Morning Sickness

I have found a great natural do it yourself/self-help ebook to help with morning sickness. Please follow my link at in the sidebar or click on the title. I have never suffered from severe morning sickness, but know many women who have. I understand it is debilitating for many women. During my pregnancies I had the occasional bought of nausea that was bad enough, I could not imagine dealing with more. I hope this link can help you.

You Are What You Eat-for 2

Some simple words to live by through pregnancy and the holiday season. You are what you eat. Please continue to eat high quality foods at this critical time in you and your babies life. The holiday season is full of temptation and it's easy to eat poor quality food. Just the same as you would not drink alcohol while pregnant,don't eat poor quality food, stay on track with your eating. To get on track, for a refresher or to start your pregnancy eating plan please get the free download by Dr. Jen Castles (naturopath), listed at the top of this blog.

Many women feel because they are pregnant they can get away with over eating beyond the recommended caloric increase. Just remember this will follow you through to delivery and post partum. Please keep fit and eat well for a quick recovery post partum. You are establishing a healthy lifestyle for you and your baby right now.

Join the social network http://babybumpfitness.ning.com to meet other women for support on health and fitness.

Pregnancy Posture-Interview 2

Question BBF -Dr A, can you list the muscles that become tight during pregnancy and the muscles that become weak during pregnancy as the body changes?

Dr. A- A woman's posture changes significantly throughout pregnancy. This is accompanied by many imbalances in the body where some muscles become too tight while others become too weak. The end result of all of this is pain - usually in the neck and low back area. With regards to pain in the neck/shoulder area the muscles that become too tight are the pectoral (chest) muscles and the muscles in the back of the neck. This occurs because the shoulders are often rounded and the head juts forward. When you're pregnant this rounded posture occurs to compensate for the added weight gain in the belly and breasts. Post-partum this posture occurs out of habit with breast-feeding and holding your baby. The muscles that become weak are those between the shoulder blades and in front of the neck. When these muscles are strong they allow your shoulders to be drawn back together and your head to be tucked in (rather than poked forward).

With low back pain the muscles that become tight are the hip flexors and low back. With pregnancy the low back assumes a sway (arched) position because of the added weight gain. This posture often continues after delivery because the abdominals and glutes (bum) aren't strong enough to hold a more upright position.

Question BBF - Dr A Can you explain pregnancy related piriformis syndrome and what is the best way to manage this issue?

Dr. A. The piriformis is a muscle that travels behind the hip joint. This muscle helps with external rotation (turning out) of the hip joint. It is thought that when the piriformis muscle is tight it may put tension on the sciatic nerve, causing compression and irritation. The result is pain, tingling and/or numbness in the buttocks and along the sciatic nerve (down the back of the thigh). This is by far one of the most common conditions that I treat in pregnant women. I often see women during the third trimester but it can happen at any point during pregnancy.
There are many causes for this condition. Some of the common culprits include over-pronation (flat feet), weak glutes, tight adductors (inner thigh) and overuse. The higher incidence occurs during pregnancy because the feet tend to turn out to make more room in front for your growing belly. This position of the feet puts added tension on the piriformis because it is now is a shortened position all of the time. The glutes also have to support more weight during pregnancy so they are put under more tension.

Management for piriformis symdrome includes a combined approach. Treatment should be aimed at releasing the tension in the glutes, adductors and other tight muscles. I have found Active Release Techniques (activerelease.com) to be very helpful in treating these types of patients. Stretching and foam rolling of the adductors (inner thigh) and glutes is an important supplement to treatment. Strengthening of the glutes and any other weaknesses is key for full healing and prevention of future episodes.

Dr. Erica Ainsworth
Chiropractor, Active Release Techniques, Acupuncture
The Urban Athlete505 Eglinton Ave W, Suite 302Toronto, ON M5N 1B1416.481.8880www.theurbanathlete.ca
www.drerica.com

Why Are You Doing THAT Exercise??

Have you ever looked at your fitness routine and asked yourself, why am I doing this exercise. There is one exercise that is prevalent in most pregnancy fitness routines and I hate it. It follows the fitness pregnancy guidelines so it must be safe, right. Yes it is safe, but is it relevant. The shoulder dumbbell lateral raise, this is great because all pregnant women want ripped shoulder and big delts-haahaahaa. I view this exercise as a routine filler, in actual fact due to breast enlargement causing tight pectoral muscles your shoulder rotator cuff muscles become weak and over stretched. Performing a shoulder lateral raise for your deltoid muscles will inhibit the use of your rotator cuff muscles even further. So what, what do this mean to you, well you still have nice shoulders-rotator cuff weakness can lead to neck and shoulder pain, headaches and is the beginning of shoulder dysfunction.

So if you are performing a dumbbell shoulder lateral raise during your pregnancy, please stop and substitute this with shoulder rotations.

example of wall shoulder rotation to help you keep neutral spine

New Social Network For Pregnancy/Motherhood

Please check out the new social network for pregnancy fitness and motherhood. We have some great experts on the panel such as Dr. Michael K Jones (physiotherapist ), he is the owner and instructor of the American Association of Fitness and Rehab Professionals. We also have Dr. Jen Castles as a member, accomplished naturopath. This is a great way to share thoughts, meet people and get you questions answered.

Pregnancy Posture-Interview

I am conducting an ongoing interview with pregnancy posture expert Dr. Erica Ainswoth. Dr. A. is a personal trainer and has a successful chiropractic practise in Toronto. Stay tuned for more posts. Please direct any questions through the comments section of this blog and I will address them.

I will be off the computer for a week, enjoy this first edition of an ongoing interview with Dr. Ainsworth.

