Yoga For Pregnancy

Yoga During Pregnancy Here are some asanas that you should do when pregnant, for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. Padmasana Butterfly Pose or Titali Asana This asana opens up your hips and inner thighs, and removes tension from the inner thigh area. In addition, it stretches your knees and groin area. It is one of the most beneficial pregnancy poses and if done consistenly right from the first trimester, it will almost certainly ease childbirth to a great extent. Sit on a mat with your legs stretched out in front. Holding your ankles, pull both legs as close inwards as you can, so your heels touch your pelic area. Gradually, push your knees down outwards. You can push your knees down using your elbows if you like, because you will still be clasping your ankles with your plams. Ideally, your knees should touch the mat, but you will not be able to do this unless you have enough practice. Bounce your knees up and down around 15 to 20 times, pushing them as far down as possible, as is comfortable. You can prepare for this asana one leg at a time, working on loosening inner thigh muslces first. Stretch your right leg straight out, and bend the other leg so the ankle of the left leg is on the right leg's thigh. Hold the ankle with one arm, and with the other arm push the knee of the left leg down, until it touches the mat. Then, lift it up and push it down again. Be slow and gentle, and do not strain or you may tear a ligament. Repeat this up-down movement 15 to 20 times for each leg. Squats or Utthanasan Keep your feet around three feet apart, with both heels facing inwards and toes facing outwards. Interlock your fingers, and let your hands hang down in front of you. Gradually squat, lowering your buttocks. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Do not raise the heels. Stay down for a few seconds, and stand up again. Repeat around 15 to 20 times. 28-year-old Madhuri did 50 such squats every single day during her first pregnancy, with the result that she had just a 3 hour labour and an incredibly easy delivery. This is similar to the position adopted by housecleaners when they sweep the floor, which is why sweeping floors is actually excellent exercise. Cat Stretch Pose or Marjari Aasana Start this aasan with the Vajrasana pose, where you sit with your buttocks on your heels. Raise your buttocks off your heels and bend forward, leaning on your palms. You are now on all fours. Move your feet slightly to the sides, so they are around a foot or shoulder width apart.

Now that you are on all fours, inhale, raising your head and pushing down the arch of your back. Your back is now concave. Then, inhale, and roll your head down between your arms, pushing your back upwards. After exhaling, contract your stomach by pulling the navel up towards the spine. Pull in your buttocks as well. This is one round. Repeat this six times. This aasan strengthens your neck, shoulders and spine, which is why it is also very good for the posture. In addition, it tones up the entire reproductive system, and is very beneficial for women before, during and after pregnancy. Pregnancy Exercise Yoga and pregnancy Yoga can be of great help to the expectant mothers during the pregnancy, at childbirth time and in post-delivery stages. The simple yoga poses help to make the body more flexible, improve posture, and ease many pregnancy problems. It prepares both your body and mind for new situations and changes that occur during and after pregnancy. Yoga and breathing meditation techniques help you to stay fit, healthy and happy during pregnancy and prepare your body for labor. You can reduce anxiety and unwanted worries by practicing simple yoga and meditation techniques. Yoga also helps you after pregnancy, it strengthens abdominal muscles and your pelvic floor and helps you to get back to your pre-pregnancy shape faster. Benefits of pregnancy yoga: 1. Yoga along with meditation prepares your mind and body for change and helps you to connect to the baby growing within you. 2. Pregnancy yoga postures help to have more comfortable birthing and keep you relaxed at the time of delivery. 3. It relieves edema and cramping which is quite common in last months of pregnancy. 4. It helps to ease tension around the cervix and birth canal. 5. Yoga and Pranayama (breathing exercises) help to reduce morning sickness, mood swings, and nausea. 6. It also helps to decrease fatigue and tenderness, and also the swelling of breasts. 7. It raises the energy level and helps in slowing the metabolism, thus restore calm and focus. 8. Certain Yoga poses help in opening the pelvis that make delivery easier and quicker. 9. Yoga also helps in reducing inflammation and swelling around joints. 10. It strengthens and massages the abdomen and improves the digestive system. 11. Yoga helps to restore the uterus, abdomen and the pelvic floor after childbirth. 12. It also helps to relieve upper back tension and breast discomfort after pregnancy. 13. It helps to regain the fit and shapely body after pregnancy. General precautions:

