Why Prenatal Is So Beneficial

Hi friends!
So you may have figured out that I teach prenatal yoga...and you may have even noticed that I am pretty passionate about it. You also may be wondering why I think it is so beneficial. Sure it's good to move your body and "exercise" right? Yes, but when you are pregnant, the specific movements that you will find in a prenatal class can not only impact your new body, but the life growing inside it as well.

Say whaaaat.

I know. So, here is a little (by all means NOT inclusive) list of why you should consider doing Prenatal Yoga when you are pregnant:

Breath Awareness
This is something you should find in any good yoga class. There are three parts to yoga: asana (poses), meditation, and breath. Bringing attention to the breath has a calming effect on the mind and thus the body. When you are asked to focus on your breath in class (you will usually be taught a breath such as Ujjayi or 3 Part Breath)your drawing your attention inward. Your breaths are deeper, more penetrating. You bring awareness into filling the belly, expanding the rib cage, and lifting the chest. Your oxygen levels literally power up! Amazing. For pregnant women, this can mean bringing the breath back into tight spaces that have been replaced by a growing babe. Having awareness and control of the breath also comes handy when it comes to labor and delivery, regardless of your birth plan. Taking yoga class early in your pregnancy will help you to learn about breathing techniques sooner and help you to use them when it is time to deliver your baby.

Strengthening of the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles that form a bowl attached to the pelvis. This muscle supports the vital reproductive and digestion organs, as well as the baby during pregnancy. Why is knowing this important? Well the weight that accumulates on the pelvic floor while pregnant weakens it, which can cause a multitude of problems down the road including prolapse or sagging of the uterus, bladder, and rectum and urinary/stool incontinence. Yikes right? In prenatal yoga classes, you are taught how to strengthen your pelvic floor with the asana and breath. After you go through the process of delivering and stretching all those muscles, you can use these techniques to strengthen them back up. Even if you are having a cesarean section, there is still weight put on the pelvic floor during pregnancy, so these exercises are still very beneficial to you.


Aches, Pains, & Circulation
It's no secret that your body will change while pregnant. Your center of gravity will shift as you get bigger, your blood circulation will be directed towards the baby causing swelling in the extremities, and your shoulders and backs will ache as the number on scale goes up. Fun stuff. So how does yoga help? Well for starters, we work on poses that will ease tension in the typically painful areas of the body during pregnancy. Hint, there are a lot of hip openers! Which are juicy poses for everyone, not just expecting mommas. Hip opening poses such as pigeon, goddess, and bound ankle pose release the lower back, stretch the adductor muscle, and relieve tension. Balancing postures such as tree pose, warrior 3 at the wall, and warrior 2 increase blood circulation throughout the legs, decreasing the chance of blood clots forming and swelling. These postures, modified and done safely, will provide the ultimate relief for any aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Restorative yoga, again modified for a pregnant woman, can also provide deep relaxation and releasing of the muscles.

Prenatal classes are also fun! They are a chance to meet other moms and they provide a moment to bond with your growing baby. They pull together movement with breath and meditation to form a truly unique experience. Check out your local prenatal classes!

You can find myself teaching at Spa Lamar in Scottsdale and Aloha Yoga in Chandler.
Tempe moms, stay tuned for Prenatal coming to you very soon :)
Namaste!

Mommy and Me Yoga at Spa Lamar

Just a reminder I teach Mommy and Me Yoga for babies 6 weeks up to crawling every other Sunday at Spa Lamar in Scottsdale, Arizona! 1pm to 2pm!
Hope to see you new mommies there!

Prenatal Yoga At Aloha Yoga and Hula

Hi there!! I hope everyone is having a lovely day!
I wanted to share that I am teaching the first Prenatal Yoga class this Saturday, November 8th at Aloha Yoga and Hula in Chandler, Az!!

I hope to see my expecting mommas there!