Interview PREGNANCY POSTURE

Question-BabyBumpFit- Hi Erica, please to have you here. Let's start talking about pregnancy posture. Can you give us a brief description of it and what are the most common issues you see related to this?

Answer- by Dr. A
As any pregnant woman will tell you - your body changes in many ways throughout pregnancy. Your posture is not an exception. With the added weight gain and loosening of the ligaments the natural curves of the spine are accentuated.

What do these changes look like? - a sway back position is common where the low back is more arched than usual and the feet are turned out (pregnancy "waddle"). Other common changes include rounding of the upper back and shoulders with the head poked forward. These changes are necessary to make room for the baby however, they can also cause strain on the joints, ligaments and muscles in the body. Not surprisingly, the neck, mid and lower back are also the areas that I see the most injured pre and post natally.


. HORMONAL – Increase ligament laxity due to the release of relaxin. The hormone peaks in the first trimester. Relaxin promotes widening and increased flexibility of the pelvic joints (symphysis pubis in the front and the sacro-iliac joint in the back of the pelvis) which help to facilitate delivery. The increased flexibility also allows joints to misalign more easily.
· BIOMECHANICAL – Postural changes result from an increased weight gain causing the center of gravity to shift forward. The spine alters itself to accommodate this change causing strain on the joints, ligaments and muscles (Ie: pelvis tips forward, sway back, pelvis flares outward)
· WEAK ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
· BIOMECHANICAL – The mid-back and neck compensate for the postural changes in the low back and pelvis (Ie: rounding of the upper back and shoulders, and a forward head position with loss of curvature in the neck)
· POOR POSTURAL HABITS – Increased breast size results in the shoulders rolling forwards

BabyBumpFit- Thanks Erica, great start to our ongoing interview series. Dr.A can be reached at drainsworth@theurbanathlete.ca .

Read New Research Released Regarding Pre Eclampsia

News for your baby bump regarding fitness regime at the link below; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/3542319/Exercise-in-pregnancy-linked-to-fatal-raised-blood-pressure-condition.html

Pregnancy Exercise Guidelines

What follows is a summary of the recommendations of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynacology (ACOG)

The following are simple guidelines to follow to ensure the safety and well-being of you and your baby:
1. If you have been following a regular exercise program prior to your pregnancy, you should be able to maintain that program to some degree throughout your pregnancy. Moderate exercise does not increase your risk for miscarriage.
2. If you are just starting an exercise program as a way of improving your health during your pregnancy, you should consult your doctor and then start very slowly and be careful not to over exert yourself.
3. Listen to your body. Your body will naturally give you signals that it is time to reduce the level of exercise you perform. On a scale of 1 to 10, a 7 (or 70%) should indicate your maximum level of exertion.
4. Never exercise to the point of exhaustion or breathlessness. This is a sign that your baby and your body cannot get the oxygen supply it needs.
5. Wear comfortable exercise footwear that gives strong ankle and arch support. As your pregnancy proceeds you may need slightly larger shoes!
6. Take frequent breaks and drink plenty of fluids during exercise.
7. Avoid exercise in extremely hot weather or poorly ventilated areas. Overheating carries increased risk to both you and your baby
8. Avoid rocky terrain or unstable ground when running or cycling. Your joints are more lax in pregnancy and ankle sprains and other injuries may occur.
9. Contact sports should be avoided during pregnancy.
10. Weight training should emphasise improving the strength of your postural muscles. Over exerting or straining is definitely out!
11. During the second and third trimesters, avoid exercise that involves laying flat on your back as this decreases blood flow to your womb.
12. Include relaxation and stretching both before and after your exercise program.
13. Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

CONTRAINDICATIONS TO EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY
HYPERTENSIONWomen who have high blood pressure can benefit from a regular exercise program, however, women who develop high blood pressure in pregnancy should stop their exercise program. Toxemia, or high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy, is thought to involve a severe problem with blood vessels throughout the body. Exercise can worsen toxemia and should not be continued.

PLACENTA PREVIA/VAGINAL BLEEDINGPlacenta Previa is a condition where the placenta grows low in the uterus and actually covers the opening to the cervix. It can cause severe bleeding during pregnancy. Any women with placenta previa or with vaginal bleeding of an unknown cause should not participate in an exercise program.

PREMATURE LABOUR OR HISTORY OF PREMATURE LABOURWomen who have delivered a baby before 36 weeks of pregnancy should be very cautious in participating in an exercise program during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Stretching, yoga and walking are preferred forms of exercise, while weight-bearing exercise should be avoided. Also, women with preterm contractions should avoid exercise that increases uterine contractions, whether painful or painless.

INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATIONIUGR is poor growth of the baby. This is diagnosed by your maternity care provider by measuring the growth of your uterus and by checking a fetal sonogram. If your baby has IUGR, it may mean that the baby is not getting an adequate oxygen supply from the placenta. There are many causes of IUGR including smoking, drug use, infections and poor blood flow to the placenta. Because exercise shifts blood flow away from the placenta, a baby that is not growing well will not tolerate exercise by it's mum.

TWIN PREGNANCYWomen who are pregnant with more than one fetus have a higher risk of complications or pregnancy including preterm labor. Exercise should be limited to non-weight bearing and should focus on toning and stretching.

HEART DISEASE Exercise increases the strain on the heart, as does pregnancy because of increased blood volume. Women with heart problems should exercise only under the supervision of their cardiologist and maternity care provider.
[Please consult your doctor prior to commencing an exercise programme during your pregnancy]

Full Squat During Pregnancy - To Do or Not To Do

Check out my new article through the link above, just click on the title.