Take care of you while you take care of baby!
It can be easy to forget to look after mama when you have a baby, but by taking care of you it has a two fold affect on your little one. I can remember bottle and Breast feeding all of my boys and each method created aches and pains on a daily basis! We care about our Mamas and have so have thrown together some of our favourite yoga stretches for new Mums to use whilst feeding (not at the same time haha) Use these stretches throughout your breastfeeding or bottle months to relieve your aching shoulders and back.
As baby grows, you may nurse less frequently, but holding a heavier baby can be just as tiring. It’s important to take care of your own body just as you are nourishing your baby’s. Also explore Kalma Baby yoga classes or Kalma Mama classes in your area for more yoga stretches geared towards new mums. Here Kalma Baby tells you 5 top asanas to help relieve those aches and pains when feeding:
Cat and Cow stretches or Chakravakasana
During nursing I can remember feeling in that hunched over position even when I was not feeding my boys. Doing a few cat-cow stretches helps bring mobility back into the spine, effectively unsticking it. Young children can also get involved mimicking and babies can be positioned directly under Mamas heads so they can see your face! Try exaggerating the rounded position (cat) by doming your back up high. This will make the arched position (cow) feel even better. Giving you that ahhhhh moment!
Sphinx pose
The Sphinx pose is a lovely way to introduce a little heart opening. You can even do this pose lying on your bed so no excuse! It’s also the perfect opportunity to show your baby what tummy time is all about and if your baby is old enough they will start to mimic your actions the more you do this posture. Just make sure to keep your shoulders down away from your ears. Pressing firmly into your palms and forearms.
Opening the heart with a yoga block/bolster
Another ahhhhh moment and you only have a few minutes, make this your go-to stretch. A block or a bolster is useful and sits under your shoulder blades to get the full effect. The legs can be flat on the floor, the knees open, or bend your knees and place the soles of your feet on the floor, check which is most comfortable for you!
Bridge pose or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Start by positioning the hips high, interlace your hands underneath of your body, and really curl the shoulders under one at a time. Feel your shoulder blades securely on your back. Don’t worry about how high you lift your hips, if you need support try a block under your bottom. A favourite in our Kalma Life classes as older little ones get to sit on our hips for extra weight!
Head of cow pose the arms only
If your familiar with a Kalma Life class then you should be familiar with this posture which will help open the chest area whilst stretching out the arms and shoulders resulting in a calm the mind. Many of us are imbalanced on the left and right sides of our bodies due to our postures, nursing can affect this also if your baby has a preference to a side of feeding like mine did! This posture will help to simultaneously stretch the top of both sides of the body.