Pregnancy yoga exercises can be start like any other exercises, but you need to take some precautions to ensure maximum benefits without any harm. It is always advisable to consult your doctor before starting any exercise. If you are not used to regular exercise, start slowly and practice yoga under experienced trainer. There are certain poses that help to ease natural childbirth and reduce many pregnancy problems but there are other poses also that should be avoided during pregnancy. Hence, it is advisable to get complete knowledge and guidance before trying any yoga pose. Some general precautions, the expectant mothers should take are: 1. Always listen to your body. If you feel any discomfort, stop practicing that pose and consult your trainer. You may need to modify each pose to your body's physical changes. 2. Avoid any pose that compress your abdomen. 3. Practice twisting poses carefully, twist more from the shoulders and back to avoid putting any pressure on your abdomen. 4. You should avoid any pose that involve lying on your back after the first trimester as that can cut blood flow to the uterus. 5. It is good to practice standing and balance poses near a wall as it reduce the risk of injury due to balance loss. 6. Try to maintain as much length as possible between the breastbone and the pubic bone to make breathing easier. Yoga Exercises for each Trimester of Pregnancy First trimester Yoga Exercises: 1. Ardha Titali Asan (Half Butterfly pose) – It is a simple pose that help to loosen the hip and knee joints that facilitates faster delivery. How to do? Sit on floor with your legs stretched in front of you. Now bend the right leg and place your right foot as far up on the left thigh as you can do comfortably. Place your right hand on top of the bent right knee. Hold the toes of the right foot with the left hand. Inhale and gently move the right knee up towards the chest. At exhaling, push the knee down and try to touch the floor. Try not to move your trunk. Repeat the action with left leg. Slowly practice about 10 up and down movements with each leg but do not strain. 2. Poorna Titali Asan (Full Butterfly pose)- This yoga pose relieves tension from inner thigh muscles and removes tiredness from legs. How to do? Sit on floor with your legs outstretched. Bend your knees and bring the soles of the feet together. Try to keep the heels as close to the body as possible. Relax your inner thighs. Grasp the feet with both hands and gently move the knees up and down, using the elbows as levers to press the legs down. Do not put any

force. Repeat up to 10-30 times and then straighten the legs and relax. 3. Supta Udarakarshana Asana (Sleeping Abdominal Stretch Pose) – This pose helps to remove constipation, improves digestion and relieves stiffness and tension of spine caused by prolonged sitting. How to do? Lie on your back with your fingers interlocked and hands beneath the head. Now bend your knees so that the soles of feet touch the floor. Exhale and lower the legs towards the right, trying to touch the knees on the floor. At the same time move the head in opposite direction (in the left), it gives uniform twisting stretch to the entire spine. Reverse in original position and repeat the action on the other side by bending legs towards left, and head towards right. 4. Chakki Chalan Asan (Churning the Mill Pose) – Based on action of churning the mill, this excellent yoga asana tones the nerves and organs of pelvis and abdomen and prepare them for pregnancy. It is also useful in regulating menstrual cycle and as a postnatal exercise. How to do? Sit on floor with your legs stretched in front of your body about one foot apart. Interlock the fingers of both hands and hold the arms out straight in front of the chest. Move your hands in circular movements over both the feet and try to take the hands over the toes on the forward swing and coming as far back as possible on the backward swing. Practice 10 times in each direction. 5. Marjari Asan (Cat Stretch Pose) - This yoga pose improves flexibility of the neck, shoulders and spine. It gives excellent toning to the female reproductive system. How to do? You can start this asana by sitting in Vajrasana or by positioning on your all four. When start in vajrasana, raise the buttocks and stand on the knees, then lean forward and place your hands flat on the floor to come in the starting position. In all fours position, your knees should be hip distance apart and hands under your shoulders. Now inhale and raise the head and depress the spine so that the back becomes concave. On exhale, lower the head and stretch the spine upward. At the end of the exhalation contract the abdomen and pull in the buttocks. Your head should be between the arms, facing the thighs. It completes the one round. It may be done for 5-10 times. 6. Kati Chakrasan (Waist Rotating Pose) – This standing pose is beneficial for waist, back and hips as it tones all these parts. It also encourages a feeling of lightness and relieves physical and mental tension. How to do? Stand straight with the feet about half a meter apart and the arms by the sides. While inhaling raise your arms to shoulder level. Now exhale and twist body to left. Bring your right hand to left shoulder and wrap left arm around the back. Hold the pose for 2 seconds and then return to starting position with inhaling. Repeat on other side. Your feet should be firmly grounded while twisting and

