How Long Can I Do Aerial Arts While Pregnant

April 26, 2022 Post a Comment

In general, aerialists are told that combining aeriform and pregnancy is a risky combo. Pregnancy is always at the top of the list of contraindications for class. But, there is very petty information online (at the time of this publication) virtually exactly what is risky and what is non. The few web log posts by aeriform acrobats describing their own experiences of training through their own pregnancies are anecdotal and mostly refer to acrobatics and not aerial yoga.

So, is it ever ok to use a hammock during pregnancy? What almost labor? Let's dive in to the stages of pregnancy, and use some mutual sense to examine what might help or damage expectant moms…

Peak 3 RISKS:
My 3 biggest concerns about moms-to-be using an aerial hammock are nausea, fall run a risk, and connective tissue harm. Scarily, the easiest injuries to create in a hammock while pregnant are things you lot probably wouldn't fifty-fifty discover until AFTER you give nascence: intestinal separation, articulation harm, or spinal ligament stretching (leading to spinal instability and disc injury). I know aerial yogis that have skillful during pregnancy. Some were fine, and some realized only AFTER birth that they had overdone information technology … and and so had to deal with the reality of diastasis (farthermost abdominal wall separation) or spinal injury and unstable discs.

First Trimester:
Contrary to what you might call up, the kickoff trimester is actually one of the riskiest times in pregnancy. Your infant is trying to implant itself securely into the tissue of your womb, then sudden jolts and falls can be unsafe. Luckily, your body starts producing hormones that ordinarily result in you feeling nauseous, dissuading you from doing also much physically, thus helping to keep babe safe.

In my intro classes over the years I've had pregnant students (first trimester) attend without admitting they are pregnant. I accept witnessed many of them become severely nauseous from the swaying motility of seaweed or forrard/back swinging, especially coupled with the skin pressure level and pull of the fascia. All of them at some point ran to the bath to throw upwardly. Needless to say, this is definitely not the time to start a regular aerial yoga practice, UNLESS it's specifically designed for significant women. (That topic is addressed later in this article…)

At the end of the outset trimester, the amount of relaxin (the hormone that makes your connective tissue more than elastic) spikes to its highest levels during pregnancy. Why? It'southward your trunk'southward way of helping things loosen up to prepare for nativity. Pregnant woman often comment on how flexible they feel (although it's not noticeable to all women). When working with a hammock, there is a much greater risk of dissentious the connective tissue through passive stretching and small stumbles.

While muscle tissue repairs easily and fascia rebuilds itself daily, in one case y'all stretch a ligament or tendon beyond its normal range, it does not "unstretch." The body may eventually repair itself by creating new connective tissue, merely this is a long procedure and if you accept ever damaged a human knee or shoulder, you empathize how long and difficult the recovery path can be. This is why y'all'll often come across modifications in regular floor prenatal yoga that involve lightly engaging the muscles (creating an active stretch) to protect the joints around it. In Unnata Aerial Yoga, we oftentimes utilise the hammock for longer holds of postures to unwind tension or holding patterns in the body. This (forth with proper strengthening) helps us create and maintain healthier alignment. For pregnant women, there is a real danger in passively hanging their weight off a fixed point of the body.

2d Trimester:
This is the menstruum where your pregnancy starts to feel visibly real. More than likely your energy will get back up in the 2d trimester, but free energy levels will shift every day. It's generally accepted and recommended by the ACOG that woman should not lie flat on their backs later the third month. Many adult female notice it to be ok for a few minutes, simply not more. Why? When reclined, the weight of the infant can cut off its own blood/oxygen supply!

In addition to avoiding compression of the abdomen (through twisting or deep forward folds) this trimester brings a much greater risk of over-stretching the abdominals wall (through actual stretching OR muscular use) and can lead to diastasis recti. After pregnancy, moms are normally left with a bit of separation between the right and left abdominals considering the linea alba (the connective tissue down your eye) has stretched out. A cm or two is considered normal simply when this gap becomes larger, this creates instability in the body and can lead to other injuries in the back and pelvis. When you are meaning and y'all over utilise your abdominal muscles, this pulls on the linea alba, stretching it thinner. There can exist many reasons for an peculiarly large separation of the abdominals after nascence, but doing "crunchie" type movements using the superficial abdominals during pregnancy can go far much worse. The scary function is that you lot probably won't feel anything wrong when you lot are pregnant. It's later you give birth that you realize your abdominals aren't working correctly anymore.

