Prenatal Shoulder Stand

Shoulder stands have always been a key part of my practice. With benefits like balancing hormones, aiding proper circulation, increasing energy, strengthening the upper body and increasing flexibility how could I not love the way it makes me feel. With a growing belly I needed to figure out how to make this asana accessible as my pregnancy progressed. I made a quick little video of how to get in and out of this pose safely with a big belly.

If you are pregnant and have never practiced Shoulder stands before it is best to seek guidance and advice from an experienced teacher. This would not be something I would teach in a regular prenatal class aimed at beginners.

30 Weeks

This week I celebrated 1 year without alcohol, caffeine or pharmaceutical drugs. One year ago Dave and I decided that we were ready to begin preconception care in preparation for bringing another person into this world. Dave went 6 months without alcohol, caffeine or pharmaceutical drugs and only reintroduced them after finding out I was pregnant. I am so proud of his dedication to preconception care and to the life of this new little person we are growing. I know I'm doing our baby and myself the world of good by sticking with a healthy diet and lifestyle and I'm happy that I have a family that supports me through it all.

I tire more easily now but I still manage to practice yoga every day and keep up with all the other  things in life that I need to keep on top of. I never have any aches or pains which I'm sure is because of my healthy diet and daily yoga practice so at 30 weeks everything is going along well.

I feel the baby hiccup more often now and get feet and hands poked in all kinds of places. I love feeling the baby move around and I always make sure I give my belly a nice rub when I feel a bottom or a foot poking out. The baby's digestive tract is fully functional now and his/her eye sight is developing slowly.  

 

Yoni Mudra

Yoni means womb and Mudra means gesture. Performing Yoni Mudra during meditation assists you in becoming familiar with your body's inner workings and achieving inner peace. Meditation is great preparation for labour and motherhood, even just a few minutes a day will help centre you and calm your busy mind. Here's a link with some more information http://suite101.com/article/the-yoni-mudra-meditation-technique-a403361 

29 Weeks

Over the past month of so I have had a lot of Braxton Hicks Contractions. I know that it's just my body preparing itself for labour but it's really exhausting at times, it's never painful- just exhausting. I find that walking brings them on unless I'm wandering around nice and slow.

The baby is lying quite low in my pelvis which can make sitting uncomfortable. If I've had a particularly uncomfortable day I just call it quits and read in bed. I don't get a sore back and now that the weather has cooled down a bit I don't get leg cramps or fluid retention. I've managed to keep up with my yoga routine and have plenty of energy, although I am feeling I need to rest more often now and I'm feeling my life just slow down a little- it's nice to just spend time relaxing and enjoying my baby. I still feel like I have plenty of space for my lungs and I make an effort to practice pranayama and deep breathing every day.

My belly is beautifully soft with all the coconut oil and cocoa butter I lavish it with daily. I made the most divine belly balm with equal parts coconut oil and cocoa butter with a few drops of grapefruit oil. My belly smells like a big jaffa when I use it.

My breasts can be quite leaky at times. I'm looking forward to nursing a little baby again.

The baby is very active these days, some days I get kicks in my liver which makes me jump. The baby is now gaining more weight than height- about 15g per day.

Butterfly Belly

I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than having my little girl draw pictures on my belly. It was a great little bonding experience for India, the baby and I.

We used water colour pencils dipped in water- great for fine detail and lots of beautiful colours.

 

Matching bellies! 

28 Weeks

This past week has been a bit of a challenge with the heat wave here in Melbourne. I haven't had a lot of sleep which means I've been getting tired quicker during the day. I've had a couple of leg cramps again on the really hot nights but I'm pretty good at relaxing through it now so they aren't as intense as the first couple I had at the start of the hot weather. The end of the heat wave is in sight though, it is now 10am and 4 degrees cooler then it was at 7am. Looking forward to some gorgeous autumn days.

I did a photo shoot for a friend who's starting her photography business and getting a portfolio together. I had a great afternoon but was exhausted by the end of it. Photos to come soon!

