Valerie May Yoga

If you’ve found yourself on the verge of panic just thinking about taking your new baby out to lunch at a quiet restaurant with your best friend who you haven’t seen since before the baby was born….you’re not alone, and you’re perfectly normal.

You’re desperate for adult connection and a few laughs but since becoming a mum it’s easy to end up cancelling plans that require you to leave the house because the worry about your baby getting sick, crying in public, having to breast feed, feel overwhelming.

The only place you've ever taken your baby is to their doctor appointments.

I get it. I’ve met so many mums who develop an extreme fear of germs, which you know is silly because obviously you can’t protect your baby from EVERYTHING, but finding yourself consumed with that fear is really common and rarely discussed.

It’s also really common to worry that your baby will have a meltdown and you won’t be able to soothe them. That the people at the table next to you in the restaurant will judge you for having a crying baby. To fear not being able to calm your baby down, leaving you feeling like a failure.

Then there’s the amount of things that you need to remember to leave the house. It’s like packing up everything but the kitchen sink just to go a mile down the road to the cafe.

The mental load of packing the bag, timing feeds, getting the pram out of the car and worrying about meltdowns causes real, physical anxiety for countless new parents.

How can you get over this? Is this normal?

When my daughter was tiny I tried baby cinema and she screamed the whole way through and honestly, no one even looked. People are used to babies crying.

It’s totally okay to be nervous though, i was super nervous too.

Try taking the leap, try going places close to home.

Bring everything you may need, nappies, bottle, wipes, change of clothes.

And know that you can bail and go home at any time!

One hour of yoga does wonders for the anxieties you are feeling by helping you to slow your breath and move your body.. Even if you don't get all the class done it will make a difference to how you feel.

You have got this! And I have got you.

You’re 20 weeks pregnant and can touch your toes when you couldn't before. Hip stretches that were tight feel amazing. You think: “Finally! I’m getting flexible!”

But then I tell you to back off!
And you think: “Wait, isn’t flexibility a good thing?”

Sadly your newfound flexibility isn’t from stretching but from a pregnancy hormone called Relaxin.

Relaxin's job is to loosen your ligaments so your pelvis can open during birth, for baby to pass through.

But it affects your entire body. Every ligament and joint. From your neck to your toes.

Relaxin levels remain elevated for up to a year postpartum. If you’re breastfeeding, it can stay for up to 2 years.

Most women first notice relaxin through sudden flexibility gains. But that’s not flexibility you’ve earned. That’s your ligaments being looser than they should be.

Unpleasant ways you might notice relaxin:

Your hips might feel “clicky” or unstable when you walk or roll over in bed.

P***c bone pain especially when opening your legs wide or climbing stairs.

Achiness, weakness or instability in your lower back and sciatic pains down the legs.

Wrist pain / carpal tunnel, which is tingling or numbness in your hands.

Pregnancy yoga isn’t about going deeper. It’s about adapting your practice to protect your body during these changes.

You’re not getting more flexible in a beneficial way. Your ligaments are just looser. And if you push into that, you’re overstretching the connective tissue that’s holding your joints together.

It’s tempting when you can finally do something you’ve never been able to do before, you want to push it and see how far you can go.

But remember relaxin is temporary, if you overstretch your ligaments now, this may result in injury and joint instability.

This is why my pregnancy classes are in person, as there are certain positions to avoid, which I explain in class.

Having a trained teacher’s eyes during pregnancy is essential. We chat at the start of class to see what ailments you may have so I can advise and give modifications.

Try a class for yourself comment MAMA for more info.

Optimal foetal positioning is the position baby is in the last few weeks of pregnancy.

The most ‘optimal position’ is baby head down in alignment with the pelvis, their spine against mum’s belly, between her left hip and belly button. This is where baby has to rotate the least, meaning a shorter labour.

Baby lying to the right-hand side of the belly and ‘back-to-back’ are considered less optimal and may result in a longer birth.

Breech is baby with their bottom, knees or feet first. A baby isn't deemed ‘breech’ until at least 34/36 weeks for first pregnancy and 38 weeks in subsequent pregnancies.

Before then, there is still plenty of room for baby to move. When labour begins, about 96% of babies are in a head-down position.

Baby is active in the lead up and during the birth. They work hard to get themselves in the best position, in response to pelvic space, mum’s instinctive movements, the tone of her tissues/muscles, and alignment of her joints & ligaments.

For years the focus has been on what baby is doing, but would it be better to consider optimal maternal positioning?