avoid any jerks. You can do about 5-10 rounds of this pose. 7. Tadasan (Palm Tree Pose) – This pose helps to develop physical and mental balance. It provides stretch to the entire spine and helps to loosen and clear congestion of the spinal nerves. It also stretches rectos abdominal muscles. How to do? Stand straight with your feet together and arms on the side. Now raise your arms over the head, turn your palms upward with your fingers interlocked. Rest your hands over the head. Now inhale and stretch your arms, shoulders and chest upwards. Raise heels to come up on the toes. Stretch whole body upwards from top to bottom. Exhale and lower the heels and bring hands on top of the head. Relax for few seconds and repeat whole action. You can do 5-10 repetition of this pose. 8. Kandharasan (Shoulder Pose) - This is a very useful pose for pregnant women. It tones reproductive organs and highly advisable for women who tend to miscarry. It helps to realign the spine, relieves backache, improves digestion, massage and stretches the colon and abdominal organs. How to do? Lie flat on back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet touching the floor and the heels touching the buttocks. Feet and knees can be hip width apart. Now clasp your ankles with hands and raise buttocks to form an arch back. Try to raise the chest and navel as high as possible, without moving your feet or shoulders. In final position of this asana your body should be supported by the head, neck, shoulders, arms and feet. Hold the pose as long you feel comfortable and then return to original position and relax. Second Trimester Yoga Exercises: 1. Matsya Kridasan (Flapping Fish Pose) – This pose helps to stimulate digestion and relieve constipation. It also relaxes nerves of the legs. During the later months of pregnancy, it becomes difficult to lie on the back as it may cause pressure over major veins and block the circulation. This is an ideal posture for relaxing and sleeping during such conditions. It also helps to reallocate excess weight around waistline. How to do? Lie on your stomach with your hands resting under your head and fingers interlocked. Now bend your left leg and bring the left knee close to the ribs. Keep your right leg straight. You can twist the arms to the left and rest the left elbow on the left knee, if you do not feel comfortable to rest it on the floor. Rest the right side of the head on the right arm. Relax in the final pose for some time and then change the sides. You can also support your head and bent knee on a pillow for added comfort. 2. Vajrasan (Diamond Pose) – This very simple pose is highly useful during pregnancy. It improves digestive functions and relieves stomach ailments like hyperacidity that often troubled the expectant mothers. It alters blood flow and nervous impulses in the pelvic region and provides strength to pelvic muscles. It also assists women in labor. This is the only asana that can be practiced directly

