YOGA WHILE PREGNANT—I LEARNED MORE THAN I EXPECTED
Pregnant with my son in 2017
When it comes to pregnancy, one thing I didn’t ever want to do was complain. It’s such a huge gift that was not easy to attain and is not often afforded to those who want it, that I never want to take that for granted. I’ve been taking yoga classes to ease some of the aches and pains that I’ve been experiencing.
This includes mind bending leg cramps that usually hit me overnight or in the middle of the day. It’s the type of pain that you can’t talk yourself through, so I figured that physical movement and stretching would help. The classes that I’ve been taking are not tailored to prenatal yoga, which I both appreciate and get intimated by. I like it because it allows me to be around folks from all different stages of life, which I find inspiring. I took prenatal yoga with my daughter, and although it was soothing, I often found it to be semi competitive— but it could have just been me. I’d often find myself comparing myself to other preggies when it came to readiness, birth plans, amount of weight gained or not, stretch ability, baby names selected, etc. Don’t get me wrong, us fellow preggies are a beautiful thing, but I’ve also found it quite nice to be surrounded by a diverse group of folks, including some pregnant women that attend my regular yoga class.
Pregnant with my daughter in 2014, leaving my last check-up before giving birth
Although I come tired, once I get into the flow of stretching, breath-work, and even just sitting still for minutes at a time, I feel relaxation that I rarely feel from the constant go-go-go of my everyday life. Finally. Get. A. Moment. And. Space. To. Chill. Ahhh…..
I’m so grateful for my yoga practice. As a mom to a three and a half year old, with more baby love on the way, recently I’ve been challenged by thoughts of ‘How will I balance it all?’ I want to make sure that I dedicate the same amount of attention, time and love to each child. I wonder how I’ll navigate working from home, taking care of an infant and young child?
In the zone~a few minutes after yoga class, 2 months before giving birth to my son in 2018. Pic taken by a very sweet woman struggling with endometriosis, who said that she’s ready to start a family of her own. Keep the faith, girl.
We put our daughter in daycare early, at 6 weeks, which broke my heart. I remember whispering in her ear before dropping her off “Don’t worry, you won’t be here too long.” But we were living alone, without any family in Louisville, and both of us were working full time. Thankfully the center was just a block away, so I made sure to visit her twice a day to feed and bond with her, but it was still tough.
Dropping my girl off at daycare for the first time. Semi-smiling, but terrified. She wasn’t feeling it.
This time we have the support of family nearby, which is great, but I worry about having the ability to split my focus between baby and work. Yoga has helped me work through a lot of these thoughts. I’m much bigger this time around and moving has been challenging for me, which is new for me because I enjoy staying active. With each bend and stretch, I push myself past my preconceived threshold.
My goal is to be more mindful when it comes to mothering. More gentle, patient and selfless. I think that through holding longer poses and being more intentional about each move, it’s somehow helping me transfer that energy to my parenting. I also enjoy the feeling of Reiki and the warm energy that I often feel radiating around me during the session. I’ve experienced Reiki before, so I was a believer, but was really surprised to feel the baby move so much when I experienced it in my yoga class.
6-months pregnant with my son, at the headwrap festival at Grand Park.
A few people have also come up to me after class, asking me about my pregnancy. They’re curious as to how far along I am, whether I’m having a boy or girl, (which we’re waiting until birth to find out), and if I’m feeling ok. It’s always great to feel the love from others. It’s also interesting because most of the folks that have spoken to me don’t have children. I always ask them and the answer is, along the lines of “Nope, but I’d love to have them.” The woman who took the picture that I’m featured in above was just a year younger than me. She explained that she was suffering from endometriosis, which is not an end all, but based on our conversation, I felt like she was in the thick of a fertility challenge. I reassured her that many have successfully conceived despite of it. One woman told me that her cycle stopped before she could conceive. Another older woman says that she always wanted kids, but it never happened. I encouraged both of them to adopt, and they simply smiled and walked away.
All of the circulating energy at yoga class makes me realize the magnitude of my gift, and emphasizes the importance of holding an attitude of gratitude. It also makes me understand that the gift of life is bigger than just lil’ old me and even our little family. Perhaps it is even hope stirring in some weird, magical way.