| Breathing from Infancy ~ Getting Back to the Basics Postpartum |
| Have you ever watched a newborn baby breathe? Hi everyone, this is Kaylen, and it’s good to be back in the office after giving birth to my precious little baby boy. During my time off. I had plenty of time to think of things I wanted to share with you upon my return. One of the first things that stood out to me was breath. When my baby was just a few days old, my mom pointed out that watching babies breathe was so “strange”. I looked at my son and saw his little belly, not his chest, expand and rise with every inhale as he slept and at first didn’t understand what was strange. Then, of course, it hit me. As a pelvic floor therapist, I know and am constantly thinking about, coaching, and looking for correct breathing patterns. Most of us can’t say that. When you think of breath, you think of chest rising. If you’re a dancer, you’re told to suck in your belly keep your chest high. If you’re in the military commanded to be stand straight with shoulders dramatically drawn back. We watch movies or read books, and the chest is always the part that is highlighted when there is a focus on breathing. Our society encourages slim waists, constantly contracted muscles, and overexaggerated postures. Unfortunately, we don’t realize what that is doing not only to our pelvic floor, but our whole mind body connection. |
For me, when I practiced proper breathwork throughout my time during pregnancy, the baby grew and expanded with me. I learned to continue to breathe correctly is not quite as hard. When I got home from the birth center, one of the first things I noticed was how uncoordinated my belly and breath was. What came so easily for my newborn seemed completely backwards and disconnected for me.
I’m grateful for my knowledge as a pelvic floor therapist, because most new moms don’t realize how important retraining their body to breathe is. We often think, “I feel fine, I’m not bleeding, so I should get back to the gym and ‘building my body back together'”. But if we don’t start with step one, very literally giving ourselves space and time to breath, we won’t be ready for the rest of what we hope to do.
Nearly every patient who walks into my office, whether they be pregnant, postpartum, geriatric, or have some other concern, they all need to readdress their breath. We can learn from newborn babies, reminding ourselves that our bodies are meant to relax, expand, and not conform to societal standards. Healing starts with our mind and breath. How in touch are you with your breath?
Blessings,
Kaylen and Your Moment of Truth Team
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