You’ve hit the final stretch - and so has your belly! Your third trimester is such an exciting time. You are full-speed ahead on nesting, you feel those large movements while the baby rolls and kicks, and you’ve got your hospital bag packed and ready!
Chances are, though, that this third trimester also has you feeling a bit sore. That beautiful life that you are creating has shifted your center of gravity so the pressure is sitting on different parts of your body. Your body is also preparing for birth by creating a special hormone, relaxin, that loosens your joints.
These three stretches will help you find relief from that sore feeling. A bonus is that they also help your body prep for labor! To feel the most comfortable doing these movements, I recommend using a yoga mat and listening to your body. Stop the movement, immediately, if it feels uncomfortable.
Here are the Top 3 Stretches for Third Trimester Pain
During your third trimester, the goal is to find comfort, but also prepare your body for birth. These movements will help stretch out tight muscles and bring mobility to your hips to prepare your body for labor.
Happy baby: Start laying on your back. Try to get your entire spine on the ground, so as much as the base of your head, upper back, and lower back as you can. Find a place on your legs to hold - maybe the back of your thighs, your heels, or your calves and pull your legs towards you. Take deep breaths and imagine that you’re elongating your spine. The top of your head reaching in one direction and your bottom reaching in the other. If it feels right, you can rock side to side, extend one leg out or move your hips to mobilize them. This movement will feel great in your hips!
Segmental Cat-Cow; This movement opens your chest and your back. Focus on your breathing! To begin this movement, you will be on your hands and knees. As you take a deep breath in, drop your belly towards the ground to arch your back. Then exhale and curve your back towards the sky. Feel free to wiggle around in either position. Listen to your body and do what feels good for you at the moment! This is also a great movement to try during labor!
Hip Range of Motion: Before you start this one, commit to listening to your body. In the third trimester your joints are looser than before so as you perform these hip mobility movements, STOP if it feels uncomfortable. Just like in cat-cow, start this movement on your hands and knees. Life your right knee to be parallel with the floor and bring your heel towards your butt. As you are able, rotate your leg in every direction. The goal is to encourage your hip to have a good range of motion as you prepare to labor.
BirthFit Movements During Pregnancy
These stretches and movements are part of a workshop offered in Jacksonville, FL. BirthFit! workshops are designed for prenatal and postpartum women to strengthen - or build the foundation of - their core.
That strong core will help you comfortably adapt to weight shifts during pregnancy, will help your body during labor, and will serve as a foundation for postpartum recovery.
BirthFit workshops in Jacksonville are hosted by Dr. Cristina Padilla. The workshops are hosted in an intimate group setting where each woman gets the hands-on support that they need.
The waitlist gets FIRST DIBS on these intimate workshops. Join the list to get notified when and where upcoming workshops will take place!