Recent happenings in my doula and prenatal fitness life

I have been very very busy lately! I have had my doula workshop completed and am working on getting more births scheduled along with working my normal 30 hour a week job and being a mom to an 8 month old (wow he is getting big!) as well as a wife to my patient husband.

What's new?
Well I have been working on securing a place to host my Dancing for Birth demo class as it seems to fall lower on my list of things to do daily for no other reason than there is not enough hours in the day! I am committed this week to make a breakthrough in this process so wish me luck! I have a location picked out that seems to be very promising and central in location here on the Peninsula so I hope it attracts moms and moms-to-be from all around. I need to schedule a few of these demo classes in order to get certified. I have been studying the material and making sure I am staying fluent in the training I received last month.

My first doula interview!
So before my doula training I had a friend as me to be by her side during her birth in July which led me to sign up for the training as soon as I could! Well I am still 100% committed to her and can't wait for the day! In the meantime, I hadn't even started to search for other births because the 4 day intensive training was still sinking in over the following few days. Well no sooner had I finished the last day, I was already approached by a wonderful mom-to-be who I had met in a couple encounters but never really had a chance to speak with one on one. She asked me if I would sit down for what doulas consider an interview (initial consultation). I was nervous but not to nervous and met her for tea at a local coffee shop. I respectfully put my phone on vibrate in my purse and tucked it under the table. We sat and talked for over 3 hours about birth, life, books, recent documentaries, my family, her family and the time just ticked by. We naturally carried on without a hint of how much time had passed!

Okay we learn in our training to keep these consultations to about an hour because we all have lives but it just seemed right this time that it lasted so long. I told her about my family which she knew I had a baby at home as well as my current job which fairly flexible in getting time off so I didn't think we would run into issues with me attending her birth. I told her not to give me an answer that day and to take a few days to decide whether she would want me at her birth. I left there feeling very good about everything we talked about and reflected on how I was able to gather the information I needed and give her information she needed (I thought I would forget everything I learned and not know what to say if she had a question!)

Today I received the notice that she had decided to hire me on as her doula and I am quietly excited (Well except for here and to my husband and a close friend!) as I head into a new challenge of balance it all. The birth is expected in early April and I don't have much time to prepare but I am confident I will be ready.

As I have gone through my training and met the many wonderful people in the local birthing community I have come to find many strengths among them but also many missing services that are not available in our area. One of these is prenatal and postpartum fitness! I really hope to hone on this and build something that will fill this void. Myself and a couple other birth professionals are joining together to make this happen. It really does take a village to raise a child but it also takes a village to support a mother in her own journey!

Keep following and I hope to have more to tell you soon!

Dancing for Birth workshop experience

This weekend was amazing! I spent Saturday and Sunday with some fabulous women including Dancing for Birth TM founder Stephanie Larson. My instructor training workshop provided me with many tools to assist pregnant and postpartum women with birth and working through postpartum issues. Through music and dance women can feel empowered with their own bodies. I am excited to schedule my first demo class and be well on the road to certification.

New happenings in my life: Doula workshop, Dancing for birth training, Sewing projects!

So I have been super busy with life and a 6 month old! Since my pregnancy and the birth of my son I have been delving into mommyhood and all things relevant. What does that mean for me? I have become a mommy meet-up goer, a seamstress, a laundry and housekeeping pro, and a concierge for all things baby! I love it all!

I have felt drawn to a higher calling recently and I am following it down the road to wherever it may lead me. What is this calling? Well I have decided that while I love my job/career in the clinical field I too love working with expecting moms and those who have just had their baby. It is a feeling I just can't shake! I thought I had my life figured out before bringing this wonderful little person into my world but then things have changed again.

So here are some upcoming things I have in my head and on my calendar. I am very excited about my "dancing for birth" instructor training workshop this month and I am hoping to touch on that more in future posts. I have signed up for a doula training workshop in March and can't wait to dive into the birthing community. This is something I never thought I would want to do but now I can't stop thinking about it! I hope to touch more on doula work and how I am balancing my family, my current job and a baby as I know it will be challenging but hopefully rewarding as well. I already have a birth lined up for July!

I have recently "mastered" the art of making cloth diapers. Well I am still always learning but I feel pretty good about my recent outcomes. I have had my name spread across the cloth diapering and birthing community in my area and have been getting many questions on the how-to and what-to of cloth diapering. I guess in my 6 months of motherhood I have become somewhat of a guru in this particular subject. I have my routine down to a science and even then I am always looking for better alternatives if there are any. I have spent a good part of my free days counseling other moms that are interested in cloth diapering as well as sewing and repairing them for myself and others. This has become somewhat of a side business more than a hobby and I look forward to seeing where this goes this year.

