FIT4MOM moms know firsthand the benefits of exercise during pregnancy: strength and stamina, improvements in body processes, better sleep, less stress, and most importantly, community!

Birth is a major physical event. Doulas and childbirth educators often compare birth to a marathon. Most people would never dream of running a marathon with no training. However, when it comes to birth, the importance of preparing your mind and body to “do” the physical event of birth is not talked about nearly enough.

Of course, not every birth is a marathon; some births are 5Ks. But even a 5K can be a lot harder than necessary if you run it with no preparation. Currently, many childbirth prep classes are focused on information and making choices. Information is vital, but birth is not a menu where you can choose what you want like you are ordering dinner. So, what is missing?

Skills to manage the physical process of birthing.

As a birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator since 2010, I’ve spent the last 14 years searching the world for the best skills-based preparation for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum.

Skills help people achieve their goals.

Skills can be used to navigate if complications arise.

Skills can’t be taken away by circumstances like choices can.

The search for the best body preparation for birth brought me to the Body Ready Method.

Something that is surprising to most people is that you can’t tell from the outside who will have an easy birth and who won’t. Very small mothers can birth very large babies quite easily. Last year one of my hypnobirthing students, a petite mother, birthed a baby weighing 11 lbs. 5oz baby vaginally in 6 hours of active labor with no tearing!

Some of the factors (that aren’t dependent on luck) that can be addressed by specific, targeted birth prep exercises are:

• Expand range of motion to create more space in the pelvis.
• Balance the body which can help babies move more efficiently through the pelvis.
• Create yield in the pelvic floor to allow baby to move through more easily.
• Stabilize the joints to reduce pregnancy pain and imbalance.

There are three ways to incorporate Body Ready Method into your birth preparation: online programs, in-person workshops, one-on-one sessions with me.

The first is the online Body Ready Method exercise program. There are three programs that you can purchase separately or bundle together to save on the total: Pregnancy, Birth, and Recovery.

The Pregnancy program focuses on preparing the body to create space, balance, joint stability, and yield. Additionally, instead of a long list of “no’s” for activities in pregnancy, the program teaches strategies to protect the core and pelvic floor so that each person can make decisions on what they can do based on what is happening in their body. Body alignment through daily life activities is covered as well. What you are doing most of the day can have just as much of an impact as what you do for a short time each day while exercising.

The Birth program covers positions that help open the pelvis in different ways along with partner techniques to aid both comfort and program. Instagram is full of clips showing different positions to create space. But what do you do when? You don’t need a PhD in Biomechanics to birth your baby. But, many of us lack range of motion in some of the ways used to create space such as hip extension and internal rotation. The Body Ready Method Birth Program allows moms and their partners to physically practice positions before birth to create a brain-body map of how the movements affect the space in the body. By practicing and developing this brain-body map, mothers can move more intuitively in birth with a greater range of motion. Practice brings space and confidence!

The Recovery program guides you through the postpartum period. Unlike the standard approach that says don’t do anything for 6 weeks and then do everything, the Body Ready Method recovery program starts with gentle core connection and movements right away. The exercises and workouts ramp up so that, again, people can make individual assessments on what their body is ready for so that recovery is better long term.

The second way to prepare your body with Body Ready Method is a Body Ready Birth In-Person Partner Workshop. I will be offering the Body Ready Birth Partner Workshop at Experience Chiropractic in Wayne, PA, on Saturday, September 28th from 9:00 AM-1:30 PM.

Benefits of the in-person workshop include a real-time overview of all of the positions and partner techniques. This allows me to help you in the moment and answer any questions you may have. I cover the labor flow state and how your partner can support your mind and emotions in birth which also supports working with your baby and your body in a more intuitive way. As part of the in-person workshop, you receive the online component of the content so you and your partner can continue to practice. The cost of the workshop, including materials, is $175. Contact me at 610-710-1042 to register.

The third option to take advantage of the Body Ready Method is to schedule a one-on-one Body Ready Assessment. If you have the Pregnancy program but have questions or want to go deeper with this work, this session is for you. The Body Ready Assessment can also be beneficial for expecting moms who are short on time. Although you may not have time for a full exercise program, the general tips on alignment and daily life activities with a few targeted exercises can make a big difference in a short amount of time.

Here’s wishing you a comfortable, confident pregnancy; a joyful, smooth birthing; and a strong recovery.

Karen Zamperini

Body Ready Method Professional

Birth & Postpartum Doula at Aligned for Birth, LLC