Birthing Strong

An early

This is me getting ready to go into the OR with a mama and her hubby. She needed to have a cesarean and I was allowed to be there as well.

It seems rare that doulas are allowed in the OR anymore (except maybe for those doulas who are already employed and known by the hospital) and I understand why - the less people in surgery the better.

This was one of those days though where I’m so thankful I was allowed “past the veil” as I called it, to support mom. In this particular occasion, dad needed support too as he came close to passing out. Let’s just say he was taller than the blue cloth drapes. These drapes hang together by mom’s chest and block her view from her c-section. In case you didn’t know, you can also request clear drapes to view your c-section and feel like you’re part of the birthing process.

…but back to dad. Dad should not have looked over the drapes, but he did anyway. He has never seen his wife this way and not only locked out his knees, but started swaying.

The next thing I know I’m leaned into his side (so he didn’t pass out on his wife), making a fist, and jamming it (punching it) into his thigh in hopes of “waking him up.” I wish I was kidding. But it worked. The anesthesiologist came over and helped me help dad into a chair.

The crazy part is that dad did NOT remember any of this. Completely blocked it out. That was his protective response. He remembered seeing his daughter for the first time though 💕

But, if you and your partner are expecting, I want to encourage you to make sure dad is ok too. Not just at the actual birth event… but after. They see EVERYTHING and hold it all in, forever. This is just another reason to have a doula IMO, but also, please encourage them to seek professional help to process what they saw and experienced, even if YOU feel like it was the best birth ever 🫶🏾 & if you need local resources, DM me and I’ll send them your way.

Happy Side-lying Friday! 🥳

On a call last week, someone asked me how I know when a mom is ready to return back to fitness postpartum?

Great question. The answer, as you all know, varies from person to person. Besides making sure she isn’t experiencing incontinence, lochia (discharge), some other core dysfunction, inflammation, or any other “unfamiliar” pain, one of my favorite indicators that I think a lot of people overlook is a side-lying hip raise, similar to a clam shell. It’s the foundation to a future side plank.

It’s one of the few movements I’ve observed that most mamas cannot do immediately postpartum. I hear this from moms pretty often post baby but they say something along the lines of: “It’s like my obliques and posterior chain completely shut off…even though I was consistently working out up until yesterday!”

Listen, it takes time for moms to feel “normal” again in their own skin and like they can trust their body once more. The side lying hip raise - and various progressions - is just one tool in my tool box to help mamas return to movement and it’s a good one!

Ps. No, I don’t always coach with a baby in my arms, but I sure do love it…. If you couldn’t tell! 🥰