Life is taking me down a new road I thought never existed and I can't wait to see what happens. Possibly some people think I am crazy now and I have lost my mind since giving birth but I feel like our journey never ends and we are always exploring ourselves and new pathways. We are never done learning and there is always more out there to seek out. I have a super supportive husband that knows that when I am excited about something that I need to explore it even if I am not sure about it completely. He is such a good man to just let me spread my wings and be anything I want to be. If I told him I wanted to be an astronaut or a doctor he would probably say "go do it!" Maybe it's a little too much and sometimes and I do need someone to pull on the reigns a little but for now I am glad he is so open to this new adventure and seeing me happy. Everyone knows "happy wife, happy life!" and he has learned that quickly.

I guess the biggest perk of all is doing these things with my baby in tow and making new connections for him and I in the world of parenthood. He has made many new friends as we attend Le Leche League meetings, cloth diaper meet ups, and stroller fitness workouts. He is my little sidekick when I go to grocery store, shop for new fabrics, and he will even be on my hip at some of my upcoming trainings. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Here is my first attempt at balancing life with my new found passions all while working my normal 30 hour a week job at the hospital. Wish me luck!

More to come so stay tuned!

Lunging with baby!

 

Here is a new exercise for you mommies!

 

This is simply a lunge and arm raise for a full body workout. 

 

Initial position

Hold your baby under their arms in front of you while straddling your legs, one forward and one back

It is important to find a good balance and keep your core tight while holding your little one.

 

 Ending position

As you sit down into your lunge, bring your baby out in front by extending your arms.

Make sure you keep your knee over your ankle in the front and your hip and knee aligned at your back leg.

 

Perform 8-10 reps and 2-3 sets as tolerated. If you get tired take a break!

 

Alternative methods:

• Put baby in a carrier and skip the arm raises, instead place them on your baby or on your hips for balance.
• Use dumbbells instead of baby and keep palms facing down as you bring your arms up with the weights.
• Switch up the arm raises with bicep curls. This can be done with baby or weights.

In this photo my baby is about 14 lbs. As your baby gets heavier you will get stronger! If your baby is too heavy for you to properly do this exercise then place the baby in a safe place and try it with weights!

 

Do you have Stress Urinary Incontinence post-baby?

What is STI? Well Stress Urinary Incontinence is the inability to hold your urine while doing activities. This is due to weakened pelvic-floor muscles due to the weight of the uterus sitting on it for 9 months.

I personally haven't had this issue because of one of my favorite exercises...kegels! Yes I am bringing kegels up again in this post because it is probably the most important exercise you can do during pregnancy and after delivery. I purposely made sure I did my kegel exercises throughout my pregnancy and most definitely after delivery to prevent this incontinence issue.

Who is more prone to STI?
While anyone experience incontinence after pregnancy, there are five risk factors that could make you more prone to having this issue.

• Multiple pregnancies- a woman who has had more than one child has a weaker pelvic floor due to the multiple stretching and weight put on it.
 
• vaginal delivery- Women who deliver their baby naturally experience stretching and muscle trauma that can take a while to return to normal.
 
• high infant birth weight over 8 lbs- muscles stretch more for bigger babies!
 
• large infant cranial circumference over 35 cm- Just like bigger babies, a larger head circumference can create more muscle stretching and damage to the tissue during delivery.
 
• high maternal weight gain during pregnancy  over 28 lbs- Pressure from weight on already weak and over stretched muscles can create the perfect opportunity for urinary incontinence.
 
• perineal tearing during delivery- Tears are probably the most traumatic part of delivery. If you can get by with no tears or a small inner perineal tear good job but higher degree tears require stitches and lots of TLC!

I am here to tell you that kegels during pregnancy will help prevent STI! I have 4 of these 5 risks factors and I have not peed my pants once since coming home from the hospital. While I haven't had more than one baby I did have a vaginal delivery and I did have a baby who was over 9 lbs and had a head in the 90th percentile! My [regnancy weight gain was about 35 lbs and my perineal tear was minor and only required 2 stitches.

 

Kegels was the best thing I could do for myself during my pregnancy and I'm glad I didn't slack on it!

