Prenatal Yoga: 5 Useful Tips

Experts advise expectant mothers to exercise for at least 30 minutes at least five days a week. Although walking is the exercise recommended by most health professionals, sometimes pregnant women want to change their exercise routine to something else. Other options that are recommended for all healthy expectant mothers include swimming, maternity fitness, and prenatal yoga. These are great alternatives to walking that are not only good for pregnant women, but also for their babies. Yoga is also good because you can do it at home or in the park – and continue to do it even after giving birth. It has tons of benefits if you follow the safety tips.

Here are tips for expectant moms to avoid harming themselves and their baby while practicing prenatal yoga.

Beware of overheating

When practicing yoga during pregnancy, it’s important to remember not to overheat. Doctors warn: When pregnant women overheat, not only can they experience cramps, nausea, dizziness, and more, but the baby is at higher risk for birth defects if the internal body temperature remains too high for too long. And the first trimester also increases the risk of miscarriage if the mother-to-be overheats.

This is why doctors do not recommend hot baths during pregnancy.

So if you are exercising intensely, choose a place near an open window or door, or a fan, to prevent the temperature from rising to unsafe levels. Yoga studios and gyms that have no ventilation can cause problems for pregnant women, especially during the warm season, and should be avoided.

There are many different types of yoga that can be practiced. Because some studios do not offer yoga for pregnant women per se, there are forms of yoga that can be performed safely without overheating.

Keep an eye on hydration

It may not seem like stretching will cause your body to dehydrate, but according to fitness experts, yoga can cause you to lose 0.88 to 2,645.5 pounds of weight due to water evaporation during a regular class. Having a water bottle on hand and taking frequent sips during your workout can help avoid dehydration.

It is also known that metabolic processes are activated during exercise, which means that the kidneys have to work with the load, cleansing the blood of decay products. And they, too, will benefit from drinking plenty of fluids – before, during and after yoga to maintain hydration levels.

Perhaps the most important argument for moms-to-be is that hydration prevents pregnancy fatigue, overheating and headaches. So, drink more when you are active. Your body and baby will appreciate it.

Positions on your stomach and on your back are not for you

During the first trimester, women can safely lie on their backs and stomachs as long as their bodies have not begun to change rapidly and as long as they feel comfortable in these poses. However, after the twelfth week of pregnancy, being in any of these poses during yoga classes is prohibited.

Starting from the second trimester, when a woman lies on her back, the enlarged uterus squeezes a large blood vessel. As a result of squeezing this inferior vena cava, blood flow to the mother’s heart and to the baby is reduced. If it occurs infrequently, it generally has no serious consequences. However, according to the organization, there have been studies that have shown an increased risk of stillbirth when the mother is on her back for long periods of time.     

Pregnant women may also begin to feel dizzy due to decreased blood flow. Thus, it is recommended to stay away from lying on your back.    

As for the abdomen, when it grows a little bigger than usual, lying on it becomes uncomfortable. This can also increase the pressure on the uterus, and therefore such asanas should be avoided.

Check for changes

Since pregnant women are not allowed to lie on their backs or stomachs during yoga classes, you should check with your trainer to see which asanas can still be done to achieve the desired stretch. Some changes will be completely unlike the original movements, while others may require the use of blocks to support the back or arms while performing the asana.

You should also avoid poses that require strong upward extensions of the arms or excessive twisting. They can squeeze the space in which the baby is growing, causing discomfort and provoking uterine tone.

In case of balance problems, uses additional support

Around the middle of pregnancy, when the belly becomes significantly larger, the body’s center of balance changes. And because of this, the possibility of falling and injury increases – both when walking and when practicing yoga, you should use supports to keep it from falling.

Chair backs, ballet machines, or even just practicing near a wall to be able to lean on can help pregnant women during yoga classes. Tell the instructor that you need extra support; they, too, most often have something to help. And don’t let these small limitations stop you from enjoying and benefiting from the class!

According to numerous studies, the practice of prenatal yoga during pregnancy offers many benefits for expectant mothers. As experts at Mercy Hospital have proven, its effects are very diverse: from boosting mood and preventing depression, reducing the risk of high blood pressure, reducing back and leg pain, reducing stress and anxiety, and easing childbirth.

There are many reasons why experts advise expectant mothers to try prenatal yoga. And if a woman listens to her body and makes sure that exercise does not threaten her or her baby’s health, there is no reason to give up prenatal yoga until the birth. And after that, you can go back to your workout with your baby.