Slow Flow Yoga

Hi Friends! Tonight I am teaching a Slow Flow/Yin Yoga class at Aloha Yoga and Hula in Chandler! Please come by to relax, renew, and unwind! Something we ALL could use a little more of!

Pregnancy Update + Nursery Photos!

Hello All!
It's been a while...truthfully, I had 3 posts on here that were started but never finished. Oops. So, I will skip over the part where I apologize for not updating more and you will skip over the part where you pretend to care and we'll move on.

Sweet.

So, today marks the 5th day of the 32nd week of pregnancy. Yes, 32 weeks pregnant, almost 33.

There's a baby in there. 

Here are some fun facts about pregnancy thus far:

1.  I have gained a TON of weight. I mean, I don't really look overly obese, but I've gained more than the "recommended" amount...which did bother me until I reminded myself that baby is healthy, my blood pressure is good, there is no protein/sugars in my urine, and breast feeding will just melt the weight off. (That last point may be just a dream, but it doesn't hurt to hold onto that glimmer of hope). Anyways, I feel healthy, baby is healthy...weight is just a number at this point.
2. Cleaning the house is, like, impossible. Let me tell you a fun story. The other morning I woke up, excited for a day planned on the couch watching tv. I ate breakfast, everything is normal. Then, I notice the dogs being all weird by their food bowls. I get up to investigate and I see some ants. Then, some ants materialize into more ants. Then more ants turn into holy-shit-they-are-everywhere- ants. Soooo I immediately begin cleaning. I vacuum all the ants up, move everything out of the kitchen, and grab the mop and bucket. I stop to go to the bathroom and when I get back to the kitchen, the ants have freakin materialized from thin air. So basically the next 3 hours were spent buying chemical free ant killer, mopping, vacuuming, and mopping the 3 main living areas, cleaning and mopping both bathrooms, and vacuuming and mopping our master bedroom. At the end, my back was an absolute mess. I couldn't even sit comfortably, but I had a spotless house! 
3. Sleeping is sometimes fantastic, sometimes a joke. Take last night for example, I couldn't fall asleep to save my life. First it was because I was too hot, then it was because of heart burn, then it was a panic attack due to thinking about my brother being at boot camp, then it was back to being hot. Not to mention that I have to pee every 10 minutes. However, some nights I fall right to sleep no issues. On a side note, is it like a death sentence to sleep on your back? There are points where I wake up on my back...I think it's because it takes such a physical toll to roll over from one side to the other that my body gives up half way. I don't ever feel sick and baby is still alive, so I mean, I must not be on my back that long. When I told my mom this, she immediately jumped down my throat. What am I supposed to do? I'm asleep when it happens...moms.

Swelling has been on and off, but I will tell you the heat is really getting to me. I didn't really think it would bother me, but I feel like my body can't cool itself off as efficiently as before.

 

 Despite all of this, I LOVE being pregnant, really. Even Joe is having fun with me being pregnant. He has been so great. 

I wonder if he feels this way haha

I think the thing that turned Joe's nervousness into excitement was getting the nursery set up. If you are my friend on FB, you know that we did a lot of the decorations ourselves. It was so fun getting to do that (I'm just glad everything turned out ok). 

Here is what the end result looks like:

Note: this pic was taken at a different time...the table didn't magically clean itself.

The only thing not pictured fully is her dresser, which is to the left of the changing table, under all the wall decorations with the owl picture frames on it. 

Yes pink + owls are probably over done for nurseries, but whatever. I love it. Joe loves it. Leia will love it. So everyone else can suck it. ;)

Did your significant other enjoy setting the nursery up with you? What was your favorite part about preparing for baby?