after the meals. How to do? Go down on your knees with legs together and toes pointing out behind you, and sit back on your heels. Your big toes (or big toe joints) should touch with heels apart, and the spine should be straight. Now place your hands palms down on your thighs and keep your head and eyes straight looking ahead. This posture can be held for long periods of time but start with two repetitions. 3. Bhadrasan (Gracious Pose) – This asana is also very useful during pregnancy as it has same benefits that the Vajrasana holds. How to do? Start with sitting in vajrasana and then part your knees as far as possible, while keeping the toes in contact with the floor. Separate the feet so that the buttocks and perineum can rest on the floor. Try to separate the knees but do not strain. 4. Marjari Asan (Cat Stretch Pose) – Explained in first trimester exercises. 5. Hasta Utthanasan (Hand Raising Pose) –This pose helps to reduce stiffness from the shoulders and upper back. It improves breathing capacity and blood circulation. It improves the oxygen supply to the body, especially to the brain. How to do? Stand straight with your spine erect and feet together, arms hanging on the sides. Cross your hands in front of you and raise your arms over the head with inhaling. At same time bend head slightly backward and look up at the hands. Breath out and spread arms out to the sides at shoulder level. Inhale and reverse the movement, then return to the original position with an exhale. 6. Tadasan (Palm Tree Pose) - Explained in first trimester exercises. 7. Kati Chakrasan (Waist Rotating Pose) - Explained in first trimester exercises. 8. Utthanasan (Squat and Rise Pose) – This yoga posture helps to strengthen the middle back, uterus, thighs and ankles muscles. How to do? Stand straight with your feet about a meter apart and toes turned out. Link the fingers of both hands and let them hang loosely in front of the body. Now bend your knees slowly and lower your buttocks. Hold the position for few seconds, then straighten the knees and return to standing position. 9. Meru Akarshanasan (Spinal Bending pose) – This pose relaxes the hamstring, inner thigh and abdominal muscles and extends the muscles of the sides of the body and make them stronger and flexible. How to do? Lie on your right side with resting your left leg on right leg. Bend right arm and set the elbow on the floor. Support your head on the palm of your right hand. You can place the left arm either on left thigh or on floor in front of you. Now, raise the

left leg as high as possible, and try to touch your big toe with your left hand. Now change the side and repeat the action on other side. Third trimester Yoga Exercises: 1. Ardha Titali Asan (Half Butterfly pose) - Explained in first trimester exercises. 2. Poorna Titali Asan (Full Butterfly pose) - Explained in first trimester exercises. 3. Supta Udarakarshana Asana (Sleeping Abdominal Stretch Pose) - Explained in first trimester exercises. 4. Shoulder Rotation – This is very good exercise for expectant mothers to be practiced during pregnancy and post-delivery period as it helps to stimulate proper function of the mammary glands. It also helps to develop circulation and flexibility in the shoulders and upper back. It releases tension from around the heart and lungs and improves breathing. How to do? Single Arm Movement – Stand straight and place the right fingertips up on the right shoulder. Rotate the arm and shoulder joint slowly and try to draw a large circle in air with the tip of the elbow. Repeat the movement both clockwise and anti-clockwise and then repeat on the left side. Double Arm Movement – Stand straight and raise the arms up, place the fingertips on both the shoulders and slowly rotate both arms together in large circles. While rotating the arms try to stretch the elbows as far back as possible, and try to touch them together at the front. Repeat the action in both clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. Antenatal care is not only to ensure the good health of mother during pregnancy and childbirth, but also to ensure good health of the baby on birth. As soon as a woman misses per period and she suspects that she is pregnant, a woman should visit a doctor. During the first visit, the doctor will take a detailed history and do a thorough clinical examination. Pregnancy may be confirmed by a urine test. Expected date of delivery (EDD) If the woman has regular 28-day menstrual cycle, then the EDD is calculated by adding 9 months and 7 days to the first day of the last menstrual period for e.g. if the last menstrual date of the pregnant woman was 20th January 2002, then her EDD would be (20+7=27th and January + 9=October) 27th October 2002. Diet in Pregnancy Proper nutrition and diet is important for good development of a strong and healthy baby. Caloric requirement is higher during pregnancy and breastfeeding. A balanced diet containing a variety of foods is required. A pregnant woman should have at least 400-500 calories/day in addition to the daily

