Pregnancy Loss. Miscarriage. A taboo subject that is too often hidden in silence. I was blissfully naive in my first two pregnancies, knowing there was a risk but carrying both my boys to past 40 weeks with no worries about losing the pregnancy. In fact, I suffered from HG (hyperemesis gravadarum) and had many people tell me being 'sick' was a good sign. I have now suffered two miscarriages in the past 6 months. The most recent, at the end of January, was preceeded by almost a month of debilitating nausea and severe food aversions that gave me a false sense of security about the pregnancy. After both losses, I felt very disconnected from my body. Betrayed. Movement has been instrumental in helping me regain the connection of my heart, mind and body. The physical recovery after miscarriage will depend a lot on how far along you were, if you miscarried naturally or needed medical intervention, how much blood you lost, etc. There is no set time limit for emotional recovery. Please seek out medical care as needed. I can only speak to my own experience after 6 week and 9.5 week losses. The following exercises helped me start moving again, and reconnect to my body after a physically and emotionally traumatic experience. Connection Breath/Thoracic Deep Breathing Lie comfortably on your back, bolstering your head and shoulders as needed (a half foam roller or rolled up towel or blanket work well). With one hand on your belly and one hand on the side of your ribcage, inhale and notice where your breath goes. Do your ribs expand? Does your belly rise? Aim to feel more air in your ribs and less all in your belly. As you exhale, slowly and completely until you have no more breath to push out, notice if you feel a reflexive tightening of your core and/or pelvic floor. Breathing in this way simply helps you connect your breath to the function of your core and pelvic floor. It helps you tune in to the sensations in the ribcage, abdomen and pelvic floor muscles. Psoas Release Bolster your head and shoulders so that your torso is high enough that your hamstrings make full contact with the floor (legs are straight). Place the bolstering (pillows, blankets) so that your lower ribs are able to reach towards the ground and your shoulders and neck are supported. Let the front of your ribs relax into the flesh of your abdomen. Breathe, allowing the back of your ribs to relax down towards the floor. This is not an active stretch - you may not feel anything. It is simply putting your body in a position where your psoas is able to relax. Legs on the Wall Lie on your back with your legs on a wall. Back away from the wall as much as necessary to allow your pelvis to be in neutral (not tucked or untucked) and bolster your head and shoulders as necessary. Allow your legs to make a 'V' on the wall. Breathe. Move your legs in and out of the 'V' as needed. Abdominal Release After both miscarriages, I found myself retreating to the ingrained habit of holding tension in my abdomen after working very diligently in the past few years to overcome it. Start on your hands and knees, and allow your belly to r-e-l-a-x. Let it all hang out. Check to make sure your hands are under your shoulders and your knees are under your hips. Then check in again with your abdomen - has it 'sucked in' again without you even thinking about it? Constantly holding tension in our abdomen negatively affects the function of the core and pelvic floor musculature. Let it hang out! You want your core to engage as necessary based on the loads placed upon it, not to constantly be under pressure. Bolstered Pullover This exercise is great because you can change the weight of whatever you are holding to increase or decrease the intensity. Lie on your back, bolstered as needed, and keeping your ribs stabilized (don't let them thrust), lift and lower the object over your head with arms straight. Click Clack I use a half foam roller for this exercise, but if you don't have one, sitting on a chair on a rolled up blanket or towel will work. Sitting on something (low stool, chair) will decrease the work needed in the hip flexors for this exercise. Place the half foam roller under your 'sit' bones with the rounded side down. Place your feet on the floor in front of you with bent knees. With your hands on the outside of your knees, lean back until your arms are straight. Tuck and untuck your pelvis, leading the move by digging your heels into the ground. Do not thrust your ribs and do not pull with your arms (keep them straight). Only your pelvis is moving. Calf Stretch Stand beside the half foam roller/half dome (or a rolled up towel or pool noodle) and place the ball of your foot on the apex of the dome. Align your feet so the outside edges are straight. Start with the foot not on the dome behind you, and slowly inch forward until you feel a gentle stretch in the back of your calf. Depending on the tension in your calves, your foot not on the dome may be behind you, beside the dome, or slightly in front of the dome. The length of your calves affect the position of your pelvis. This is a stretch I try to do multiple times a day. With extra sitting while recovering from miscarriage, I found my calves got really tight. Crawling Start on your hands and knees, making sure your wrists are directly under your shoulders and your knees are under your hips. Keep your pelvis and ribs in neutral. Inhale, and halfway through the exhale when you start to feel your reflexive core kick in, lift one hand 1” off the floor. Continue to breathe! Repeat with the other hand, then one knee at a time. If your wrists aren't used to bearing the weight of your upper body, you can bolster them as needed with rolled up yoga mat or use ‘fists’. - Progress to lifting one hand and the opposite knee at the same time. - Progress to slow crawling, forwards and backwards, paying attention to your breathing and core engagement. Crawling is a fantastic exercise to build core strength! Walking Getting outside for a walk helps not just physically, but emotionally as well. Fresh air, nature and the coordination of many muscles and systems helped me to reconnect to my body. To help me trust my body again. Even short walks (my first was a few houses up and back), can help to encourage healing. Listen to your body. You will know when you are ready to increase the length of your walks. For me, it was a good two weeks before I could walk for more than 10 minutes after my most recent loss. After the first loss, I felt fine after a few days. This list of exercises is helpful to those who are recovering from a pregnancy loss, but are also a good start for anyone wanting to improve the function of their core and pelvic floor. If you have experienced a pregnancy loss and are suffering alone, please reach out. Although miscarriage is common, it is a heart-breaking loss. Questions? Comments? Please share!
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AuthorRosanna Taylor, MSc, RES-CPT Archives
April 2024
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