Yoga for Pregnancy empowers women for all birth experience

Hi Eryl, I just wanted to let you know that Harry was born on 23rd July at 9.18am.
He weighed in at 8lb7oz via a planned section.
We met with Mr Heard on the Thursday before when he went over the pros and cons of having a section v vaginal. Having been given the option I discovered that I didn't know what to choose!!
We took the weekend to think about it and saw Mr Heard again on the Monday when we told him that we'd thought very carefully and had decided that the safest option for the baby and me was to deliver asap and via a section. He agreed!

We arrived at hospital on the Wed morning at 7.20 am and waited our turn. We were told that we would go first - there had to be some perks to Gestational Diabetes!!

There was plenty of Golden Thread breathing and 'going floppy' in the hour wait until we took the long walk down to theatre. I actually did my yoga and scooped my way down the corridor.
Arriving at Theatre I had your imortal words of 'role your shoulders' ringing in my ears as I felt my shoulders reaching up towards the ceiling. Once more the golden thread breath allowed me to relax as the spinal block was administered. You might think that this was the end of the Yoga techniques however as I laid on the table waiting to hear my baby cry for the first time i was 'bricking it' so I thought of bumping along on the back of John's tractor with Georgia on her pony following behind - my special place relaxation technique. Soon Harry was delivered safely, covered with vernix and offered up to have his first cuddle with me. We had a few difficulties with his blood sugars being too low and had to suplement his feeding with formula to keep him out of SCBU. Saturday saw us coming home. The techniques that i have learnt will be with me for a lifetime.

To summerise Harry was born via the safest method. The yoga techniques helped this to be a positive experience that i actually enjoyed. I even got one of the all female delivery team to take photos of him being born!! I hope to bring him along to meet you all - now to work - pelvic floors ready?
Love Jane

Henry Martin's Arrival

Anna has been coming to my classes since early pregnancy. She kindly sent me her birth story to share with you, and I hope you find it empowering. The full story is in our Pages section. She starts by saying:

It might help people to know that I wouldn't consider myself a strong emotional person, I was terrified by the prospect of labour, and for the first 2-3 months really wanted a c-section!! The yoga helped me enormously emotionally and taught me to listen to my body, and realise that this is a natural process.

There is a direct connection between your jaw/mouth and your pelvic floor. If your jaw is tense, which it often is when you feel stressed, then your pelvic floor finds it harder to soften and relax for instance in the second stage of labour. So its good to practice breathing out with a big audible sigh and an open mouth. Practice this in your daily life - i.e. when that other driver cuts you up or you shrink your favorite woolie in the wash! Practice gives you confidence when you need your relaxation skills most.

Simple Leg Energisers

These will help your circulation, reducing the chances of varicose veins and swollen ankles. You can do them throughout your pregnancy, even sitting at your office desk!

1. Sit with your legs out straight and about hip width apart. Start to make slow circles with both feet beginning by drawing the big toes in towards each other. Do this five times.

2. Now draw the toes slowly towards you and push your heels away bending the feet from the ankle joints. Do this as you breathe in and point the toes away from you as you breathe out. Repeat this about five times.

Ina May Gaskin 2

On the internet today I found Ina May's Blog which you may find interesting. There are lots of links and articles by this inspirational lady. You can read it at http://www.inamay.com/

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

Ina May's Guide To Childbirth has inspired and empowered the women in our classes recently. Especially the section entitled 'Let Your Monkey Do It' on (in my edition) page 243. One of the tasks of pregnancy is to get back to the primate in us and re find our instinct and intuition. This little section really seems to resonate with us, so here is a small section to whet your appetite:

'Let's say you want some advice that might help you give birth, wherever that might be. My shortest answer is: Let your monkey do it.....letting the primate in you do the work of labour is a shor way of saying not to let your over-busy mind interfere with the ancient wisdom of your body. To give you an idea of what I mean, here are some things monkeys and apes don't do in labour that many women do - and that interfere with labour:

- Monkeys don't think of technology as necessary to birth-giving
- Monkeys don't obsess about their bodies being inadequate.
- Monkeys don't do math about their dilation to speculate how long labour might take.'

To find out what else monkeys don't do....you'll have to read the book!
ISBN0-553-38115-6 Bantam Trade Paperback 2003

How to rest in labour

All too often we are shown women lying on their backs during labour. Of course it can be an exhausting time, but the best way to rest between contractions is leaning forward. You can kneel into bean bags, pillows, your partner, the bed, whatever is at hand. Put a pillow under your bottom too if you find it too much of a stretch. Really relax. Remember that relaxation = energy, so it's very important to allow yourself to rest in the space between contractions so that you don't get tired.