A beautiful prenatal yoga client asked this question tonight and I thought I'd share it with you here as well.

In general, routinely walking and doing yoga are excellent ways to prepare your body for birth. Swimming is also a great supplemental activity.

Giving birth is like running a marathon so we want to build stamina and endurance but also be able to soften and surrender to the contractions and the baby moving down and out. One specific exercise you can do to find both strength and softness is squats (what I call Goddess Pose in class but it is also known as Horse's Stance), moving with the breath. You can do this pose daily at home as well.

Step your feet wide and bend your knees with feet turned out so that your knees point in the same direction as your 3rd and 4th toes. Inhale, straighten your legs reach your arms to the sky and lift your pelvic floor like a kegel. On the exhale, keeping your spine long and heart lifted, bend your knees until you can feel your thighs working. It's important on the exhale to soften your eyes and pelvic floor and feel like energy is moving down and out through the base of your pelvis.

Continue as many of these as you can - find your breath and dive right into the sensations you're feeling, as yes, your thighs will begin to burn. But it is your breath and the being able to surrender that will you get you through. Remember that you push your baby out on the exhale and you have to be able to soften and go with the contractions.


Other things to keep in mind which I learned from taking a Birthing From Within class (you can also get the book by the same name at the library) is to set up your ideal birthing situation. Things to consider are the lighting, music you'd like to hear, calming essential oils, and people whom you want or don't want present. You don't want anything that's gonna make you tense up or feel anxious as this can hinder your progression at birth.

Lastly, practice with your partner beforehand. Let your birth partner practice what they would say to root you on and keep you focused or calm during birth. And you can tell them if it worked or if it was annoying and actually does the opposite and then they can try something different. Allow them to rub your hair or your back and then give them feedback as to how it feels. The goal is to keep you comfortable and feeling supported. Speak up if that's not the case.

What do you think? Do you have additional ideas? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. See you soon in yoga so we can continue preparing our bodies and minds for birth, and then ultimately, motherhood.