 

How to do kegels:

 

Lay down or sit in a chair when you first start learning how to do kegels. draw your pelvic floor up like you are "holding your pee"

 

Some people like to do this on the toilet while peeing and stopping the stream of urine to get a feel of what it should feel like (don't make a habit of this as it can cause a UTI)

 

You should do these whenever and wherever the mood strikes but at least several times a day holding for about 10 seconds and then releasing for 10 seconds. Try to do 3-4 sets of 10 reps each day.

 

You can also do quick kegels where you "pulse" your kegel contractions instead of holding them.

 

Happy kegeling!

Did you get moving today?

Today has been a lazy day but I still tried to get a little bit of exercise in during my errands. As I walked into the grocery store for a couple items, I decided to skip putting the carseat into a shopping cart and instead carried it through the store. My little guy is a little over 14 lbs now so with the carseat I was lifting well over 15 lbs. I was asked several times by store employees if I wanted a cart as I walked through the store, did it look like I was struggling? I didn't think so...maybe they just never see people opt to carry their carseats through the store! When they asked I would just tell them "no thanks! I am just getting a little workout in today!"

I got my goods and went on my way. I went to a different store for some special dog food I get my dogs. This is a 35 lb bag of dog food and I carried it in one arm and the carseat carrier in the other declining assistance from the store clerk. I felt strong like super woman! I was done with my errands so I could finally go home.

I had a friend visit today so I still didn't get my workout in but that's ok! I added to my upper body routine from earlier in the day by soothing my baby boy with arm curls! Yes I was holding him in the cradle position and he was fussy so I extended my arms straight and then curled them up toward my chest and gave him a kiss on the curl up. He loved it! He was cooing and smiling as I brought him up to my face! You should try about 8-10 reps and see if your baby enjoys it just as much as mine did!

So while I didn't get a full body workout today, I feel just a little bit stronger because of all of the upper body work I did! Baby is happy, I'm happy!

Always make sure you use correct posture while exercising and especially carrying awkward items like your baby's carseat! I carried mine out in front with both hands and my arms flexed upward as well as alternating arms while flexing my arm up into a curl. Carrying those carseats with your arms extended down to your side can cause you to lean and isn't good for your back so always use those arm muscles!

Mommy muscles

Ok let's face it...being a momma is a tough and rough job. I've only been at it for 10 weeks but I have noticed that my arms are becoming more and more toned every day just from carrying the little guy around with all of his accessories. For the first 6 weeks you are usually restricted to lifting the weight of your baby but after that you will find yourself carrying the diaper bag, car seat with baby in it, purse, groceries, and a latte all at once! Why take a second trip? I got this!

So as I promised before here is my first toning exercise, a half-squat holding baby. You should try this exercise for 8-10 reps and 2-3 sets a day. By holding your baby you are adding weight to your workout and also forcing your abdominal muscles to flex more readily than they would if you had to think about doing it yourself. This ensures good posture and gets those deep abdominal muscles.

Half-Squat: Targets glutes, quads, and lower back. We always should try to incorporate abdominal muscles in every exercise we do so holding baby is going to add abdominal flexion. If you aren't holding your baby make sure you focus on drawing in your tummy muscles during the entire series.

Starting position:

Feet shoulder width apart holding baby to chest. If you feel more comfortable you can use a baby carrier. Try a few half squats without baby to make sure you can do them without losing your balance.

 

Holding baby snugly (or place in carrier), bend your knees and stick your bottom out like you are going to sit in a chair. Keep your chest up and only go down as far as you feel comfortable. You should be able to see your feet still when you look down. If you knees come over your feet you are aren't pushing your bottom back far enough. 

 



 

Baby too big or too fussy to hold? Put him or her in a stroller in front of you and hold the squat through a round of "itsy bitsy spider" using your hands to tell the story. Your tot will love it!

 

As your baby grows in size so will the weight you are lifting so it's a great way to progress your strength training without thinking about it.

  

 

Some things I found out while exercising with baby:

• You should make sure he is fed and well rested about an hour before you start your exercise routine. You won't want to stop and feed your baby in the middle of your routine...frankly once you sit down you probably won't get back up to finish the second half!
• Don't feed your baby right before you exercise because you may get spit up on you!
• Baby takes the lead on your exercise program. If he or she needs to be cared for go ahead and do that and return once he or she is happy and content again.
• If you have an overly fussy baby try turning your routine into a game with them. Play peek a boo while doing squats, sing a song, or tell baby a story during wall sits. Make it fun and interactive!
• Some days are just going to be lazy days and don't kick yourself for it. Get back on the exercise bandwagon when you can.

STAY HEALTHY & FABULOUS!