intake. The pregnant woman and lactating mother should also consume extra iron and calcium to build up the hemoglobin of both the mother and the child and for making the bones stronger in the baby respectively. The expectant mother should consume additional folic acid supplementation to reduce the risks of growth retardation and malformations in the baby. Additional vitamin supplements to help in the growth of the fetal tissues are also needed. It is important to eat at least 3 good meals a day. In addition the woman should have milk, fruits, biscuits, yogurt, chana, etc. The intake of cakes, chocolates, fried foods like potato fries, samosa, etc should be reduced. Extra salt should be avoided. Tea/Coffee/Colas intake should be minimized because these contain caffeine, which can lead to frequent urination, heartburn, anxiety, sleep disturbances and also hamper iron and calcium absorption. Alcohol should be avoided as it leads to congenital anomalies in the child. Weight gain during pregnancy Weight gain varies from woman to woman and from pregnancy to pregnancy. Average weight gain in pregnancy is about 10 to 12 kg and may be a little more in multiple pregnancies. Excessive weight gain is not desirable because it puts more strain on the back and leg muscles and makes it more difficult to knock off the excessive weight after delivery. Also it may lead to difficult delivery. The woman puts on 1-2 kg of weight in the first 3 months, 4-5 kg in the nest 3 months and 4-5 kg in the last 3 months. Clothing and shoes Loose clothes are recommended to reduce discomfort and well-supporting and comfortable bras are to be used. High-heeled shoes should be avoided as it changes the center of gravity of the body and the pregnant woman due to the protruding abdomen has a tendency to fall. Hence only flat shoes with soles that are non slippery are to be used. Work and Travel A woman should continue with her routine throughout pregnancy, but should not undergo severe stress or fatigue. There should be adequate rest periods in between work. Women with problems in previous pregnancy such as threatened abortion /preterm delivery should minimize physical activity. In the first trimester, long distance travel is to be avoided to prevent miscarriage. Auto rickshaw and two wheeler rides should be kept to the minimum. Flying in a pressurized aircraft entails no risk. During long journeys, one should keep changing positions and stretching intermittently to maintain blood circulation. It is also advisable to avoid travel in the 9th month of pregnancy. Sex during Pregnancy Sex is permissible in pregnancy, but preferably avoided in the first trimester and during the last 6 weeks. Pressure on the abdomen during coitus is to be

avoided. Sex is contraindicated if there is a previous history of pregnancy loss. Exercise in Pregnancy Exercise improves blood circulation, strengthens muscles, keeps the body supple and flexible and improves recovery post delivery. Exercises to the point of exhaustion are to be avoided. Sit-ups and double leg lifting that cause a severe strain on the abdominal muscles are to be avoided. Sudden jerky movements should not be made. Practice of yoga during pregnancy is very useful. Asana are useful for physical mobility whereas the Praanaayams (relaxation techniques) are useful in labour and helps in easy delivery. Asanas like sukhasana, padmasana, parvatasana are useful. Stretching asanas like yastikasana and Talasana (without raising toes) are also useful. For relaxation, Shabasana, Dhradasana and Nispandabhava can be done. Sleep It is advisable to sleep on one side especially the left with the hips and knees slightly flexed to ensure maximum blood supply to the baby. Avoid sleeping on your stomach and in later months of pregnancy do not sleep on your back. Medicines and vaccinations during pregnancy In pregnancy medicines should be taken under guidance of a doctor especially in the first trimester. Iron and calcium (also known as ANC pack) should be started as soon as the first trimester nausea and vomiting settles down and should be continued throughout pregnancy and lactation. Folic acid should be started even before conception and should be consumed daily throughout pregnancy. Tetanus toxoid vaccine should be administered during pregnancy at an interval of 4 to 6 weeks starting from 7th month onwards. Doctor visits A routine check up once a month till the 6th month, a visit every fortnight in the 7th and 8th month, and once week in the 9th month should be followed. Warning signs Doctor should be consulted urgently if the woman has • • • • •

Bleeding from vagina, rectum or from breast Sharp/continuous abdominal pain Severe headache, blurring of vision Fever Escape of liquor (clear watery fluid) i.e. leaking from vagina.