Why is a Physical Therapist teaching Labor & Delivery classes?
Physical Therapists are body movement experts! We have doctorate level training in assessing movement dysfunction and rehabilitating to get back to optimal movement, usually without pain! I have advanced training in obstetric and pelvic floor physical therapy and am such a nerd about all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood.
During labor, the uterus is contracting. Why? To move the baby down into the pelvis and birth canal! The position the baby is in the uterus and continues as he moves down into the pelvis can drastically affect your labor experience. In my opinion, not enough attention is paid to try to make this optimal. There are techniques, positions and education to learn to help this happen in an easier way, or to help you get through it!
While I know other birth preparation classes do a great job teaching the basics of breathing and possible different interventions, being a physical therapist offers me a unique perspective to work with the joints, muscle, ligaments in the pelvis and what needs to happen from a biomechanical perspective to have that baby! There is a heavy focus on teaching your partner, or whoever may be supporting you during labor to help and advocate for your wants and needs for this experience. These things include:
Positions to be in at different stages
Positions with and without an epidural
Ideas for creating a relaxing birthing environment
Strategies for pain control
How to breathe and push your baby out
Like this content? You might LOVE my free guide for a healthy holistic pregnancy! And go check out my Facebook page Abby Inman PT, DPT.
🍳 6 Steps to a Nontoxic Kitchen 🍳
For many families, the kitchen is the centerpiece of our home! It’s where we gather, share our meals, listen to the pots and pans symphonies of our children, and make memories that will last a lifetime! Unfortunately, the kitchen can also be a sneaky spot for toxins found in our food, cooking utensils, pots, pans, storage solutions and more. This has been a great place for us to start the ditch and switch process of detoxing our home.
So, let’s jump in and look at 6 ways to detox your kitchen and create a safe, healthy space for your future!
1. CHOOSE TOXIN-FREE COOKWARE
First of all, if you haven’t watched Dark Waters, go watch it RIGHT NOW. Ya’ll teflon contains chemicals that your body can never get rid of and build up and cause a whole slew of diseases. Get rid of the teflon! Both aluminum and teflon will both leach dangerous chemicals into your food (and thus into your body) over time, from wear and tear, and under high amounts of heat! Say buh-bye and replace them with a safer option like cast iron, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic!
Harsh chemicals have no place in your kitchen. You breathe them in, they get in your food, they get in your skin and they cause serious problems! There are plenty of safe alternatives out there and even using vinegar, baking soda, and alcohol can work GREAT on a budget! We use Thieves Cleaner at our house and I love that the bottle says, if ingested, drink plenty of water. That’s how I KNOW I’m not poisoning myself or my family!
3. TOXIC-FREE FOOD STORAGE
Plastic containers may be easily accessible and cheap, but most also contain bisphenol A (BPA) or it’s evil twin BPS which can still be labeled (BPA FREE). Plastic containers will leach chemicals into your food and into your body. They can also scratch and trap mold! GROSSSSS!
Swap out your plastic containers for glass food storage containers or stainless steel! Paper bags and beeswax wraps, or Stasher silicone bags are also great alternatives to plastic wrap and ziplock bags. Yes, these are all plastic too!
4. NATURAL PEST CONTROL
We’ve all had creepy crawlies in our kitchen and we’ve probably all reached for the toxic pest control substances on the shelf! But. What if I told you there was a better (and cheaper) way! One easy way to get rid of kitchen pests is to spread diatomaceous earth around the kitchen. You can buy this stuff in BULK and it’s also super healthy to ingest.
If you can’t get your hands on Diatomaceous Earth, then common household spices, essential oils like lavender, peppermint & water, and even red wine do a great job at repelling pantry pests!
5. WATER FILTRATION
Again, go watch Dark Waters and you’ll understand exactly how much you need a quality water filter! The water we drink is legally allowed to contain a “safe” amount of toxins and chemicals. Don’t believe me? Just ask your local water treatment plant!
Luckily, it’s fairly easy to remove toxins from your tap water with a basic filtration system! Personally, I recommend a Berkey water filter, but there are plenty that will do fine! Just make sure you do your research to see what can and can’t be filtered with each system!