5 Gross Things About Pregnancy

Thus far, my pregnancy can be classified as "normal". My first trimester, I had very few days of nausea (one day of actual sickness) and was mostly just tired all the time.At the end of the first trimester, I noticed that I had spotting on and off for about a week. Worried something was wrong, I went to the doctor twice before they figured out what it was. I found out I had two infections which resulted in taking a nasty antibiotic. I am not a fan of antibiotics, but after talking with a few friends who took the same pill while pregnant with no side effects, I figured it would be better than letting the infections rage through my body and hurting le baby. As I transitioned into my second trimester, I began to get daily headaches. At the beginning, they wouldn't show up until 2pm and would only last an hour. Then they became daily, ongoing throbbing jerks that was only remedied by sleep. Which I wasn't always able to get. Luckily, for the last week or so, I haven't had a single headache. Thank goodness.

While my mind has adjusted to the idea that someone is literally growing inside of me, I still have a hard time adjusting to seeing my belly stick out every so slightly. Right now, I think I look like I just ate too many donuts (although Joe says my tum-tum looks like a more defined baby bump to him...such a good bf) and have to stop myself from trying to cover up my belly with loose fitting clothes. Body image has always been a problem for me and while logically, I know that what is happening to my body is normal and healthy, the illogical part of my brain gets grossed out seeing a rounded belly. I will say however that I am dying to feel the baby kick. I'm 90% sure I have already felt movements here and there, but I want to know positively for sure that the weird sensation I feel is the baby and not just gas.

Which brings me to the title of this post. We all know that there are cute things about being pregnant: the glowing skin, the fully developed belly, the....uh....boobs growing ;). But there is a dark, not cutesy world that goes along with being pregnant. Being that I'm going through these first hand, I thought I'd have some fun and divulge way too much information.

Again, this post is all in fun, however if you are easily made queasy or offended, don't read any further.





Gross Thing #1: There is an abundant increase in mucus. Like, to the point where I am constantly blowing my nose so I can breath. And it isn't just that I have a cold, with the increase of blood flow going on in my body, it increases the amount of mucus being created. This just isn't regular old mucus either. This is bloody mucus. Always. Every time I blow my nose. Gross.

Gross Thing #2: Abnormal bowel movements. Yes, my poops made the gross list. Listen, I am a firm believer in having regular bowel movements. Pun intended. I believe that it is necessary to go #2 at least 2 times a day. With that being said, being pregnant messes your shit up. Literally. Early on in my pregnancy, I went a few days between bowel movements. Then, I got the ok to continue taking my probiotics and that completely helped me get back to a more normal schedule. Not perfect, but ok.

Gross Thing #3: Gas...and lots of it. Does this really need any more of an explanation? I think not.

Gross Thing #4: Peeing a little when you sneeze...and laugh...and cough...
This is just...why. Why does this happen. I mean, I know why but do you know what it is like to have a sneezing fit and then have to go change your clothes? Or carry around extra undies just in case...what am I, in my sixties? I know my social life may indicate that, but my body nonetheless is in its 20's prime. So this is just more embarrassing than gross.

Gross Thing #5: Having your belly button pop out. This is more of a "things that personally make me squeamish" item. I'm hoping my belly button just stretches out. I don't care if it never goes back to regular circumference, I just can't handle having a nub sticking out of my belly.

Again, these were all in  fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously. Because nothing about pregnancy is serious...HA!

Really though, can any other pregnant (previous and current) women relate?

A Baby Post

Happy MondayAlmostTuesday!

I get my inspiration at night apparently.

Anyways, today was my day off of work and I was looking forward to sitting on the couch, playing the 'lets check instagram, facebook, and twitter every five minutes' game and eating large amounts of foods. I woke up this morning feeling totally exhausted after only a few hours of restful sleep and I was feeling some pains that I assumed to be cramps, so I decided that rest outweighed going to class this morning. I got to sleep in for two more hours and woke up feeling well rested.

After talking with my mom, I learned that she had gone out and bought me MORE baby things and she wanted me to come look at them. Which leads me to this evenings post. Listen, I love my mom. I love that she is excited to be a grandma (she has seriously been asking when Joe and I are going to have a baby since about a year into our relationship).

