Monday, June 24, 2013

Which Maternity Support will you use?

I know there are many kinds of maternity supports out there.  Some to just wrap around your waist and to discretely hide under your clothes.  Right now I'm wearing the BellyBra which not only hides extremely well underneath clothes, it supports my body and my ever-growing 7 month belly so I can get the support and comfort I need while doing my daily activities.  




Here is one of the awesome BellyBras.  You can choose from a nude color, like the one above, or black or white.  The thick elastic on the bottom is 2 inches long and is shorter in the back so the front fits underneath your belly for a slight/gentle lift feeling.  I loved how comfortable the lift was for my stomach and really relieved some of the weight on my back.



Here is the front and back of the BellyBra, as you can see, it has a built in bra with elastic under the bust.  This maternity support also has a full panel covering the stomach which I think looks smooth and comfortable under clothing like shirts and dresses. As you can see in the back, the elastic is higher and rests in your lower back and the back has a panel that is a 1-way stretch that gently pulls shoulders back.  No hooks or other metals to push against your skin and machine washable!


Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga During Pregnancy

During this pregnancy my working out is extremely limited. There is a huge list of activities to avoid while pregnant, so the two kinds of exercising I do now in my third trimester includes walking and prenatal yoga.

Both of these are low risk for problems to me and the baby and still keeps me active without overdoing it.

Prenatal yoga benefits from the Mayo Clinic: 
Improve sleep
Reduce stress and anxiety
Increase the strength, flexibility and endurance of muscles needed for childbirth
Decrease lower back pain, nausea, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches and shortness of breath
Decrease the risk of preterm labor, pregnancy-induced hypertension and intrauterine growth restriction

Right now I'm using the Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga video in the middle (blue video).  I love how I can determine my pace for a 15, 30, 40, & 75 minute practice depending on the day and how I feel.  I'll even start the 75 minute practice and after 25-30 minutes pause the video and start there the next day/time. The other two videos have other options you can choose from as well.  

I really like how there are three people in the video doing the poses (one in first, second, and third trimester) so I can follow based on my trimester or my capabilities.  This especially helps me from overdoing it or trying to move in ways my body can't right now.  The short forms give modifications, labor poses, and yoga practices.  I'm really excited to use some of the poses I learned during labor.
From using the videos, I have felt more relaxed and particularly calm about giving birth, from stretching out it has helped my muscles particularly during the night, and I have slept better when I have done some kind of yoga during the day.


Order now to prepare your body for labor, childbirth, and postpartum recovery. Videos from the Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga site start around $13.95 and again are so easy to do from home whenever you have time.