Stretch It Out Mommas!

Hey ladies! 

Today I want to talk about effective stretches for expecting moms to help prevent injury and ease any pain or discomfort you may be experiencing.  As with anything, you should consult your doctor before doing any exercise or stretch while pregnant.

Breathing deeply with each stretch is important part of making each stretch effective.  

On all fours straighten out your back and arms, making sure the hands are directly under your shoulders. Gently sit back onto the heels of your feet, extending the arms and putting your head to your chest.  Hold for 7 seconds and go back to beginning position.  Repeat this up to 10 times. Make sure when you sit back on the heels you leave space for that bump in between your legs! You should feel the stretch in your back, thighs and pelvis. 

Back to all fours being careful to keep the back in line with your head so there is no slump in your back you are going to curl the back up making a rainbow arch and tucking the head to chest. Hold this for 7 seconds and return to in line position. Repeat this up to 10 times.  You should feel the stretch in the lower back.  You’ll find this will ease backaches

you may be having.

For the next stretch there are 3 variations, standing, sitting, or laying.  It is your preference, whatever you find most comfortable for you and the baby.  Starting with the standing position press your back to a wall. You are going to press the small of your back to the wall tucking that bum under stretching the lower back. Hold for 7 seconds and return to starting position. Repeat this up to 10 times.

The next variation is sitting in a chair with the back in a straight line.  With sitting you want to make sure you are as comfortable as possible so you can sit on a pillow or towel if necessary.  Put your hands on you knees or upper thighs and curl your back as you press your stomach to your back. Hold for 7 seconds and return to start.  Repeat up 10 times. 

The final variation of this exercise is laying on your back with your knees bent and arms by your sides. Pushing down with your feet into the floor, squeeze and lift the bum up off the ground forming a 45 degree angle at the knee. Be sure your pressure lies on the feet and not on your neck. Hold for 3-5 seconds, return down and repeat up to 10 times. If you have an exercise ball you can use this under the small of your back for more support rather than laying on the floor.

Sitting up straight with your back against a wall, put your heels together, outside ankles to the floor.  Gently press your knees to the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and very slowly release up. Repeat this up to 10 times.  This will increase your hip flexibility.

Standing facing a wall put your hands or elbows on the wall in push-up position.  Keep your heels on the floor, toes to the wall, put one leg in front the other to stretch the back of the calf.  Hold this for 7 seconds and alternate legs.  This is best to do before bed which will help alleviate that awful middle of the night charlie horse!

The final stretch is for women who are experiencing lower back, hip and leg pain.  Laying on your back, keeping your hips straight, have your partner gently pull on your leg from the knee.  This will help align your knees and hips. Be extremely careful doing this stretch.

I hope these stretches help in easing all your aches and pains through pregnancy! It also won’t hurt to have your partner give you a back rub!

Touch The Bump Baby Gives You A Lump!

Good evening mommas!! Tonight I am going to address an interesting topic.  This has come up in my own personal pregnancy and also in a few of my girlfriend's pregnancies.  I didn't even think to discuss it until I received an email tonight from a momma who is 28 weeks 2 days pregnant.  This young momma asked me "How do I deal with when other people touch my bump without asking?"  I have to say I am an expert on this.  I'm going to start off by telling you a story.

My husband has someone in his family who is incredibly hands on...even when not welcome.  I am not the most touchy feely with people I am not super close to.  As I am sure I'm not the only one, I didn't and don't have the best relationship with this person.  Anyways, we hadn't seen his family for a few months during my pregnancy because I was so sick and had been on bedrest so when we finally saw them I had a decent size baby bump.  The reason we were seeing the family was for a memorial mass. So as I stated before, I am not the most touchy feely person...especially not with people I am not incredibly close to, the family was well aware of this.  Baring that in mind, we are in church and I have a baby bump and my husband and I went to go get communion and had to walk in front of a few people who were not going up for communion.  As I passed by, I was stagnant waiting for the line to continue.  All of a sudden, I felt a pair of hands come up behind me and touch me on my belly.  Needless to say, I was completely shocked that A) someone was touching my bump, who knew I hate to be touched by anyone outside of my very close personal circle and B) I was getting my bump felt as I was in church.. going up to get communion.  I kindly removed her hands from my belly and gave my husband a look to see if he had witnessed what happened.  As I started to go forward to the aisle she tapped me on the back and said, "do you have any cravings?!" Now normally, this is a fine thing to ask a pregnant woman...not when in the middle of church and you've just touched the bump unwelcomed!
After knowing I didn't want to be touched and am now aggrivated by the situation, we go outside to say by to everyone at the end of mass and her hand comes in contact, yet again, with my bump! My son was not happy because he kicked so hard I think he broke a rib.  I left it alone and we left.  I spoke with my husband about it and how to address it because I didn't want to make waves for him, at the time we saw them somewhat often.  He was upset almost as much as I was by the fact that I was touched by theis woman who I was not close with, at all, without even asking, in the midst of a memorial mass.  We saw her the following day and I addressed it with her and told her I really didn't appreciate being touched without her even asking me.  She apologized and moved on...to the next time she touched my bump without asking. Only the next time, she poked my belly, not feel the baby, poked..hard! I think it goes without saying we don't see them that often.
At any rate, the moral of my story is it happens to the best of us.  Many people just like to touch the baby bump and it is one of those things, along with all the other "joys" of pregnancy we must deal with.  It is 100% okay to let someone know if they have crossed the line and they have made you uncomfortable in any way!  There are times where it is completely appropriate and very comforting when people touch the bump and they feel him or her kick and move, but never feel obligated to let someone touch when unwelcome.  I have made maternity shirts that read "Touch the bump Baby gives you a lump" with little baby feet.  Having a shirt like this pretty much sums it up and will give humor to the awkward situation of bump touching!  Contact me at my e-mail helpingmommytone@gmail.com or contact me through twitter
https://twitter.com/helpingmomstone or on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/trish.moise if you are interested in purchasing one! I hope this gave you some humor and answered you're question on how to handle bump touching! Stay tuned for my next post on proper stretches and workouts for expecting mommas! Keep em' coming! Thanks so much for the support!