A 60 second relaxation strategy for birth

And secondly, inside FitNest Mama in January 2022, there is a members’ only live 2-day online event where we will be diving into all things preparing the body for birth and beyond. So if you’re wanting to access some quality pregnancy workouts over this January period, and if you would like to join in with this live event, then come and join us. So after this two day live event, you will feel more confident and empowered. We are diving into perineal preparation perineal massage how to prepare your pelvic floor for birth and beyond and preparing your body for birth and beyond too. So we’re diving into active birth strategies preparing for our recovery, there’s going to be so much goodness in this live online event. So to come and join us head to www.fitnestmama.com and follow the links to the program.

Alright, let’s dive into this episode. So this is a short, quick episode and I am sharing one strategy that I do hear a lot of feedback on. So a lot of women do find is super helpful. So whether or not it’s my one on one clients, or it’s my lovely moms inside FitNest mama, or it’s the women who have attended previous free pregnancy workshops. So this one simple strategy you might find helpful for birth. Or if it’s not helpful for birth, perhaps you’ll find it helpful when your baby is unsettled, and they’re crying, or perhaps your toddler, your baby’s a bit older, they’re a toddler and they’re having a tantrum, you might find this strategy really helpful. So it’s a life skill. And that’s the thing, isn’t it? When we’re preparing for birth, we don’t know how birth is going to eventuate. So I like to think about birth preparation is adding tools to your toolkit, because you might find one tool really helpful and amazing. Whereas you might find other tools on the day not so useful. But if you’ve got them in your toolkit, then then they’re there waiting for you. So if and when you need them, they may be super empowering.

So this tool, we’re going to dive into a 60 seconds strategy, which again, you might not find actually helpful on the day and that’s fine. But I do also think this is an amazing lifelong skill. Firstly, we want to mimic a contraction, but we obviously can’t mimic contraction. But what we can do is we can get ourselves into some discomfort, a moment of discomfort, and then we can practice a relaxation strategy during this moment of discomfort. So what am I talking about? Or what is this moment of discomfort? What I’m talking about is a 62nd squat. So you might head over to a wall. And I love a wall squat a good old wall squat. So quick disclaimer. Obviously this is general information only. If you do have aches and pains or wall squat isn’t right for you. For whatever reason, please do consult your healthcare provider. All the information in these podcasts is general information. It’s up to you to work out if they apply to you and your circumstance.

So if this 60 seconds wall squat is appropriate for you. Get up against a wall. Get yourself into a lovely 60 seconds squat. And then you will notice that your legs start to burn. So I like to try doing this the first time you do it, focus on the discomfort, focus on that burning feeling that you’re feeling in your quads in those muscles. Like obviously, you don’t want that sharp pain in your pelvis or your back or anything like that. But if it’s muscular discomfort, because your muscles are working, because you’re in a squat, let’s focus on that discomfort. And you’ll notice, as we’re focusing on the discomfort, you might notice it gets worse. And that feeling of pain or discomfort becomes a bit yucky, right? And you think, oh, when is the 60 seconds squat going to finish? So set the timer, do what you need to. Let’s pretend the 60 seconds squat has finished. So stand up, have a little shakeout, get yourself a sip of water, do what you need to do. So during that squat, just have a thing? What did it feel like? What were your thoughts? What was happening in your thoughts? What were your muscles feeling like? And you might even write that squat on a scale of zero to 10. Zero, there was no discomfort at all. 10 It was unbearable discomfort, like it was really uncomfortable. Where did you sit on that scale of zero to 10.

Okay, let’s try that squat one more time. But this time, we’re going to try a one strategy for today. And these Incidentally, this is what I dive into a lot inside FitNest Mama. And during our workouts to every single week, we’ll try a different strategy, because I do really believe it’s this practice that really makes the difference. I had heard that breathing could be a really great relaxation strategy. But I thought how hard can breathing be? Like seriously, we can all breathe, right. And I perhaps didn’t give it the attention it deserves. Because once you’re in a moment of discomfort, that’s when sometimes things fly out the window. And if we’ve practiced them, and we’ve, we’ve sort of ingrained them into our psyche, I guess. But if we have practiced them and practice them regularly, then it’s easier to call upon them if or when we need. So that’s why we’re going to practice with the second squat. Coming back to the squat. Let’s practice what I call the spaghetti breathing, to get yourself into your squat. And now let’s focus on a piece of spaghetti coming in through one nostril as you breathe in, and then coming out the other nostril as you breathe out. So let’s do that. Again. Breathe that spaghetti in through one nostril. Feel your ribcage expand. And then breathe that speak piece of spaghetti out through the other nostril. This time focus on how long that piece of spaghetti is. Can you get it any longer if this next breath, let’s try and breathing out.

So every time you breathe in through one nostril and then out through the other nostril, you could think about a different sensation. Let’s use all our senses how hot or how cold is that piece of spaghetti? How long is it? And then as you’re breathing in through your nose and out through your other nostril, if you feel that burning sensation creeping up, and if you feel your focus going to your legs, try to take that focus back to your breathing, and breathe and one more piece of spaghetti if you can, and then finish the squat. So we’re aiming for about 60 seconds. But obviously if you haven’t done any squats for your whole pregnancy, start small start what works for you within your own limits because obviously you never want to push into discomfort but a bit of a muscular discomfort okay, but you would never want that to be a pelvic girdle pain or low back pain or that sharp discomfort. So take it at the level that suits you. So once you’ve practiced that, I encourage you to set yourself a little challenge for the next seven days. Try to do one squat, one 60 seconds squat every day for the next seven days. And practice that strategy that spaghetti breathing over and over and then at the end of the seven days write it, how did you find the discomfort of that squat when you using that technique? Zero for no discomfort 10 for super uncomfortable and send me a DM on Instagram at @fitnestmama. I would love to hear how you went with your spaghetti squat, spaghetti breathing. I would love to know if that was a relaxation strategy that resonated with you. And if you’ve recently given berth and you tried that strategy out, let me know send me an Instagram message. I’d love to have a chat. So that’s it ladies. Short and sweet. Have a great day. And I look forward to you joining me next week for another episode of the FitNest Mama Podcast.

Thanks for listening to the FitNest Mama Podcast brought to you by the FitNest Mama Freebies found at www.fitnestmama.com/free. So please take a few seconds to leave a review, subscribe, so you don’t miss an episode. And be sure to take a screenshot of this podcast, upload it to your social media and tag me, @fitnestmama, so I can give you a shout out too. Until next time! Remember, an active pregnancy, confident childbirth, and strong postnatal recovery is something that you deserve. Remember, our disclaimer, materials and contents in this podcast are intended as general information only and shouldn’t substitute any medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I’ll see you soon!