prenatal exercise
Mamas on Bedrest: Bedrest Fitness Webinar Demo
September 26th, 2011Mamas on Bedrest, do you have hip and/or low back pain? Wanna know how to gently stretch your hips? Join Bedrest Coach Darline Turner-Lee this Wednesday, September 28th for a FREE demo of Bedrest Fitness. What will be presented? Take a look below for a sample. Darline shows a simple hip stretch done while in bed utilizing pillows and a bath towel. The Webinar is this Wednesday, September 28, 9:15-10:15 am CT. And it’s completely free. All you’ll need to participate are some pillows, a bath towel and you-in bed!To get the login details, e-mail info@mamasonbedrest.com.
4 Tips to Relieve Mamas’ (on Bedrest) Aching Back
September 21st, 2011Christy (not her real name), mom to one of my son’s classmates is 32 weeks pregnant with her second child. She has just recently started having lots of lumbar/sacral discomfort and asked me what she can do for relief. I shared my recommendations with her, but I consulted with some other birth pros upon whom I rely on T. If you are not following Desirre Andrews or @Preparing4Birth, you should be. Desirre is an awesome doula, childbirth educator, lactation educator, midwife assistant and the president of International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). Jes von Henzke @Sadayagoga is a yoga teacher and practitioner who shared her expertise as well.
First things first. What’s going on? Well, at 32 weeks, Christy has a lot of Relaxin in her system. As you’ll recall, Relaxin is the hormone that relaxes the tendons and ligaments of the body. During labor and delivery, it enables the pelvis to freely move (separate) and allow passage of the baby during delivery.
Additionally, Christy is experiencing a lot of stretching as her baby to grows in these last few weeks. The added weight from her belly is creating an opposing force on the muscles, tendons and ligaments of her spine, abdomen and pelvis as they work to stabilize her posture and support her pregnancy.
So what should Christy do? Here is what we came up with.
Maternity Support Belt. This was an invaluable article of “clothing” for both of my pregnancies. Being just 5 ft tall, once my belly became sizable (at just 16 weeks with my second!), my back began to feel the strain. With my daughter, my first pregnancy, she sat in my pelvis such that I developed sciatica at about 22 weeks and could barely put weight on my left leg. A friend referred me Special Addition a local maternity store here in Austin, for a good pelvic/lumbar/sacral support. The great thing about Special Addition is that all of the sales clerks are doulas and lactation consultants with years of experience helping pregnant and new mamas. They fit me for a belt that was just perfect. Special Addition also has a wonderful online inventory and you can call and speak with these wonderful sales clerks and they can help you get the best support for your needs. (If you know of a great Maternity Boutique, tell us about them in the comments section. We’ll create a category in our resources section so that other mamas can benefit. Be sure to tell us why they are great so Mamas can make wise and informed choices!)
Prenatal Massage. Another lifesaver for me. When I was pregnant, I had a massage about once a month. It was so wonderful and relaxing. Additionally, a skilled prenatal massage therapist can work the muscles that are under stress due to the pregnancy without causing additional discomfort. Many doulas are also massage therapists. Again, if you know of a great therapist in your area, share the info in our comments section so other mamas can benefit.
Chiropractic Care. I didn’t do chiropractic care during my pregnancies, but I hear that chiropractic manipulations during pregnancy can be very beneficial. Be sure to choose a chiropractor who has skill and expertise manipulating pregnant women. Check out their credentials and get referrals whenever possible. Share a good resource in the comments section.
Muscular Movement. I actually taught prenatal aerobics during both my pregnancies (which nearly gave my OB a heart attack with my first-the most high risk!!). Moving and stretching enables the soft tissues most affected by the weight of the pregnancy to stretch and then to repair. Again, please try to stick with classes that are designed to accommodate the pregnant physique. And Mamas on Bedrest, we’ve not forgotten you. Online Bedrest Fitness begins with a free demo class on September 28th, 9:15-10:15 am CT. Send an e-mail to info@mamasonbedrest.com to register and receive login information.
Do you have other tips? Share them in the comments section below. Or if you’d prefer, send them to info@mamasonbedrest.com.
If you’d like to talk more about back pain relief, post a message on Twitter to @mamasonbedrest. You can also post a message on our Facebook Page.
To the left, pregnant with my daughter, maternity belt in place, 36 wks, 4 days. She arrived 36 wks, 6 days, 3 hrs and 57 mins shy of 37 weeks.
To the right, the day before I delivered my son, @39 wks via c-section. Maternity belt in place to support my 42 inch waist!
Mamas on Bedrest: Reverse the Effects of Bedrest Now!
September 12th, 2011I just love validation. Scientists have found that in otherwise healthy and exercising individuals, just 9 days of bed rest resulted in insulin resistance and altered more than 4,500 genes within skeletal muscle. And while the study was done on healthy young men, the results are easily extrapolated onto women, especially women placed on prescribed bed rest during their pregnancies. Ladies, let’s get moving and reverse the effects of bed rest-now!
So just what is insulin resistance? Insulin resistance occurs when the insulin our bodies produces is no long able to effectively bring insulin into our cells or energy. As a result, our blood sugar levels go up and we become what some people call “pre-diabetic”. This insulin resistance is also a precursor to Metabolic Syndrome, a syndrome in which we develop central obesity and any two of the following symptoms:
- Elevated Triglycerides >150 mg/dL
- Low HDL (Good Cholesterol) <40 mg/dL in men, <50mg/dL in women
- Elevated Blood Pressure: SBP (top number) >130 or DBP (lower number) >85 mmHg
- Elevated Fasting Blood Sugar >100mg/dL
- Body Mass Index (BMI) >30kg/m2
Now many may argue that this is not the case with pregnant women. They may be “fat” around their waists but have a human growing inside of them! I agree. However, a woman who develops insulin resistance during her pregnancy may well maintain insulin resistance after the pregnancy. According to researchers, even after the young men began exercising again, 4 weeks after their sedentary stint, the changes to their insulin sensitivity and gene expression were only partially normalized. The authors of the study concluded,
“The Lack of complete normalization of changes after four weeks of exercise retraining underscores the importance of maintaining a minimum of daily physical exercise.”
Now many Mamas on Bedrest may be saying to yourself, “That’s all well and good, but I can’t increase my daily exercise. I can’t park further from the store and walk or take the stairs. “
Don’t fret, we have a solution, at least a partial solution for you. We have taken our best selling Bedrest Fitness DVD and made it a live class! You can see a few samples of Bedrest Fitness on our Youtube Channel. However, we are offering a free demo Bedrest Fitness class on September 28, 2011 at 9:15 am CT. This class will broadcast live from your computer. I’ll see you and you’ll see me! All you’ll need is an internet connection, a webcam and the login information. If you are interested, send an e-mail to info@mamasonbedrest.com and I’ll send you the login information. Join in and try it out. You’ll be doing your body a HUGE service!
I’m so looking forward to seeing you all! Let’s get started reversing the effects of bed rest now!
I want to hear from you! What do you think about being on bed rest and the changes your body is going through? What are your specific concerns and how can I help you? Tell me here in the comment sections.
Want to know what Mamas on Bedrest is up to? Follow us on Twitter, @mamasonbedrest. You can also “like us” on our Facebook page.
Reference:
“Insulin Resistance-Not Just for People with Diabetes?” By Stella L. Volpe, Ph.D, RD, LDN, FACSM. ACSM Certified News. October-December 2010. Volume 20 Pages 5-6.
