Am I Still Working with Expecting and Postpartum Parents?
In my last email, I shared that I am offering something new regarding alignment and posture. I recently received a question: "Are you still working with pregnant and postpartum folks?" The answer is "Yes!"
I had a professional go through my website for SEO in March, and she suggested I narrow my focus to "pregnancy and postpartum." The truth is, I have always been afraid to narrow down my niche too far, partly because I haven't worked with a pregnant person in a while and also because I know that in the U.S., birthing parents are not easily supported when it comes to child care, paid leave, and postpartum care, among many other things. Finances change, and life is different. I always felt odd to be like, "And you need to invest in your fitness too." It is a huge privilege to be able to do that.
I can tell you that I am renewing my pre- and postnatal certification for the third time because I think many fitness coaches and personal trainers don't know how to coach people going through this life event, not just from an anatomical but also from an emotional and mental health perspective.
Each time I renew this certification, I look at it through a new lens, using the information I have studied or what I have seen in clients in the two years since reading it. Lo and behold, the anatomy that had been drilled into me for the past ten months regarding the sacrum was right in front of my face since 2018, but I didn't know how impacted it was during pregnancy, and it's everything! Those are the primary joints (sacroiliac and pubic symphysis) that move to birth a baby, and those are the joints that, if left unattended postpartum, can sometimes cause postural alignment issues or pain later on (even over a decade later, as I saw in a client).
(Geeking out, but the rib cage is also affected as it can rise up to two inches in pregnancy, and the thoracic spine, where the ribs sit, and the sacrum mirror each other in their natural spinal curves).
As a practitioner, I would not disrupt the alignment during pregnancy because the body is meant to grow and change in a certain way to protect the baby. However, I can work on intrinsic muscle strength with expecting parents in addition to the pre-labor strength-building I have always done.
It all links together!
When we dig deeper and know that 80-90% of body pain is referred from somewhere else (except shoulders and knees, for the most part), it becomes clear that looking at the body as a whole system, especially in postpartum, is crucial in addressing any compensatory patterns or imbalances that may overstay their welcome after pregnancy.
On a personal note, my values include that I am passionate about women, femmes, and thems always having bodily autonomy and agency over their decisions, but especially at a vulnerable time like pregnancy and parenthood. Sometimes, our medical system is not human first, many times not trauma-informed, and does not realize they are hired and work for the patient, not the other way around. No one can "let" or "make" you do anything. It is your body. You make the decisions.
As a non-human parent on this Mother's Day, I stand with all folks who want a better life balance for themselves and their families. I will always share resources and thoughts that will benefit people, as there is a lot of pseudoscience and outdated information. I purposely follow folks who are parents and work in the health and wellness industry so that I can share helpful information that isn't fear-mongering or binary. It shows me what parents go through daily, which is genuine and not just a social media highlight. I know the internet can be overwhelming, and I don't intend to make things more complicated than they need to be.
Here are a few quick business updates before I let you go:
The studio I use locally is closed from May 2nd through the 19th. In the meantime, I can see people on Zoom or after May 19th for one-off alignment work, yoga privates, or Vitality. This is also a great time to schedule a Discovery Call if you have been curious about working with me and want to chat.
I am out of the office from May 30th through June 9th (my IG/FB stories will be pics and videos of WA State if you want to follow along). 😉
The next donation-based yoga class is on Monday, June 24th, at 5:30 pm.
Lift with Laura is focused on strength for hiking this spring, so feel free to drop in to work on one-legged exercises and see if your posterior chain muscles are doing their appropriate job (hint: glute med and max)!
Happy Mother's Day for those who celebrate (pet moms count too)!