Yo Baby! Finding Yoga During Pregnancy

Yo baby!

Finding Yoga During Pregnancy

by kimberly zegil

As soon as Eliza was delivered, I knew something was wrong despite the normal progression of pregnancy and various tests along the way. I was allowed to hold her just for a moment before she was whisked to the natal ICU to be warmed up and oxygenated.

A few hours later she was allowed to return to us, and we headed home the next day believing we had skirted a disaster and that all would be well. My three year old, Jake, was excited to have a sister and slightly appalled to now have to share the attention. Despite ginormous amounts of love and nurturing, Eliza began to fail many of a growing baby’s milestones. At six months of age, we had seven different medical specialists involved in evaluating Eliza, including a geneticist and a neurosurgeon. Our heads were spinning and our hearts were broken. We began to function in “fix it” mode and frankly wondered frequently “how has this happened to us?”

When Eliza was eight months old, we found that we were expecting our third and last child, Aiden. He was born happy and healthy, and we couldn't have been more grateful. My children are young adults and teenagers now and our lives have shifted and adjusted many times throughout those years. My daughter is about to be 18. The severity of her disability has shaped our home, defined to a certain extent how we move, how we love, how we see, and

finally how we accept limits and expectations.

I was six weeks postpartum from Eliza’s birth when I landed inside of my first yoga class at our local YMCA. I loved the strength, the quiet, and how quickly my body returned to its pre-pregnancy state. I began to practice three times a week. I quickly began to understand that the only time I was not afraid was when I was on my mat. When all there was to focus on was my breath and the movement, my mind and its chatter began to quiet. It was on my mat immediately after Eliza’s birth and into Aiden’s arrival that faith began to grow strong inside of me. Somehow, I knew I could be the mom I needed to be, whatever challenge arose.

My practice continued as the children grew and I eventually began to teach students and lead yoga teacher trainings. I wanted to share what I believed to be an important arsenal in my mothering toolbox. I was fortunate to take my prenatal training with a practicing doula and therapeutic yoga instructor out of Wilmington, North Carolina. The concentration of our training was to prepare the mother’s heart, mind and body for labor and delivery. Along

with my Nursing background, I began to lead prenatal, postnatal and natural childbirth classes. Inside of regular teacher trainings, I made sure my students understood how to keep the prenatal body safe with the modification of postures and the offering of props to better support their practice.

An expecting mother who already has a yoga practice will often continue to go into her regular classes for a time. There is a comfort and ease for her in this steady place, even as her own body and life are changing quite rapidly. These ladies will usually whisper in my ear before class and let me know. I advise if they become overheated, or tired, or nauseated, to please step outside or find child’s pose. As pregnancy progresses, I let expecting moms know that means no more being on their bellies at 16-17 weeks, and no deep twists. I also stress that blocks and props are great to accommodate their changing shapes. Sometimes, balance can be an issue and so I encourage a wider stance or being close to a wall. I also let all moms know to avoid hot classes. An expecting mother’s own internal body temperature and metabolism are already higher as baby is growing and developing quickly. Increased hydration is also encouraged.

Many women come to yoga for the first time through a prenatal class encouraged by a physician, midwife or coworkers and friends. Pregnancy can be a stressful time and studies have shown that prenatal classes help with high blood pressure, insomnia, fluid retention, low back pain, and the list goes

It was on my mat immediately after Eliza’s birth and into Aiden’s arrival that faith began to grow strong inside of me. Somehow, I knew I could be the mom I needed to be, whatever challenge arose.

on and on. Most importantly, inside of prenatal classes, is the sense of community and camaraderie that begins to build with these special women. The prenatal teacher often begins the class with the introduction and sharing of experiences, persistent symptoms or complaints in the body, and gratitudes. Sometimes pregnancy can feel like a lonely time in your life. The community that tends to develop is beautifully supportive and many of the mothers follow up with each other even after delivery and into early childhood.

Breathwork is a tremendous component of any prenatal class. Mothers are taught several different types of focused breathing, and specifically, to not only send and feel the breath in different places throughout her body, but to also extend the length of inhales and exhales. Mothers are encouraged to visualize love, healing, easy and joyful labor and delivery outcomes.

Physically, these classes prepare for labor and delivery by strengthening the legs, finding balance, opening hips,

and keeping flexibility of the spine. Moms often complain of lower back pain and flowing stretches inside of class can usually release and ease some of the strained lower back muscles that can occur as baby grows and tilts the mother’s pelvis forward. Heart opening postures are taught to help mothers find relief in the midback due to rounding the shoulders forward. Bridges can help to expand breathing and relieve heart burn. Specific to labor and delivery, mothers are taught deep squats, such as goddess, malasana, and cats and cows. These postures not only strengthen the legs and open hips, but can help the baby travel through the birth canal and alleviate some of the discomforts of labor.

Perhaps the greatest by-product of the yoga practice is the “quieting of the mind”. Something beautiful happens for us when the brain can quiet just a moment. It is in that space that we are held; that we can believe and know that we have all we need to care for and love our children. With that belief, we can face anything and everything.

Kim started practicing yoga in 2001 after the birth of her second child. She came to the practice for an alternative to running and found a safe haven from the struggles and fear of having a disabled child. In 2008, along with a good girlfriend, Kim created and opened Gotta Yoga Studio in Charlotte, NC. She has received certifications in ACE Massage Cupping, Thai Yoga Therapy, Reiki, Neuromuscular Medical Massage and the Sacred Hawaiian Healing practices of Lomi Lomi.