How yoga can help with a smoother birthing experience

How yoga can help with a smoother birthing experience.

Babies that are well positioned in a woman's pelvis at the end of her pregnancy can have a major influence on her birthing experience and the way her baby is born. A lot of women will work up to 36 weeks in pregnancy, often seated at a desk leaning back in the chair. This seated position can cause the heaviest part of the baby ( the back of the body) to fall towards the woman's spine in the Occipital posterior position (OP) or back to back as it is sometimes called.

Occipital Anterior position (OA)

Babies in the Occipital Anterior (optimal fetal position) have an easier passage through the pelvis. Women delivering in the Occipital Anterior position tend to have shorter and more comfortable labours, with rapid cervix dilation and efficient contractions. There is less likelihood of medical intervention or complications during the birthing process.

Occipital Posterior position (OP)

Babies that are in the Occipital Posterior (fetal back towards the mother's spine) have a much more difficult journey to make. Women delivering babies in an OP position tend to have 'back labour', longer deliveries and will sometimes need medical intervention to assist them.

How can yoga help encourage a baby to rotate into optimal position?

Using yoga poses that are forward-leaning or that are on all fours, especially during the last six weeks of pregnancy (last two-three weeks with second and subsequent pregnancies) can help create space for a baby to move into an OA position. Yoga poses such as Cat position, hip rotations and pelvic floor rocking can all assist with this optimal fetal positioning and help assist babies on their journey into the world.

Neti pot

When I was training to be a yoga teacher, one of the 6 purification techniques taught to us was Jala Neti ( also called Neti or Jaaneti). Purification techniques are sometimes performed as a way of preparing the body for a yoga practice. Whenever the neti pots came out, I disappeared, always needing to be somewhere else at that moment in time… I had many techniques to avoid it: the bathroom, the water fountain, the shop, anything but the Net. Pouring a saline solution up my hooter was really not for me and I have avoided it right up to today. I have got a steaming cold and, as a result, I now have sinus pain, so I have decided to give it another go. Talk about waiting until your back is against the wall! I rushed to the Sivanada yoga studio nearby and bought myself a ceramic neti pot and salt. I had to follow the one photographic image as the instructions were in German!!! Although I did not find it as unpleasant as some people describe, it was not as bad as I remembered. So I will us...

Sharath Jois in London 2013

Sharath Jois will be in London teaching a week of primary and intermediate ashtanga yoga From 25th-30th of August- in a central London location. Booking for this will open mid May. Through http://www.astangayogalondon.com/index2.cfm A rare and wonderful treat to have Sharath in my home town-A big thank you to Hamish Hendry and ashtanga yoga London for organising this. Going to have to set an alarm on my phone- as there will be a lot of takers for this....

All about the balance

A snap from inside my fridge this week. The mix of wine, beer and Vita Coca sort of sums up my family really. The ones that drink wine and beer don't go in for the coco water, and the coco water drinker doesn't go in for wine or beer. In summary, none of us need worry about the other nicking all the drinks. :-)

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