Kathleen Donahoe, Oh Baby! Fitness COO, guest posted on the Lamaze Science and Sensibility blog about the five steps Childbirth Educators and Doulas can take to teach their clients how to push out their babies. In it she writes, “Since
A couple of my clients have work trips coming up and asked if I could share some workouts they could perform in a hotel room. I wanted to share with you guys what I came up with– these are great
Oh Baby! Fitness co-owner Kathleen Donahoe was recently interviewed by Happy Babies Parent Education about postpartum recovery—specifically cores and floors (pelvic ones, that is!)
Wraps and Belts and supports, oh my! In general, we don’t recommend too many products here at Oh Baby! Fitness—we think babies need a place to sleep and some food to eat, but not much beyond that, and we never want to tell new moms “you must buy this one magical product, or else!” That said, there are two products that we get asked about a ton and recommend for some clients- the pregnancy support belt and the postpartum belly wrap. These may seem similar, but are actually very different products that can help with very different conditions. Here’s a primer:
Sciatic pain is a common occurrence during pregnancy- but that doesn’t mean you should have to suffer through it! We’ve had clients (and instructors) who had to be put on bed rest while pregnant because the pain was so excruciating that they were unable to walk. It’s no joke! I wanted to share some things you can try to help alleviate the pain.
Question: I weigh less than I did when before I got pregnant, but I look bigger. What’s up with that?
“Before I got pregnant, I was in a pretty active rhythm, incorporating a combination of strength training, warm yoga fusion, and Pilates classes into each week. I was able to maintain most of that routine for the first trimester, but I’m starting to hit some walls recently. I get fatigued more easily, recovery takes longer, and a lot of different kinds of movement are becoming uncomfortable or even impossible for me to perform. So I have two questions: (a) at this point, and going forward, what are the types of movement that are NOT safe for me and the baby? And (b), what are some effective exercises to replace the things that are no longer safe?
Dear Kathleen- I am having a scheduled C-section, so I already know that my post-delivery recovery time will be several weeks. When can I expect to be able to really exercise again? When will I be able to just go on a walk around my neighborhood? Any tips for recovering my pre-pregnancy shape as soon as healthily possible? What’s the best way to deal with getting my belly back to its normal size?
We call the first three months of a baby’s life the fourth trimester because they often act like they want to be back in the womb, but it’s also the fourth trimester for the mom. Her body is experiencing many of the same physiological realities of pregnancy (the hormone relaxin, stretched out abdominals, back pain) AND also trying to recover from childbirth. For moms the fourth trimester is a massive physical challenge, on top of also being a sleep deprived, hormone-fueled emotional roller coaster.
Peter and I went to our first mom and baby yoga class today. I’m still nervous when taking him out—not knowing if he’ll fuss or cry or what. But he surprised me a in a way I really wasn’t expecting in class today…