Minimizing Risk of Perineal Tears During Labor
The thought of perineal tearing causes shivers to run down most mama’s backs. The perineum is the area between the vaginal opening and the anus that sometimes tears during labor. In fact, 53-79% of women who have a vaginal delivery will have some type of tearing or laceration to the …
What Is Prodromal Labor? How Do I Know If I’m Having It?
Much to my amazement, significant evidence-based research on the topic of prodromal labor, historically and unfortunately termed “false labor,” is lacking. There is nothing false about the preparatory work of the maternal body and baby. As midwife Anne Frye states, “false labor” lends “credence to the myth that one is …
Six Things Active Duty Military Moms Need to Know When Preparing for the First Postpartum Physical Fitness Test
Being a new mom is hard. Being a new mom and being in the military is even more demanding. Over the past few years, the military has made strides in maternity leave, operational deferments, and breastfeeding policy. One area that many active duty moms still find frustrating, though, is returning …
Should You Take a Childbirth Education Class?
When you are going through pregnancy, you often receive information from everyone and everywhere – whether it’s your neighbor, the internet, or books. With so much information available, it can be hard to decide what you and your partner want out of birth. This is exactly why a childbirth education …
Links We Love: Linking to Evidenced Based Research and Awesome Sites
At BIRTHFIT we believe resources that give up to date, unbiased, and inclusive information are the best. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of favorite sites and resources for your reference. This list is broken down into each pillar so that you can see how BIRTHFIT can support you in …
My Top 5 Pregnancy-Related Misconceptions
When mom and baby are healthy, there should be no reason not to train for birth. In my opinion, and what I founded BIRTHFIT on, is that training includes, but is not limited to, strength, conditioning, flexibility, and balance. These skills can easily translate into other ordinary life tasks. When …
Fitness Adaptations While Trying to Conceive
One season of the motherhood transition is preconception and/or trying to conceive. It is important to know that everything affects everything and the way we intentionally eat, think, and move plays a part in conception. So how does a woman who is actively trying to conceive approach this? …
W-Sitting and the Junction of Trust, Respect, and Function
If you’ve been in any BIRTHFIT class, you know that we have a lot of influence from the study of developmental kinesiology – how all humans innately move (without instruction), which has primarily come from DNS (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization). Another organization that also encourages innate movement patterns to be respected …
What To Expect From Your First Period Following Pregnancy
There are always a lot of questions surrounding fertility while breastfeeding and the return of your menstrual cycle following birth. This is different for every woman and the range of “normal” can be vast. Some women’s menstrual cycles resume shortly after giving birth, while others may not resume cycling until well …
Tips to Thrive: Breastfeeding in the Early Postpartum Days
Within BIRTHFIT, we often talk about the first two weeks being a period of co-regulation in the Motherhood Transition. The first two weeks can be huge transitional period physically and emotionally, especially with learning to breastfeed. As natural and primitive breastfeeding is, sometimes it doesn’t come easy. Here are some …