Issues in pregnancy... part 1

This is going to be an ongoing post, as I have time to write and as I continue to research a lot of the issues involved.

To begin with I'm 37, and am currently 20 weeks into my third pregnancy. My life with a pregnant body over the past 5 years has coincided with the second half of a decade of daily ashtanga practice, opening and growing an Ashtanga Yoga school in Spokane, WA and continuing to advance in my own studies. I'm not an authorized teacher, (and most likely never will be) I spent the years of my life (in my 20's, before marriage, having children, and in general householding) when I might have been in India, training and competing around the world in rowing.

As far as how my body felt and what I did on my mat during my pregnancies, it has differed from the first pregnancy to my second, and again with my third. For one thing, my practice has advanced despite the fact that there has only been about 18 months interspaced over the past five years that I've not been either pregnant or nursing or recovering from pregnancy. Prior to my first pregnancy I was proficient at first series but still not open enough to bind in supta kormasana, and also still not dropping back. Prior to my second pregnacy I had gotten up to eka pada sirsasana in intermediate, and prior to my third pregnancy I had just added vashistasana from the first advanced series.

But more importantly prior to my first pregnancy I was still sleeping all night long (something that now five years later only happens a few nights a year).

I bring this point up because how much rest you get is very much going to affect what you are going to want to be doing on your mat during your pregnancies.

Because I was able to have enough sleep, and my pregnancy was progressing normally there was no indication that I should adjust my practice other than for my growing belly - so I was able to practice 5-6 days a week up until the last month, and because I wasn't doing advanced backbends before I was pregnant, it wasn't a question during.

Above is a way of continuing with the prone backbends while pregnant. In the picture I am about 18 weeks in my current pregnancy, and I've just taken two blankets rolled up and placed one under my lowest ribs, above the zyphoid process, and one under my hip bones. You can continue doing these backbends on the blankets for most of your pregnancy putting no pressure on your uterus and is a way of keeping your back muscles strong. This will help counter the growing weight on the front of your body and the tendancy for extra forward tilt of the pelvis.

The picture of kapotasana is also at 18 weeks - and because I have abdominal separation/diastasis recti from my two previous pregnancies, I have been backing off of this pose and will stop this and other deeper backbends after my fifth month.