I'm rhesus negative and again have decided against the prenatal anti-d injections. I chose to have one after India was born just to be on the safe side but through research I have come to the conclusion that at this point I don't need unnecessary injections. I would consider having the injection if I had some kind of accident that made the possibility of the baby's blood passing into mine more likely but since I haven't fallen down the stairs or been involved in any other accident I believe it is not necessary at this time. Here's a link to some good info on anti-d and being rhesus negative if you happen to be in the same boat as me http://www.homebirth.net.au/2008/04/anti-d.html

I've noticed the baby hiccuping a couple of times over the past week as well as what feels more like coughing. The baby is about 37-40cm long now and weighs about 1.3kg. The baby feels like it is definitely sticking with the head down position now and I get all the kicks on the right side of my belly just like I did with India in the later stages of pregnancy.

 

Still enjoying the lightness that yoga brings to my life. I'm paying very close attention to how my body feels in this later stage of pregnancy and modifying my practice where I need to.

Raspberry Leaf

Raspberry leaf tea is a well know prenatal tonic. It tones your uterus as well as provides vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, E and the B complex that are easily assimilated.

Some people advise not to take raspberry leaf until the last 3 months of pregnancy but others say it is safe during the whole pregnancy. It has been suggested that during the first trimester one cup daily (or at least 5 times per week) is the ideal dose, two cups daily for the second trimester and three cups daily for the third trimester. I have been having raspberry leaf tea daily since a few months before conception.

A hot cup of tea might be the last thing you want in the middle of summer but I have discovered that iced raspberry leaf tea with nettle and peppermint is amazingly refreshing (and also helps to keep your fluids up on those hot days). You can make up a pot of tea the night before and put it in the fridge so you have super cold tea all day.

Here's a great blog post on raspberry leaf if you want to read more.
http://journeytocrunchville.wordpress.com/2008/07/28/red-raspberry-leaf-tea-what-every-pregnant-woman-needs/

And don't forget, you don't have to be pregnant (or female!) to reap the benefits of raspberry leaf.

Knitting

I've been busy over the past few months making beautiful little things for our little baby.

In keeping with our wish for all our baby clothes to be made from organic and sustainable materials I made this beautiful little onesie from organic cotton yarn and shell buttons.
Here's where I got the yarn... http://ecoyarns.com.au/
And here's where I found the pattern... http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gift-wrap-romper--sweater

 

I made this beautiful cardigan from some wool yarn in my stash.
Here's where I found the pattern (it's free too!). http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/puerperium-cardigan

 

Here's some great little pants from another free pattern (found here: http://ymymmytm.blogspot.com.au/2008/03/kanoko-pants.html). I made also made these from some wool yarn I found in my stash.

I've also been making wash cloths from some brand new cotton yarn I picked up in an op-shop. It's the perfect project to take on the train for school drop offs and pick ups. I've knitted each one in a different pattern, partly because it's fun and partly because it's a good way to try out different stitch patterns. I still have plenty of yarn left so I'll keep at it until I run out, and besides, you can never have too many wash cloths with a little one around.

There are many more things on my to make list, much of my inspiration comes from trawling Pinterest. Here's a link to my profile if you want to check out some awesome patterns and great ideas that I've come across. http://pinterest.com/kariedwards/

27 Weeks

I had my first antenatal appointment last week. I was right about where I thought the placenta was (in the top left part of my uterus) which is why sitting is sometimes uncomfortable because the baby has no choice but to be low in my pelvis. It's looking like I will probably end up getting a local midwife instead of our beautiful midwife from Adelaide, it's all a bit complicated and I don't want things to be up in the air when the due date nears.

I've been enjoying yoga and have lots more energy with this slightly cooler weather.

I just realised that this baby doesn't get hiccups the way India did when she was in my belly. I get most kicks on the right side of my belly like I did with India. I love watching my belly poke out in places as the baby moves around.

The little one weighs about 875g- 1kg now and is around 38 cm from head to toe. Born now this little one would have an 85% chance of surviving but I'd like to keep it in there a little longer. So much brain growth happening at the moment as well as lungs preparing themselves for the outside world.