Keeping your pelvis aligned will enhance your comfort as your uterus grows larger. When your body is aligned during pregnancy, the baby has more room to get into an optimal position for birth. You can find activities to do on our website, like our recommended Daily Activities. We also support a growing awareness among providers. Professionals trained in prenatal body work can help align the pelvis and relieve discomforts. Plus, body work often feels good!
Here’s a basic look at body work recommended by Spinning Babies®:
Prenatal massage can be relaxing and beneficial for hormonal function and relief of pregnancy discomforts — and it can also help you get better sleep. However, “prenatal massage” is not designed to improve fetal position. Therapeutic massage techniques can help improve the baby’s position with a bit of know-how.
Spinal and pelvic adjustments can reduce or resolve pregnancy discomforts such as back pain, hip pain, sciatica, and heartburn. Chiropractic helps with optimal fetal positioning by helping the pelvis to be symmetrical. This, in turn, helps the uterus to be more symmetrical. Bring this list to the chiropractor and ask for adjustments of:
Acupunture helps set the tone for a healthy labor, birth, and postpartum recovery. It also helps relieve nausea, anxiety, insomnia, and more. For the baby who is breech, acupuncture can be quite effective for helping a breech to turn, compared to waiting to see if a baby will turn head down on its own.
Acupuncture uses extremely thin needles. Sometimes you feel them, and many times you don’t. If the price tag feels limiting to you, search for community acupuncture.
CST is deeply relaxing and dramatically effective. It helps both the pregnant person and newborns. This gentle, hands-on technique releases restrictions in the body’s fascia — a thick, connective tissue layer encompassing your organs, bones, and muscles. When those restrictions are released, normal movement is restored to the fascia, which can relieve back pain, nausea, and headaches. During pregnancy, CST is wonderful for balancing the fascia of the uterus and pelvis. The practitioner uses a light touch no heavier than the weight of a nickel.
Begin slow and continue to be gentle throughout. Steadily jiggling your birth partner will begin to feel your muscles – really your tissues – will go from more stiff to become more mobile and even oscillate. Think ripples. The release will begin to spread. See more on our page on The Jiggle.
You can practice daily for 5-20 minutes throughout your pregnancy. Be gentle or moderate. Do not try to shake or force the baby into or out of any position. Trust the process.
Baby now weighs around one pound and measures about 11 inches long. Tooth buds are developing beneath the gums, while the lips and eyebrows are more distinct in appearance.
You’ve likely noticed a normal increase in vaginal discharge. You may also notice changes in your breasts, such as larger, darker nipples and areolas and more noticeable veins and bumps on your areolas. Embrace these changes as part of your healthy pregnancy!
Affirmations are short, powerful statements that can affect your conscious thoughts. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and slowly, and repeat the following to yourself each day throughout the next week. Fill yourself with breath and feel the joy:
For additional education to even further enhance your pregnancy and labor preparation, shop our extensive collection of digital downloads, videos, DVDs, workbooks, and more.