Tip #1: Body Awareness: Getting in tune with your body
I want to make this easy for you. I know you are probably running short on time and have a million and one things to do. But, let me take care of you and help you care for your body.
What is body awareness?
It is exactly how it sounds - being aware of your physical body.
I’m not talking about that nagging back pain you notice every time you roll over in bed, or that annoying knee pain you get when you go down stairs.
Instead, let me ask….have you ever thought about how you get out of bed? Do you roll? Do you do a sit up? Do you slither out of bed half awake? This is what I’m taking about…bringing a mindful awareness to your body and how you move throughout the day.
So how does body awareness help keep you pain free?
The more in tune you can become with your physical body and its sensations, the better you are going to be able to notice… your posture, how you move, and the small habits you do throughout the day.
Before you know it, you’ll be noticing, wow…I never realized every time I’m at my computer, I always stick my neck out, or I never realized I always pop my hip out when I stand to cook. (We all do it, you’re not alone.)
Once you have a better awareness of these habits, it helps to paint a picture of WHY pain can occur in pregnancy and postpartum. Maybe your neck pain is linked to your sitting posture or maybe your low back or hip pain is linked to your standing posture. We can, then, work towards changing these habits from becoming problems later.
A mindful body awareness and hopefully, new habits of improved position and movement patterns will minimize and even prevent pain during pregnancy and postpartum.
If you are pregnant…
You might already be noticing changes in your body. This is a good thing, your ligaments (connect bones together) start to relax to allow more room for that growing baby and ultimately, to allow that baby to come into the world.
But, we must also remember that as these ligaments relax; our muscles need to work a bit extra to provide stability to our bodies. (Just like you might need a few extra pillows to sleep comfortably. Your muscles are like those pillows giving your body the extra support it needs) This is where strengthening will become an important part of the picture. (Stay tuned for tip #3)
What can I do now? Just focus on standing tall (like someone is pulling you up by your ponytail). This will prevent you from rounding your shoulders forward, pushing your hips forward, or waddling when you walk, which could put unnecessary stress/strain on your body. The more upright you can be, the better supported your body will be.
Better support = Less stress/strain = less aches/pains
If you are postpartum…
(Ps postpartum isn’t just 6 weeks after delivery, it’s forever)
Think about the position you are in when you feed your baby (whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding)…are you sitting in a chair with enough back support, are you leaning forward over your baby, are you tilting to one side?
I know what you might be thinking…you’re telling me I need to think about all these things IN ADDITION to feeding my baby?!?!
Don’t worry, I got you…I just want you to remember 1 thing:
Let the chair support you (you might need a few extra pillows), while you think tall (like someone pulling up on your mom bun). Take a deep breath in and out, then relax into this more ideal position.
Why does this matter? The more upright (not tilting to either side and not overly forward) you can be, the better supported your body will be. And, less strain will be placed on your body. Therefore…less headaches, neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain…and the list goes on.
Better support = less stress/strain = less aches/pains
The beauty of it all is that you can work start working on changing these habits RIGHT NOW just by being mindfully aware of your body position and movement. And the even better part is you can PREVENT these common aches/pains from becoming problems.
Remember, this is step one, just noticing and becoming in tune, or aware of your body. The next step will be making changes.
So, here is the game plan for this week…..I invite you to:
Notice how you get out of bed (Do you just sit up? Do you roll? Do you slither?)
Notice your posture whether standing or feeding your baby
Remember you are doing a great job! You go momma!
Leave a comment and let me know what you notice throughout your day!
Do you have more questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Stay tuned for next week where I will teach you how to use this new insight into your body and apply it to the things you do throughout the day. I will teach you all the “how-tos” when it comes to movement, and the proper way to move to PREVENT pain. You don’t want to miss it!
*Disclaimer: All of the content here is for educational and informational purposes only. None of which constitutes as medical advice and does not establish any kind of patient-provider relationship by your use of this website. Please consult your doctor or qualified medial professional if you have a genuine concern regarding your health or the health of your baby.