Until the 1970s women were really not encouraged to be athletic. Sure girls played some sports and of course there were always a few high level athletes. But there has been a huge increase in the concept of athletic women. Gyms and classes abound. Many women now really want to be toned and strong. Spin classes, Crossfit, Tri-athalons. Aerobics, Body Building are just a few of the pathways women are taking to become athletic. Getting in shape for childbirth is not the same as getting in shape as an athletic pregnant woman … this dad can explain why.
‘My wife’s an outstanding athlete. When she fell pregnant she went into training for birth. We both thought that she needed to have very strong muscles so she could push out her baby. One cesarean later and an introduction to The Pink Kit Package, we discovered how very wrong we were. Instead we prepared her body to ‘open’ for our next child. This time we had a natural birth.’
Phil and Jade J …
Outside toned muscles are fine for sports
Increasingly in the past 10 years, many women have become very, very fit. Women have joined the sport’s world in masses and many more stays fit through gym classes and individual work-outs. Really this is terrific compared to earlier generations. Have you ever been grateful that you were born now and not during some of the earlier eras? Just look at the paintings of women … the clothes, the restrictions, and the social mores.
We are free!
Inside relaxed muscles are best for birth
However, something has also happened that has had a huge negative impact on childbirth … being overly toned. Really this all started when I gave birth in the 1970s. Pregnant women were instructed left, right and center to do Kegel exercises that morphed into Elevator exercises and now into Pelvic Floor exercises. Almost every single website about preparing for childbirth instructs you to do Pelvic Floor exercises. And, that’s on top of the Pilates and being super toned as an athletic woman.
Let’s be frank about childbirth. There’s a very big object coming out of your body. Your baby has to open your cervix, move down through a fully dilated cervix and through the bony pelvic tube and then down, through and out your vagina. And if you labor then you’ll be faced with intensely painful labor contractions and this type of pain is unique in Life. In fact, the pain is not ‘no pain no gain’ experience. Even the most athletic women can feel overwhelmed by the natural occurring pain of contractions.
Your body must open up big and wide to let this object out. This means YOU must learn how to relax inside. Your body’s birth passage or vagina is not like a toothpaste tube, squirting this object out.
If you study The Birthing Better Childbirth Preparation pregnancy and childbirth skill and practice them regularly, then you will know how-to birth your baby through your birthing body … guaranteed!
‘Because I’m a figure skater, I had to pay particular attention during labor to relax my hips. The Pink Kit Package got me in touch with how I could best birth’.
Flora K …
‘I’ve been a bodybuilder for 10 years before getting pregnant. Boy was relaxing a challenge for me during labor pains but I realized I was preventing my baby from coming down into my pelvis. My husband finally reached me and kept me from tensing up. Without The Pink Kit I WOULD have had a cesarean. Instead, I’ve had three wonderful Pink Kit births’.
Iris Anne P …
Pregnant athletic women absolutely must open up during the last 16 weeks of pregnancy
Many of the original Birthing Better pregnant women were competitive athletes. It was those women who developed skills to open their pelvis and birth canal because often their first birth was delayed or obstructed. Pregnant athletic women get totally pissed off when they use their same athletic training to prepare for a natural birth and end up with an unplanned Cesarean. They hold a lot of anger and confusion. After all, we’re told to do Kegel exercises in order to strengthen our internal muscles so we can birth more effective.
As women, we can be pretty dumb and not use common sense. That’s what we discovered. We were pretty unquestioning when we should have used plain old common sense. Being tight inside makes it harder for our baby to come down, through and out.
As an athletic pregnant and ultimately birthing woman you understand the importance of practicing and repetition. This is true for your Birthing Better skills. First, you’ll learn to prepare your pregnant body to give birth no matter the type of birth you ultimately have. Then you’ll learn birth and birth-coaching skills for you to use throughout your baby’s birth no matter where with whom or what happens. Your birth is your Olympic event, your Mount Everest, your ultra-marathon. You can’t redo it again the next day. And all athletic women have a huge amount of drive to succeed.
Success in birth should not be the ‘outcome’. Success should be your use of birth skills no matter whether you love or hate the experience, whether people around you are nice or rude to you, whether you have lots of medical care or not. Success is your efforts.
Arm yourself with wonderful birth skills to have a great birth. Get your head heading in the right direction as a pregnant athletic woman.
Birth is your ultimate activity. You’d be a fool not to have the right skills to do the activity no matter your circumstances. In other words, you can use Birthing Better breathing, relaxation, communication, teamwork, and other skills in labor and vaginal birth; labor and unplanned Cesarean and elective C-section. Birthing Better are your skill to fill your Time as the activity of birth unfolds.
Birthing Better skills were developed by moms and dads in the early 1970s in the US and used by many thousands globally in all types of birth. Birthing Better online birthing classes are housed in Common Knowledge Trust.