THE MOST UNDERRATED PREGNANCY EXERCISE: INVERSION HOLDS

During my first pregnancy, I did alot of studying of Spinning Babies techniques and practices and stumbled upon the Inversion Hold.  After trying it out, I was BLOWN AWAY by the relief it gave and loved that it also had incredible benefits to the baby’s position as well. I love doing this exercise after a workout (especially a very leg-focused workout) to give my lower body some relief. I also love it at the end of the day before getting into bed as it really helps to deload and relax my body after a long day. I have always found I sleep so much better after a few Inversion Holds at night!

This type of Inversion Hold is a bit different than other inversion exercises like Downward Dog or the High Butt Bear Crawl because this movement causes the uterus to “hang” from the cervical ligaments allowing them to relax and untwist. This is even more important in the high-intensity exercise community where pregnant women are more likely to be squatting and hinging heavily, doing a high volume of repetitions, and even running and jumping – all movements that put great demand on the pelvic girdle. The Inversion Hold will also help to relieve pressure from the hips, tailbone, and back and can feel AMAZING when done right and done consistently.

In addition to benefits to the mama, the Inversion Hold has been shown to have great benefits to baby’s position as well as the “untwisting” of the ligaments encourages a head down position and it has even been shown to help flip beech babies. Its important to recover from the Inversion Hold into a kneeling positon at the top of the bed/bench/box or couch as that position allows a realignment of uterus and pelvis since we have just helped to relax and lengthen the ligaments in the Inversion Hold. Its also possible that this relaxing, lengthening, and untwisting, improves mama’s cervical position which can allow baby’s head to position over it better helping the cervix to dilate more easily (which can ultimately lead to a shorter/quicker labor and birth).

HOW TO PERFORM THE INVERSION HOLD:
1. Kneel down on a stable surface. My favorite is a plyo box in the gym, or a couch at home.
2. Walk your hands down slowly as stable as possible (this will be different for everyone) until you are resting on your forearms with elbows outward and hands inward.
3. Your head SHOULD NOT be supporting you in any way. It can rest gently on your forearms or hover above the floor.
4. Your knees should be close to the edge of the surface you are on (you may want a pad under those knees), and your hips should be high so that your back is at as sharp of an angle as you can get it (forearms as close to the surface you are leaning on as possible).
5. Once you are positioned, focus on the following: a) relaxing your belly, b) gently swaying hips from side to side, c) posteriorly tilting your pelvis, d) big, deep, diaphragmatic (360) breaths
6. After 3-5 breaths (30-40 seconds, 1:00 MAX if you are experienced with it and it feels good), walk yourself back up using your hands, climbing backward up onto the surface.
7. Return to a high kneeling position for about two breaths, and then sit down on your heels for another few breaths. It is common and normal to feel things “shift” or “settle”, or even to feel some Round Ligament tenderness (remember we are targeting these muscles to relax and untwist!) when coming back up to kneeling so take your time here before repeating.
8. Repeat the Inversion Hold 2-3x. You can perform this daily and ideally at the end of a workout or the end of the day (as most women do because it feels so amazing!)

There are also reccomendations to use the Inversion Hold during labor where you would get into the hold during a contraction, and come up once they stop. Its reccomended to do them about 15 minutes apart during any phase of labor. In the same way we do it pre-labor, this will help to loosen and relax those ligaments and help baby get in an ideal positon to help labor progress (and give mama some relief!).

There are reccomendations (that I have recorded from SpinningBabies.com) to specifically help a Breech baby to turn using the Inversion Hold. Here are their reccomendations:
– hold the Inversion for 30-45 seconds about 7x in a 24 hour period for babies who are still Breech after the 32 week gestation mark, BUT not every single day (ideally once every 7-10 days)
– they also reccomend two other exercises: a BREECH TILT and a OPEN KNEE CHEST both of which are NOT to be done if you have a head-down baby

Contraindications (women who should NOT do this):
– High Blood Pressure or another risk of stroke
– heartburn, glaucoma, or hypertension
– if you have abnormal amniotic fluid levels (too much) and doctors are monitoring this weekly
– there is a problem with the placenta in pregnancy
– if it causes any uterine pain
– if you feel aggressive/abnormal/frantic movement from baby
– being upside down causes a severe headache (a bit of head pounding or discomfort initially is normal but your body should get used to it!)
If you are not comfortable or contraindicated with Inversion Holds but are wanting to achieve similar benefits, the STANDING SACRAL RELEASE is something you can try!

https://honoryournutritioncoaching.com/fast-track-callI hope this helped and can be something you can confidently add to your routine during pregnancy! I incorporate this in both my HONOR YOUR NUTRITION PREGNANCY PROGRAMS as well as the PELVIC FLOOR AND CORE program.

To book a call with me to discuss anything related to Pregnancy and Postpartum Fitness or Nutrition, you can BOOK A CALL HERE.

With Honor, Nicole Roggow

#MommyExerciseCulture #HonorYourGifts