Sitting.
WE ALL SIT.
Many woman I see work 8 hours a day, sitting at a computer.
How you sit is important. The longer we sit at our computer, the more we tend to slouch and shrink in height. We may find ourselves tucking our tailbone, rounding our lower back, and gripping our upper abdominals.
YOUR SITTING POSTURE WILL AFFECT YOUR BIRTH EXPERIENCE
Picture this: Sitting at a desk. Tucked tailbone. This posture actually CLOSES the space of the pelvic outlet (the bottom of the pelvis). Keep in mind that the baby needs to be able to EXIT the pelvis during birth. Imagine if you've been sitting a lot during your pregnancy in that slouched posture. Those pelvic floor muscles at the bottom of the pelvis gradually tighten. The sitz bones (or ischium bones) narrow towards each other, decreasing space of the birth canal.
Less space in the birth canal? Baby not going to like it!
So...what to do? Let's learn about the optimal sitting posture.
HOW TO SIT:
The most important technique is to sit on your sitz bones (those two bones at the bottom of your pelvis). Those bones are designed to bare weight. NOT your tailbone.
So sit tall on your sitz bones!
Another tip is to have a slight arch or curve in your lower back. Many woman are told that arching the back is bad. However, is it normal to have that slight curve.
Look what happens when you sit on your sitz bones. In the diagram below, you can see that the ischium bones widen, lengthening the pelvic floor. Baby also has more room to exit.
Let me know if you have any questions!
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