Meaning how mum can create more space/balance in her body during pregnancy and birth, to support baby’s progress through the pelvis.

The most effective thing you can do throughout pregnancy is to move your body, focussing on stabilising and releasing.

Practicing specifically designed pregnancy yoga right up until birth is a beneficial and enjoyable way to keep your body moving, tension-free.

Yoga helps to become aware of potential imbalances and restrictions in the body. Making it easier for your baby to move and align themselves with the opening of your pelvis.

Postural habits standing, sitting and resting influence the tension you experience in your body and the space for baby.

Modern life has resulted in poor posture. Encouraging leaning backwards on the pelvis rather than sitting upright on the sitbones.

Tilting under of the pelvis is why many babies start labour back to back. This encourages the weight of baby’s spine to turn towards the back of our body. So sitting upright is a great first step to take throughout pregnancy.

Comment MAMA for your invite to the class.

You feel so tired you could die and walk around in a brain dead haze.

Each morning you can’t imagine how you will get to the end of the day.

Your fave phrase is 'Baby won’t sleep!’ said whilst propping your eyelids open with matchsticks and clutching your cup of coffee.

You have many examples of the stupid things you’ve done due to tiredness. Yesterday you walked miles with the pram to the shopping centre to change a skirt only to realise you’d forgotten the receipt.

Sleep is the No.1 talking point in my yoga classes. You want to know others are struggling just as much as you and that you are not alone.

My daughter was a brilliant sleeper. I was the smug mum whose baby slept all night and got lots of sleep myself. I couldn’t believe our luck.

Then along came my son - bless him. While I was pregnant, people would say ‘You never get two the same.’, I secretly hoped they were wrong. Well, it turns out they were right!

You expect long nights with newborn, so I was prepared for this stage. However, we got to 12 weeks and he was still up multiple times at night feeding and crying. I reminded myself, he’s so tiny, my daughter was a one off and you never get two the same. We got to 16 weeks, slight improvement, 5 months AAAH , then 6 months.. FFS. It took 2 years before he slept through the night.

By this point I was sure we were tricked by mother nature! Our 1st baby such a good sleeper and then the truth slam dunked us with our 2nd. An undiagnosed tongue tie was the reason and this time definitely gave me grey hairs and wrinkles!

If you’re currently in the depths of sleep deprivation, it does get better, and there are things you can do to feel better.

I’ve been informed by ladies who come to my classes that they notice big improvements in baby’s sleep after attending.

Classes provide much needed stimulation for baby, and they often have a long nap afterwards. So you can rest yourself or eat some lunch without balancing baby on your knee. Revelation!

Yoga and breathing are the perfect antidote to calm and destress when you are feeling tense, grumpy and tired.

If mummy & baby yoga is something you’d like to try, get in touch for more information.

If you know, you know. If you don’t, you need to.

Your jaw holds the potential for a more relaxed and comfortable birth experience.

The jaw and pelvis are intricately linked. There is a continuous line of connective tissue linking the fascia of your jaw, throat, and diaphragm straight down to your pelvic floor, pelvis and hips.

If you clench your jaw this can trigger a stress response telling your pelvic floor to contract, grip and guard. Conversely when your jaw is relaxed, it sends signals to your entire body to release tension.

It's like a secret gateway to a smoother birthing process.

There’s an idea called “sphincter law” coined by Ina May Gaskin, natural childbirth expert, that explains that if your jaw and throat are relaxed then your buttocks and pelvis will be too.

The more room your pelvis has to expand as baby travels down the birth canal, the easier your delivery will be. A tight, closed pelvis will result in muscles that are fighting against your delivery, not for it. The more relaxed your downstairs muscles are, the easier it will be when it comes time to deliver.

A relaxed jaw also helps lower stress hormones, creating a calmer birthing experience. Plus keeping your face and jaw soft encourages the release of oxytocin, the vital hormone that drives efficient contractions.

Unclenching your jaw also allows for slower and deeper breaths, which are the key to staying calm and focussed, and to manage discomfort during labour.

Through specialised breathing, vocalisation, and physical poses, my pregnancy yoga classes train your nervous system to be calm and body to stay loose under the intensity of contractions.

I will teach you some really important jaw releasing strategies for you to take action in helping you to prepare your pelvis for birth.

There are many specific yoga poses that integrate both the jaw and pelvis including squatting poses, cat cow pose & any poses that stretch the neck.

You will learn targeted breathing techniques, with slow controlled exhales to open your throat and release your jaw.

Class runs every Saturday morning so come along to try these techniques out for yourself.