Have y'all ever noticed how much you utilize your core just shifting yourself effectually to access unlike simple stretches seated inside the fabric? Even something equally elementary every bit shifting adds extra risk for mom.

3rd Trimester:
In improver to the Relaxin, equally you lot progress through your trimesters you're calculation 25-40 extra pounds of pull… and even more than if that weight is moving through infinite and stops suddenly (which happens not only in an acrobatic flip or driblet but as you capsize, revert, or gently jump in to the textile. Thus your gamble for over stretching joints and ligaments surrounding the spine increases. In this trimester, moms are dealing with a whole new heart of gravity, and they are prone to stumbling. The daze of a fall is something medical professionals want you lot to avoid at all costs.

So, what CAN y'all do in a hammock?
This is not the fourth dimension to go a superstar aerialist. Rather, it's a fourth dimension to journey inward and connect to your needs and your baby's needs, which right now are i in the same. If you are an experienced aerial yoga teacher or avid aerial yogini and choose to continue using the hammock thru pregnancy, follow regular modification guidelines for (floor) prenatal yoga, and consider these boosted modifications for yourself when using the hammock:

Trimester Ane: Avert long passive hangs (rib hang, hip hang, back straddle) throughout pregnancy. Instead, find gentle postures that allow y'all to gently appoint your muscles and protect your joints. Utilize the hammock at a lower height where your feet can touch the basis while seated. Utilise the cloth equally a balance tool. Avoid overheating and option a unmarried drishti for whatever gentle exercise when you are moving. Do less (or null) this trimester, depending on how you feel.

Trimester 2: Baby-sit your stomach! Avoid anything that forces you to use your outer abdominal wall, and alter your twists to exist shallow and upper-trunk focused. Be actress careful when y'all are maneuvering inside the fabric, as this uses more abs than you realize! This is a great menses to focus on building strength in your legs and arms. The fabric can exist used as a tool to open up the chest and arms, but brand sure to gently press confronting the material equally you stretch to protect the joints. Y'all should feel the muscles opening/relaxing but Non a pulling sensation at your shoulders or joints.

Trimester Three: The hammock is a wonderful tool in the terminal trimester for deep squatting support or using information technology on the belly to have pressure off of the low back. Side-lying feels amazing but make sure to enter and go out in a gentle way that doesn't require your abdominals, and prop between your knees if necessary. Since your center of gravity is unlike, transition between things mindfully.

All this said, when used smartly the hammock can provide astonishing support for pregnant women both before and during labor. The hammock can exist used to remove force per unit area on sure areas of the body, release tension, and build strength and flexibility to prepare for labor. For prenatal utilise, the hammock is only another tool preparing your mind, body, emotions and spirit for nascence… but the way you need to employ information technology during pregnancy and birth is far different than we generally use it in a typical aerial yoga (or aeriform fitness/acrobatics) course.

Want more information?
In 2016, I began selling aerial hammocks to hospitals and birthing centers as an aid in labor. At the time these were pioneered, they were used more similar rebozos. Months of research and input from dozens of midwives, doulas, nurses, doctors, and mothers helped me design a more than supportive (and sanitizable) style of hammock equally well equally specific positions moms can comfortably and safely use in their labor to utilize gravity and assist reduce contraction hurting. In 2017 I besides created a unproblematic hammock prenatal curriculum tailored to the needs and opportunities of each trimester. More info can be plant at www.birthinghammocks.com

Near the Author

Becky is an Unnata® Aerial Yoga Grade Leader, since 2009, based out of Minneapolis MN. She is the creator of the Airbella Birthing Hammock and Prenatal Videos and has outfitted and trained hospitals and birthing centers beyond Due north America on hammock employ in the birthing room. She is founder of www.AerialYogaOnline.com, a resource for aeriform equipment, rigging, instructional videos, and trainings.