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Pregnancy Blog Review for April 29 – May 10

Welcome to the pregnancy blog review. This is a good way to view all the recent blogs in one place. As always, I welcome topic suggestions for future blogs. Femara was originally prescribed for the treatment of breast cancer and is now used as a fertility drug. Initial studies look promising. Read more in Fertility Drugs: Femara Midwives in Maine will now have access to medications for use in home births. A new law will allow midwives to obtain certain medications directly from a pharmacist. Read more in New Law Gives Maine Midwives Access to Medications Yoga has many benefits … Continue reading →

Yoga Poses to Avoid

There are many benefits to prenatal yoga. Regular practice of yoga tones the muscles and prepares the body for labor and delivery. In addition, many women find they get an emotional boost from yoga, which is very beneficial. Although yoga is safe and effective for pregnancy, there are some poses which should be avoided. Positions requiring you to lie on your stomach are not safe for pregnancy. These include poses such as cobra, are not safe particularly as the belly grows. As the baby grows, you will need to avoid poses which require you to lie on your back for … Continue reading →

Top Ten Yoga Class Tips

Without getting too serious about ourselves, I wanted to discuss some common, perhaps amusing, bits of etiquette to watch out for in yoga classes. Hopefully, you’ll know when I’m intending to humor rather than dictate. 1. Make a controlled effort to get there on time. When I say “controlled,” it’s because I don’t want people stressing themselves out just to get to class. I can get past people walking in while I’m taking people into opening meditation, but I know that it can be distracting for the other students. Late or not, we all have the same intention – let’s … Continue reading →

Don’t Be Surprised If Your Yoga Teacher Asks You This

Although we never imagine ourselves admitting in front of an entire room that we have any kind of limiting physical condition (except maybe pregnancy), it may be the key to your yoga instructor delivering a safe class for you. When I first started teaching, it was in a close-knit YMCA, so I would open the class by asking if anyone had anything that might require them to modify their practice. I have since tweaked the timing of this question to better suit people’s privacy, but nonetheless, I still ask it. If I didn’t, then there’s always a chance that someone … Continue reading →

Avoiding Injury with Your Yoga Practice

The fact that yoga is not high-impact makes a lot of people skeptical about believing that someone could get injured doing it. I will be the first person to recommend yoga to people who are afraid of getting injured by other forms of exercise, or who have a previous condition that they don’t want to aggravate, so the last thing I want to do is scare anyone away from trying it. However, just like anything else, it is possible to get injured if you aren’t careful. Stick with the following to make sure that you have a healthy and safe … Continue reading →

Inversion Is Not for Everyone

Inversion — hanging or otherwise positioning yourself upside down — can be beneficial for your health. Sometimes called the “perfect stretch”, inversion can reverse pressure on muscles, joints, and organs. However, inversion may not be right for everyone. Certain health conditions may make inversion a dangerous practice. If you are concerned that inversion may not be good for you, talk to your healthcare provider before attempting any kind of inversion. Bone problems — like osteoporosis, spine injury or trauma, or fractures. Inversion may worsen bone problems. Circulatory problems — like high blood pressure, heart disease, and clotting problems. While some … Continue reading →

The Importance of Bending and Stretching

Many people shirk the fact that bending and stretching should be performed at the beginning of any exercise. It should also be done at the end of each session of any type of physical fitness. Some people just want to get their exercise “in” for the day and basically they rush through the movements of it. Bending and stretching helps you to perform your exercise routine more easily and with greater flexibility. It prepares our bodies, particularly our joints, for what is about to take place. When we are flexible it promotes good posture and balance. It also helps to … Continue reading →

How To Prevent Falls During Pregnancy

It happened when I was going down the steps in my home: my socked foot slipped off the edge of the stair and I fell on my butt. Fortunately I did not fall any farther down the stairway, but I nearly had a heart attack and I was worried for the safety of my baby. I was about six or seven months pregnant at the time. The baby and I were okay, but I was much more careful about stairs after that. A fall during pregnancy can be dangerous for both mom and baby, but mostly for mom. In most … Continue reading →

Exercise for Back Pain

Back pain is one of the more common symptoms experienced during pregnancy. The vast majority of pregnant women will have back pain at some point in their pregnancies. For most, the back pain is not related to an injury or problem, but from the changes in the body as a result of the pregnancy. Back pain during pregnancy is the result of a few changes. One is the weight gained during pregnancy. The weight gain is centered around the middle of the body, which changes the center of gravity. This change in the center of gravity causes strain on the … Continue reading →

ACOG Guidelines for Exercise

Most medical professionals agree that exercise during pregnancy is beneficial for otherwise healthy women. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology advocates exercise for healthy women at least three times a week. The organization made the recommendation along with other guidelines for exercise. The ACOG suggests various forms of exercise, including swimming, bicycling and weight bearing exercise. If a woman is healthy, she can often exercise at the same level of intensity as she did prior to pregnancy. The duration and intensity will vary from woman to woman and often depends on the fitness level prior to pregnancy. Active women … Continue reading →