6. CLEAN OUT YOUR CABINETS
Did you know that both food and drink cans are lined with BPA? Have you checked the expiration date on the spices in your spice drawer? Even pantry food and spices have expiration dates and expired products should be discarded to avoid mold and pests!
OK! There you have it! A complete guide to a toxic free kitchen! What will you be doing first?!?
Happy New Year!
It's 2018! The year I'm going to have a baby! That's a pretty amazing thought. To all those mommas like me, that 2018 is going to be your year, congratulations. To all those mommas still waiting for prayers to be answered, hang in there, I see you. This heartache is not everlasting. It is real, and I am here to support you and pray for you.
I am going to shift the content of my posts a little bit for the new year, and my last trimester. Hubby and I will be taking Bradley Method classes, so I'd like to e able to reflect on these. But also, I want to share some of my PT knowledge with ya'll. It's been an interesting science experiment to try to follow all of my own advice, that I give to my patients. As we get closer to delivery, I'd like to share what I'm doing in this regard.
I definitely have a soap box when it comes to prenatal and postpartum care. I'm very passionate about this, because I see so many women, who I think could have been helped with a little education during pregnancy, or prior to delivery. This blog has given me so much already, so I want to give a little back too.
24 weeks today. I've been feeling lots of movement, and wow is it incredible. Once I even thought I saw the movement from the outside! We did share the news of boy or girl with our families over the Christmas weekend, so stay tuned for a post on that!
All the blessings for 2018 friends!
12.5.17
Halfway there!!! 20 weeks. Oh how I've prayed for this week and this growing baby. 11 ounces Peanut is now. That's still so tiny!
We had the anatomy scan on Monday morning! It's so cool! 4 heart chambers, 2 kidneys, a stomach, a bladder, this nerdy PT was fascinated. My little one was very active during the whole hour. Everything looks good, great even and we are just so happy. We both welled up.
This little Peanut is 22 weeks.
I'm not feeling down about the Christmas season. I'm feeling hopeful. Although I wish my Charlie were here with us for his first Christmas, I'm preparing for the birth of Jesus, and for our little one in the spring.
We had a very nice visit with my parents and brother in their new home in Laughlin, Nevada. My mom gave me an ornament commemorating Charlie, I also got another one from my sister in law yesterday. They are hanging on our tree now.
I've been diffusing an oil blend called Christmas Spirit, mixing it with other holiday scents such as Nutmeg and Peppermint. I love how it makes the whole house smell delicious. I've been wrapping presents, listening to Christmas music. I'm not much of a baker, so no cookies over here.
The last two mornings, I think I finally felt Peanut. It was light and subtle, but it did sort of feel like bubbles popping on the inside. I couldn't feel it with my hand on the outside. This was right away when I woke up, laying in bed. Once I start moving, I haven't been able to feel it again, even when I sit or lay down at the end of the day.
I started researching the Bradley method of childbirth, based on a recommendation from my sister and brother in law. Anselm and I are going to do the 12 week class. I'm so excited to learn about natural childbirth, because I feel like I've advocated a lot for it with my patients. But now I'll get to go through it myself. I'll have a series of posts about it for sure.
Anyways that's all the updates for now. Merry Christmas everyone!
11.24.17
I tried to write this post once, but, I didn't save it in time and I lost the whole thing. So then I was irritated with blogging for a week.
Anyways, I'm back. Here are some updates.
I'm 18 weeks this week. I heard Peanut's heartbeat on Monday. Still thumping away. Still makes me so happy to hear. I don't think I'm feeling any movement yet. One of the physicians I work with, said I probably am, but just don't realize it. Can't wait until I do! Our anatomy ultrasound is on December 4th. It will be the first time Anselm will get to see Peanut. That will be really exciting.
My Glow app says Peanut is the size of a sweet potato.
We do know Peanut's sex. For now, it's our little secret. I didn't even think of that as an option in my previous post, but Anselm said we should enjoy it just us for now.
I'm starting to feel less in panic mode and more like maybe it is safe to nest and only be excited...instead of excited...fearful...anxious...I'm losing my mind...this is the hardest thing ever.
Maybe I'll even buy some baby things on Black Friday.
