Diary of a pregnant yogi…

This post is a little late considering I only have 42 days until my due date! We are expecting a baby BOY in February 2017!

Now that I’m in my third trimester I’m really feeling the effects of a growing body. My body is expanding all over to accommodate and provide for the baby and It’s weird and amazing all at the same time. My yoga practice has changed and become more slow. I am practicing a lot of patience with myself and my practice lately; I’m sure I’ll learn even more about myself and the need to surrender to my ego as my baby and body continue to grow.

The yoga… So the name of the game is “whatever feels good.” Here are a few poses that feel good to me at this moment. I am currently still doing about 5 rounds of modified surya namaskar A (sun salutations) to warm up before I practice these poses.

• Pranayama (breathing exercises)
• Baddha Konasana (butterfly pose)

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• Cat/Cow stretch

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• Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog)

  

• Balasana (child’s pose) use a block or stack of pillows under your forehead if it does not reach your mat

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• Virasana (heroes pose)

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• Virabhadrasana II (warrior II)

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•  Trikonasana (triangle pose)

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• Uttanasana (standing forward fold-modified)

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• Pigeon pose

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• Meditation

I know you thoroughly enjoyed my pregnant stick figure yogis… But here are a few action shots of my prenatal yoga practice in the (work in progress) nursery (with dogs, of course):

Balasana (child’s pose)

Virasana (hero pose)

{My personal favorite}

Pigeon pose

{And Emma’s down dog}

Helpful references for prenatal yoga…

• An 11 pose prenatal yoga sequence for a blissful birth (Mind Body Green) 
• Yoga for pregnancy (Yoga Journal)
• The pregnancy yoga flow you’ll love (Fit Pregnancy)

The food… I also did a little research on vegetarian pregnancies to make sure I’m getting everything the baby needs. Here are a few really helpful articles on what your body needs during pregnancy and how to accommodate to a vegetarian diet.

• Vegetarian Pregnancy Meal Plan (Fit Pregnancy blog)
• Nine Meatless Months (Fit Pregnancy blog)
• Is a vegetarian diet safe in pregnancy? (Baby Center blog)
• Is soy safe during pregnancy? (Fit Pregnancy blog)

The birth… We are planning a natural/unmedicated birth in the hospital. We attended an unmedicated birthing class at the hospital recently and there were about 8 other couples in the class with us. It was reassuring to know that we’re not the only ones that want the natural experience in the hospital! So far we feel very supported by the hospital with our plan which was a worry of mine. I have watched lots of videos and documentaries on natural birth (I very highly recommend The business of being born) and my feelings range from scared to empowered. It’s scary to know that it is going to be painful, but reassuring to know that my body was made for this. And along with my yoga practice, I have all the relaxation, breathing, and visualization tools that I need for my body to cope with the experience.

Love & Light,