The information
provided in this video is for educational resources only.
It is not intended to serve as a recommendation for the treatment
or management of any medical condition.
During pregnancy, you may experience difficulty
finding a comfortable sleeping position due to back hip, belly or pelvic pain.
In this video you will be shown positioning techniques and use of pillows
to improve your quality of sleep, decrease pain
and pressure and support your body.
You will also be shown different sitting and standing positions
to help transition when you're in pain.
If you experience low back pain while sleeping, elevate your head
and trunk with pillows up to five or six
underneath your head and your shoulders
or wedge to prop yourself up into a semi reclined position.
Placing pillows under your knees can also relieve the pressure in your lower back.
You can place pillows under your elbows
if needed, for support through your arms and shoulders.
Wedge will be available at prosthetics
if needed to help with sleep quality
and improving pain management.
Another complaint Women have during pregnancy
is that they'll experience pain when they're moving from lying down
to sitting, or they're rolling from one side to the other side in the bed.
When you're moving from a lying down or side
lying position to a sitting position, I want you to keep your legs
together, come towards the edge of the bed,
and then as you drop your legs down,
use your upper body and your arms to push you up at the same time.
This can allow support through the pelvis
and the hips and lower back.
You can also do that when you're about to go to bed as well. So
use your arms to support as you lower yourself down
and then lift your legs up by keeping your knees together.
If you're moving from one side of the bed and rolling
to the other side, I want you to keep your knees together
and I want you to turn over to your back in one motion.
Could and then you continue to roll using that same motion,
keeping those knees together and rolling as one unit
through your spine.
During or following pregnancy, you may experience pain when you move
from sitting to standing, rolling in bed, or getting in and out of the car.
During this video, you'll be shown how to use your abdominal muscles
and your pelvic floor muscles to help support your pelvis as you move
throughout your day.
The transverse abdominal muscle is the deepest layer of the abdomen,
and it acts like a corset to provide stability to your spine and pelvis.
It attaches from the sternum and ribs to the pelvis and spine.
When you contract this muscle, it should feel as if your lower abdomen
is tightening, as if you're trying to button genes that are too tight.
So when we're performing, this will have you start with an inhale.
As you
exhale, draw the bellybutton towards your spine,
allowing for tightening and lift of the lower belly
to tell if you're doing this correctly.
Place your hands on your hip bones and feel the muscles
tighten under your fingers.
So the process would be.
Inhale.
Exhale as you tighten.
as if you're feeling
the lift of your lower belly.
If you feel like you're flexing forward or your rib cage is bulging
to the sides, you're giving me a little too much activation.
this tightening should be about 30 to 50% of what you expect.
You should still be able to move and perform your activities while tightening.
You can perform this contraction along with all of your exercises
and movements, including rolling from side to side in bed
and also going from a lying down position to sitting position.
We'll also incorporate it with other movements as we learn them.
The other component to good
pelvic support is using your pelvic floor muscles
for a contraction otherwise known as a cable.
When you're doing a kegel, what I'd like you to do is inhale.
And as you're exhaling, I want you to tighten or squeeze
as if you're trying to stop the flow of urine or trying to stop from passing gas.
You shouldn't be able to tell
that you're doing a key goal from outside observation.
So there should be a gentle lift
between your anal opening and your vaginal opening.
I want you to squeeze and hold on the exhale
for 3 seconds.
If you're using your glutes or feel yourself lifting off the chair
or squeezing your abductors, you're just trying a little too hard.
I want you to back off how hard you're trying to squeeze
and really feel the isolation between your legs.
Women who are sitting for long periods of time
or have a job that require sitting will report pain in their buttocks,
in their pelvis, and sometimes in their pubic bone
for proper support.
Try to sit with your knees at a 90 degree angle,
your feet supported on the floor, and then what's called pelvic neutral.
So your pelvis shouldn't be tilting forward, arching your back.
You should be slumped backwards in your chair, creating strain on the back.
So try to find your sit bones
and create a neutral position where your pelvis isn't tilting.
If you need support, you can use a rolled up towel and place
on the lower part of your back
to allow
for that rest while staying in that pelvic neutral position.
Try not to lean to one side or cross your legs,
since this will increase strain on the muscles in your back and hips.
From sitting to standing,
I want you to use that to contraction that we just learned.
And the key goal
and I want you to place your weight evenly through your legs
as you lean forward to stand up, jiggle tummy, and stand up with an exhale,
even weight distribution through your legs.
Same with sitting.
I want you to feel and use your TA and then sit back down.
Reach for the chair if you need it.
If you need to stand throughout your day, it's important to look at your posture.
I need you to try to evenly disperse your weight
between your legs and your feet.
I want you to look at your toes,
make sure they're pointing forward and one's not out to the side.
You should feel the weight in your heels and midfoot
versus your toes as you move up from your feet.
Look at your knees.
Make sure that they're soft and not locked.
And then we go up to your pelvis, make sure that your belly is not pulling
you forward and your hips are stacked underneath of your rib cage.
If your bottom is sticking out to try to decrease the strain on your lower back,
tuck your buttocks in just a little bit, allowing for a natural curvature
in your spine,
going up
from your rib cage stacked underneath your pelvis.
Look at your shoulders.
Make sure they're relaxed.
And then the down back position.
Having those shoulder blades slide down your back, your neck
and your chin and your head should be in alignment with your spine.
Your neck and chin shouldn't be poking out in front of you, but tucked in slightly.
Again, looking at your back, make sure your legs are straight.
Your toes are pointing forward that pelvis isn't tipping back or front.
There we go.
And the shoulder blades are nice, rested backwards towards your back pockets,
looking at your shoulders, make sure that they're not up towards your ear
or that they're not rolled forward, that they're just resting gently down and back.
This can take some getting used to.
It's awkward in the beginning for people to change their posture,
but this will allow for improved support throughout your body.
When walking, it is common to hear about the pregnancy swaddle.
When you're shifting from side to side, which can increase the strain
on your pelvis and your muscles to decrease the amount of sway
from side to side.
Start with your toes pointing forward and shift away
from your heel, pushing off into your toes as you're walking.
Making sure to engage your buttocks with every step
which will allow for that extra support.
You should see an up and down motion when you walk instead of a side
to side motion squeezing those glutes when you get in and out of the car.
Most people use one leg to stand up on,
but for pain management.
Swing both legs out of the car.
Use your even weight bearing strategy.
Push yourself up.
Standing up, using your stomach for bracing.
When you sit back down in the car.
Face your buttocks towards the seats.
Use your arms to lower your down weight, bearing evenly through the legs.
And then bringing both legs into the car at the same time.
This will create pelvic stability
and will improve support into your limbo pelvic region.