Showing posts with label third trimester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label third trimester. Show all posts

Monday, September 21, 2015

It's Prep Time!




Moonbelly 31 Weeks


With only seven or eight weeks left of pregnancy, I have been spending some time preparing the room I plan to labor in. I'm going to use my yoga studio as the primary space, while also spending time on the deck overlooking the river. Here are the things I've been collecting for that fateful day.


Top athletes use coconut water for optimal performance.


Staying hydrated while you labor is super important and I've enlisted coconut water as my ally for that purpose. I'd also like to have some aged barley miso soup ready when the time comes.


The guest bed.


The former guest room is now the nursery, and instead of putting the bed in the basement, we moved it to the yoga studio so I can use it during labor. We ordered a waterproof bed pad to go on it in case my water breaks while I'm lying there. And yes...I was too lazy to make the bed for this photo.


The altar.


My altar is in the studio, and for the past year it has been holding items representing fertility, and birth. A nice focal point to have in the room that was specifically put together to welcome the soul who chose us as parents. When I first assembled it, it was with the intention of getting pregnant quickly and now it will be with me as my baby begins his journey earth side.


Art by Catie Atkinson 


Inspiring birth art by Catie Atkinson will be adorning the room. She is the talented woman who made my pregnancy journal. I love love love her style. Her works can be viewed and purchased at her ETSY store Spirit & Sol.


Yoga gear.


Yoga mats, cushions and blankets to assits in the many positions I'm sure I'll find myself in.


Exercise Ball.


An exercise ball to sit on and rock my hips. This is supposed to help gravity move the baby down. I actually really love this thing and know I will use it a lot even after the birth.


Lavender essential oil.


Organic lavender essential oil for diffusing. Veriditas Botanicals is my favorite essential oil company. The best.


Always need a book.


A book of yoga poses and guided meditations for early labor.


Corn bag.


My neighbor gave me one of those groovy cloth bags filled with hard corn kernels. It can be heated or put in the freezer and used cold. Very helpful little tool.


I also put a fan in the room and will probably have some New Age music streaming off Pandora. Maybe a candle or two. Or, maybe I won't care about any of these things? You can't predict the unknown, but you can plan for your vision. Do any of you have suggestions for things to make labor easier? What worked for or helped you? Ultimately I'll be having my boy at the hospital, but I plan to stay home with our doula as long as possible. I would love any ideas or inspiration you have to share. 


31 Weeks.


~ Love & Light ~














Saturday, August 22, 2015

My Yoga Works







I haven't had much to say about yoga lately and that's because since becoming pregnant I haven't really been doing any. After the first month, yoga just made me feel sick. To clarify, any position where my head was under my heart made me feel faint and weak. My doctor told me to just skip it and stick with walking and other mild cardio. I didn't argue.


Skip six months down the road (Six months! How? What is this warp speed?) and I find myself in the third trimester of this journey. I feel good, I feel healthy, but I definitely don't feel in shape. With labor and delivery sooner than later, I am feeling a need to up my game and get some strength back.





As luck would have it, I received a free three month subscription promo to an online yoga class site called MyYogaWorks.com. A $45.00 value and they didn't require a credit card number, so no need to worry about canceling after the three months is up. Why not? Surely I could do the most basic class they offered. I signed up, and went searching for prenatal classes.


Not only does MyYogaWorks.com offer prenatal and postnatal classes, but an entire library of Journey Series. This is my favorite aspect of the site. The Journey Series I selected is called Journey To Birth. It is a set of seven classes and you can customize them for beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Other examples in the Journey Series are Partner Yoga, Nap Time Yoga For Moms, Office Yoga and many more.




I'm not gonna lie. Even the beginner sessions have been challenging for me and I have to modify. I've got pregnancy carpal tunnel, so my downward dog is on my forearms, and I double up the blankets under my knees just to do cat-cow. But it is something and for now that is enough. Would I pay to subscribe to the site? I'm not sure yet. I'm a fan of the free site DoYogaWithMe.com and although they don't offer the cool Journey Series, they have a lot to choose from. For now, I am enjoying using a different site and new instructors. If you prefer to do a home practice instead of going to the studio, MyYogaWorks.com might be perfect for you or make a great gift for someone new to yoga. If you check out a class, let me know what you think! 




~ Love & Light ~