The Pregnant Woman

"What are the advantages of being flexible? Quite simply, flexibility is imperative to keep your body functioning at its optimum level. Stretching releases physical tension and, having muscles that are soft and relaxed, means that your body remains supple. Being flexible also reduces the risk of injury and aids in recuperation of existing in-jury. As a result you can enjoy a sense of empowerment---knowing that you can actually control and significantly contribute to your physical well-being.

When you stretch and become more flexible, you come to know your body and its capabilities. With this knowledge you can address your individual strengths and weaknesses. Your body is a remarkable machinery and can be readily retrained. If you begin stretching and continue to stretch, there is no doubt you will become more flexible.

Many people do not really ‘live’ in their bodies---unlike children who delight in the wondrous things their bodies allow them to do. Years of conditioning, both social land physical, can cause you to be at odds with your shape, your size, your weight, the way you look and the way you feel about yourself. Rediscovering your body and feeling all the muscles you never knew you had, will be a remarkable journey for you, just as pregnancy will be.

As your baby continues to grow and your body changes, doing these exercises will help to ‘centre’ you and keep you focussed on this incredible transformation. Stretching will also help you get to know your body, and the most important benefit of this is the realisation that your body has a remarkable ability to heal itself.

As you learn to stretch, you begin to understand that you can work through discomfort or pain. If you have a strained muscle, you realise it will heal in time. Most importantly though, you learn to trust your body, and this is the most beneficial out-come of all. As you approach labour it is important to be confident and know that you have physically prepared yourself to the best of your ability. When the momentous occasion of giving birth comes, you will have the tools to help you relax, to move freely and to ‘breathe’ your baby into the world."

Jennifer Cristaudo, Teacher, P&F Teacher, mother of two

Canberra, Australia