Every couple months I get a pregnant mama coming through my door that has tension throughout her body and belly. Usually she isn’t entirely aware of this tension and from what I have seen there isn’t one cause to this tension. Some of these clients have had high risk pregnancies, others have simply told me that they haven’t connected to being pregnant, and one mama was in a lot of pain.
Knowing you’re at higher risk of losing your baby…
Not feeling emotionally connected to your growing belly…
And having pain day in and day out…
Are all reasons that your body might hold tension!
So why does this matter?
There are 3 things that require softness, mobility and relaxation during pregnancy and birth…
- Baby can position more easily when they can move more easily. A tense belly restricts baby’s movement- rarely enough to cause significant problems for baby but it can be enough to allow baby optimal movement for positioning.
- For a baby to navigate the birth canal in an optimal way, the pelvic system needs mobility. It needs to move out of the baby’s way!
- For mom to mentally navigate labor, she needs to relax her mind, surrender and allow her body to guide the process. When in a lot of physical pain going into labor this is tremendously harder.
Here are a few patterns I have observed with my clients who hold a lot of tension throughout their system in pregnancy…
-Lay on your back in a reclined position with your hands on your uterus. This works best after 20-25 weeks of gestation when your belly has popped. Gently move your uterus side to side. Does it move easily? Is it harder to move one way than the other? Do your tissues seem to resist this movement? If so, this could be a sign of extra tension throughout your belly.
-Are you having more and more trouble holding in your urine as pregnancy progresses? Are you finding that you need to use the bathroom every hour or half hour? Incontinence and urinary frequency in pregnancy is often linked with tension in the body and particularly the pelvic system.
-Do you feel disconnected from your growing belly? Are you finding it challenging to wrap your mind around becoming a mother? Are you still in disbelief about being pregnant even though you are in your 3rd trimester? These thoughts and beliefs are a sign of emotional tension that could influence your ability to relax into the labor process.
If any of these 3 scenarios have you raising your hand and nodding your head, I would love to talk to you about how I can support you in easing your tension in pregnancy and help you navigate pregnancy and birth more easily and comfortably.
Let’s connect! Book a free consult call with me HERE.
Another valuable resource is my “Aligned with Birth” mini-course available HERE.
