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4/23/2018 1 Comment Postnatal Yoga with Baby Did you enjoy your prenatal yoga class while pregnant? Or maybe you missed the opportunity to take a prenatal class? Don’t worry, you are still able to enjoy yoga with your baby in your arms, even in the early weeks and months at home with them. Why bring baby to a yoga class? Maybe you aren't ready to leave baby at home or are looking for a fun way to interact with baby. This is a baby-led class, so whatever baby's needs are you can attend to them. As always, the studio will offer a safe space for mamas to gather to connect with each other and also bond with baby. The sequencing of class grows with your baby. Some of the poses and movement are a new sensation and baby might not like it at first; however, as baby becomes stronger and more aware of baby’s self, he or she will fall into the flow of class naturally. It is always a joy to watch the babies grow with the class and see new milestones achieved, sometimes in class for the first time. During class you will have the opportunity to give or receive encouragement and feedback from other mamas like yourself. We are all in different stages of motherhood and who better to ask than the mamas around you for support or shed light on baby's milestones. BYOBaby yoga is designed for mamas and their babies 6 weeks until crawling. If you are ready to venture out and join me and other mamas every Thursday from 11am-Noon at Toula Yoga. Immediately following class will be our FREE ReGroup: Reconnect, Refresh, Renew (Noon-1pm). Stay tuned as we will have some guest visitors to discuss different topics regarding breastfeeding, baby wearing, self-care and more!  Looking for for Yoga in the Corridor? Check out these fabulous options!
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4/7/2018 3 Comments Why Prenatal Yoga? What is all the talk about prenatal yoga? Is it a workout fad? How will it benefit me in my pregnancy and labor? What if I have never done yoga before? Do I need my doctor/midwife approval first? All valid questions. All I have been asked time and time again, so let's go through these questions and understand the importance of yoga during pregnancy and how it could influence your baby's birth. 1. Yoga is a mind, body, and spirit practice; however, in prenatal yoga we take it a step further and add baby into the mix. 2. Workouts trends tend to eb and flow; however, women will always be having babies and yoga is a wonderful exercise that prepares mamas both physically and mentally for labor. Many mamas find the poses introduced in prenatal yoga helpful in labor. Sometimes they even birth in a yoga pose, too! 3. Anyone can do yoga, so anyone can do prenatal yoga. I'm sure you know from first-hand experience or from a friend or family member that has gone through labor - it is a lot of work. Labor and delivery is one of the most rewarding, physically demanding, and emotionally draining experiences. You do need to prepare your body for what it is going to go through and help it heal post birth, too. Always consult your midwife or OB when doing any form of exercise, but know that breathing and meditation are two amazingly simple ways to prepare for baby.  Intros before prenatal yoga class 4. Community. When you come to prenatal yoga each week, you will meet other mamas on the same journey. It's like a club, and just by showing up, you are a member. Ask questions, share stories, laugh, and cry with one another. You will immediately know who to turn to once baby is in your arms because you met some amazing women in prenatal yoga. Bonus: you can meet all your fellow mamas’ babies in BYOBaby Yoga and continue together on this amazing journey of motherhood together. 5. Why not? Why not come to class and give it a try, you have nothing to lose! Looking for Prenatal Yoga in the Corridor? Check out these fabulous options:
 When I became pregnant with my second child, I knew I wanted a doula. During my first pregnancy, we took a 12-week childbirth education course with the goal of my husband acting as my support person. During my labor with this first child, he was phenomenal. But, from the time I woke up with that first contraction to the time my daughter was born, it was 24 long hours of labor. By the time 10:00 p.m. hit (hour 18 of contractions), we were both exhausted and didn’t think our daughter’s birth was going to occur anytime soon. Still at home, I sent my husband to bed. I think I let him sleep a total of 5 minutes. And in those 5 minutes alone, I lost it. Without support, I started to weep and lose my confidence that I could do it - give birth, be a mother, or even go to the bathroom, which was a wickedly tricky endeavor at this point. Three or so contractions later, I woke my husband and we began debating whether or not we should head to the hospital. One arduous car ride later we found ourselves in Labor & Delivery and learned I was 8 cm dilated! That breakdown I had? That was me hitting active labor hard and fast, but thinking that I couldn’t possibly be in “real” labor based on my 40-week visit to the midwife earlier that afternoon. With no one else more experienced to let me know that my vocalizations and need to be naked indicated a rapidly advancing labor, that time between telling my husband to go to sleep and learning baby would soon be born was an emotionally turbulent time full of doubt and anxiety. Cue the birth of second child and our decision to hire a doula - not because we didn't think we could do it just us two, but because I knew deep in my gut how important continuous support would be to me in labor. That 5 minutes of rest I granted my husband in my first labor was 4 more than I needed to come to this conclusion. The birth story of my second took a different shape, as each birth always does. The deep intimacy my spouse and I experienced went unchallenged - if anything, that intimacy was more protected by having our doula present. She held space for me, for both of us, and a labor that could have taken a very different turn proceeded naturally and without intervention as was our hope. My birth experiences were not just the physical act of giving birth, they were also an experience in another plane as I crossed the threshold into motherhood once and then again. Our culture doesn't that pay this second transition much if any heed. But for me, it held so much power. Our doula’s support, and the support of her back-up doula who helped my son and I begin our nursing journey as our doula headed off to another birthing couple, made such an important contribution to my birthing experience. So, could we have managed that second labor on our own? Absolutely. But, with the support of our doula, we didn’t just manage it. We experienced it, enjoyed it, and derived great meaning from it. And, we’d do it again in a heartbeat. Considering adding a doula to your birth support team? Looking for support in the postpartum period? Come to our next Meet the Doulas of Iowa City, and learn more about the services our member businesses offer to pregnant, birthing, and postpartum families. And, if you can't make the event, contact any of our member business for a free consultation.
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AuthorThe Doulas of Iowa City blog contains guest posts by Doulas of Iowa City member businesses. We are excited to share with you about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and surrounding communities and to help you connect to fabulous local resources. Archives
May 2021
CategoriesAll Babywearing Birth Doula Books Classes Doula Spotlight Fall Fitness Food Holiday Local Meet The Doulas Postpartum Postpartum Doula Pregnancy Prenatal Self Care Self-care Winter Yoga |
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