It is crucial to stay physically fit and healthy during pregnancy. This is not only to help you have an easier labor and delivery experience later on but also to ensure that your baby is in their optimum health, too.
Aside from eating a healthy diet, it is as important to practice a regular physical regimen. But when you’re pregnant, staying physically active can be easier said than done! After all, the fatigue that you feel during pregnancy — not to mention the added weight on your body — makes lying in bed the more attractive option.
And we’re not kidding! When you’re pregnant, it seems like you have absolutely no control over your body. You feel sleepy despite having just woken up, and you feel exhausted even though the day has just started. There’s nothing wrong with you; it’s just your body forming a new life.
Because of your special needs as a pregnant person, you might want to explore new options for your pregnancy workout, like, for example, prenatal yoga.
Prenatal Yoga: Is it safe?
Prenatal yoga is not only safe but also recommended by many doctors to most uncomplicated or low-risk pregnancies. Pregnancy yoga is a form of exercise that is calmer and gentler than other pregnancy workouts. So if you’re looking for something relaxing and not quite as rigorous as others, prenatal yoga should be perfect!
With pregnancy yoga, you get not only a much needed physical activity but also an improvement of your breathing techniques, which will be handy when it’s time to give birth. Let’s discuss the 5 benefits that prenatal yoga offers.
5 Benefits of Prenatal Yoga
1. Prenatal yoga helps support your growing belly.
Staying physically active with a growing belly is a challenge, but fortunately, prenatal yoga helps you learn how to support your changing body. This is because prenatal yoga offers you safe techniques that stretch your muscles, which strengthens your body. With this strength, you are able to stay on top of your fitness despite the demands of pregnancy.
2. Prenatal yoga helps strengthen your pelvic muscles.
In order to have an easier and healthier pregnancy, pay special attention to your pelvic muscles! With a strong pelvic floor muscle, you can carry your baby better. Aside from this, exercising your pelvic muscles may help you recover from childbirth much more easily. This applies to both women who have undergone vaginal delivery (episiotomy) and Cesarean procedure. Prenatal yoga helps strengthen your pelvic muscles by teaching the proper poses that contract and relax your pelvic floor.
3. Prenatal yoga helps alleviate common pregnancy aches and pains.
The unfortunate truth is that, no matter how healthy you are, because of the natural changes that your body goes through, you are bound to experience common pregnancy discomforts like nausea, headaches, back pain, and even carpal tunnel syndrome. Prenatal yoga helps relieve these discomforts by stretching your muscles and helping you practice deep breathing. These improve your blood and oxygen circulation.
Also, with the meditation that comes with prenatal yoga, a woman is able to approach the aspects of her pregnancy with physical, emotional, and mental readiness.
4. Prenatal yoga helps you prepare for labor and delivery.
One of the reasons why pregnancy yoga is popular among pregnant women is because it offers safe techniques that help make labor and delivery easier and smoother. Prenatal yoga teaches women to “open up” to labor and birth, as opposed to tightening up, which can cause complications during the delivery.
Prenatal yoga also teaches pregnant women to be calm and relaxed during labor. This instinctive mindfulness minimizes the need for pain medication.
5. Prenatal yoga helps you meet other pregnant moms!
Finally, joining a prenatal yoga class is fun because it connects you to other like-minded pregnant moms! This is especially helpful if you have no friends and relatives living in your city. Your class will become an instant family and mommy support system!
Prenatal yoga has multiple benefits that promise to help make your pregnancy, labor, and delivery a wonderful and easier process. But as with all physical activities, it is best to consult your doctor first and get the green light before joining a class.