How to Protect your Postpartum Body from Falling Apart

We are so excited to be offering a brand new workshop/series in our space next month: New Parent Ergonomics Workshop and Series.  Taught by Robin Naughton, owner of Breathe Fitness, expectant parents and parents of newborns/infants/toddlers will learn practical exercises to protect their bodies from breakdown (due to repetitive movements from typical parent-related tasks) and tips on how to integrate them into your everyday routine.

Here is an excerpt from Robin, talking about her new workshop/series!

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All pregnancies are different.  All babies are different.  You know what’s not different?  The repetitive stresses of caring for your new little bundle of joy and the subsequent new parent aches, pains, and injuries.

Sadly I’ve yet to talk to a new parent who was given a heads up about proper parent ergonomics… no birthing class, midwife, OB/gyn, or fitness professionals seem to even really mention much about it.  Often postnatal care is baby-centered: proper positioning for their best latch, proper leg placement for healthy hips in a carrier, the ideal angle to avoid flat head or reflux. Now don't get me wrong, all of these are incredibly important for our babies' health and development, but what about the parents? Who teaches us how to take care of our own bodies in our new, incredibly demanding (and rewarding), role as new parents? 

All babies need to be fed, held, transported, comforted, and played with, and these are just the basics.  I had a friend who’s baby would only fall asleep if he was manually swinging him… in his carseat!  The lengths we’ll go to to keep our babies happy, calm, quiet, or asleep, can get pretty crazy.  The resulting wear and tear on our bodies, as parents, is no joke when you consider that all of these tasks are repeated multiple times a day, every day, for many many days (years seems overwhelming to say). 

Now, any parent that’s gotten the flu or stomach bug knows that babies’ needs don’t just magically diminish when we’re not feeling well.  The same goes for when we get hurt.  My baby is a sweet loving little angel but she doesn’t care that I have a torn rotator cuff.  She still needs me to carry her to and from the car, get her in and out of the crib, feed her, and change her diapers.  So what are we supposed to do?   How do we help our bodies heal and not make things worse?


Click here to read more about the ABCDE's of not breaking your body while keeping your baby happy and healthy

 

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Ready to protect your postpartum body from falling apart???  Don't miss Robin's workshop and 4-week series at the San Diego Breastfeeding Center.

To sign up for Robin Naughton's New Parent Ergonomics Workshop on April 21, 2018, click here.

To sign up for Robin Naughton's New Parent Ergonomics 4 week series on Monday mornings in May, click here.