But I'm convinced she has gone crazy. Upon finding out I was pregnant, she bought us slew of items. Gender neutral bouncer, car seat, clothes, blankets, toys, etc. Then, upon finding out we are more than likely having a girl, we received a weekly bag of more clothes, blankets, and other goodies.

So much in fact, that I think it is worth documenting. I'm wondering if anyone elses parents (upon becoming first time grandparents, or just in general) have gotten baby fever worse than the person carrying the baby).

So, here we go:

From left to right: Baby Burts Bees bath set, a six pack of breast milk storage containers, pacifiers, electric double breast pump, breast milk bottle refills, set of 3 4oz bottles, and a set of 3 6oz bottles. All plastics are BPA free.

Next we have our "gender neutral" car seat:

Totally cute, and has good ratings...so I guess we'll take it :D

Next, our "GN" bouncer:


That baby's face looks photo shopped



From left to right: 3 rubber duckies (Nerd, Super Hero, and Pirate), 2 teething toys, bottle brush, comb/brush, thermometer, teddy bear w/ rattle, receiving blankets, soft plush blanket, and stuffed lion.All gender neutral themed.

Now, we start to get the addition of the girly themed items:

From left to right: little hootie bath scrubber with rags, sets of headbands, little Adidas booties, and plain white socks.

Now....the bombardment of clothing. First, here are all the gender neutral clothing she got me before we found out we are more-than-likely having a girl:

Please ignore the mess of wires and desk

From left to right: 2 pajama bottoms, various pants and shorts, various onsies, and a little jacket.

I am feeling  like these are more clothes a little boy would wear, but that may be because the last few weeks, I've been slayed with pinkness. As you are about to see.



The two in the middle are my FAVE! That flower print? C'mon..get real. Ruffle bottom??? Gimme.



Next, the skirts:





I picked this one out. LOVE IT.

 Here are some onsies and jammies:

My favorite. Also one I picked out.



Finally....here come the dresses. These first two I picked out. I only bought one of them, 'ma bought the little sailor themed one:

SO CUTE RIGHT? That zebra just kills me. Kills me dead.

All the other dresses we have so far. The first item on the left is actually our babies first Arizona Cardinals jersey. And, what is the last item on the right you ask?

It is this little number. When I saw the leggings and shirt, I knew I had to have it. I'm sure you can see why.
And partly because we had to represent Joe's Alma mater and partly because it was on clearance for $4, here is this cutie:

with a headband I forgot to take a photo of earlier

Last, but certainly not least, here are the smallest bibs I have ever seen:



The one on the left makes me want to cry...or the hormones do. Either way.



Now, I feel like I have to say that I warned you all at the very beginning of this post that it was about baby items. So, if your totally bored, not my prob.

Seriously, is she crazy? I only bought about 4 items of clothing,  a headband, the clearance breast milk containers, and that.is.it.

I really hope it is a girl. I'm sure it is...but you know, we kept all the tags on just in case.



When I got to my moms house this afternoon, I casually mentioned that I had some spotting, something that has been on going for about a week. She of course freaked and insisted I see my doctor. So we went. The nurse came in and began to check for a heartbeat using a hand held Doppler thing. She barely had the wand to my stomach when the baby's heartbeat was heard, prompting a "OH, that was fast" from the nurse. My baby then wiggled away from the wand poking her. Silly girl.

 

 

I do what I want.

Then the doctor came in and performed a few more invasive tests (if you know what I mean) and we came to the conclusion that I am diseased....

HA. Jk, but seriously I have 2 infections that are requiring an antibiotic. I really hate the idea of taking an antibiotic while preggers, but at the same time, I would like the spotting to stop and I feel like not taking anything would eventually do more harm to the baby. The doctor assured me that now that I am in the second trimester, the antibiotics won't harm the baby, but I am making sure to give myself an extra dose of healthy eating this week.

So, did your parents ever buy your unborn child more presents than they bought you? Have you had to take an antibiotic while pregnant?