
Working with a practitioner who understands the principles of Spinning Babies is invaluable.
Daily stretches and prenatal yoga can promote alignment, ease tension, and enhance mobility.
Fascia plays a significant role in ease and mobility of the body. This spider web like structure covers all your muscles and organs. Healthy fascia has a suppleness to it while injured or dehydrated fascia is stiff and alters our mobility.
Regular massages, foam rolling and body work techniques like rebozo sifting and jiggling can improve the function of our fascia. We want out body to feel supple and responsive in labour and birth, so it opens and releases to birth our babies.
Find a prenatal massage therapist who can care for you and help you feel amazing.
In summary:
Pregnancy chiropractic
Daily stretches and body balancing exercises.
Fascial work and massage
Prenatal exercise
All play an important role as you prepare your body for the demands of birth.
By ensuring a balanced pelvis and an optimally positioned baby, we aim to facilitate a more straightforward and less stressful birthing experience.
Next week I will be sharing some ideas on Childbirth education and why the hospital course is not enough to really prepare you and your partner for a beautiful birth.
See you then.
Amanda is a pregnancy chiropractor, doula and childbirth educator based in Adelaide Australia. She supports her clients with both in person and online courses and resources. More information can be found at www.nestbirthandwellbeing.com.au and via IG @nestbirthwellbeing