A woman, as an extraordinary being, goes through several physical and emotional transformations throughout her life. During adolescence, she goes through a physical transformation that involves the growth of “boobs”, the appearance of pubic hair and the onset of her period. It also goes through all the emotional and personality transformations that are so characteristic of adolescence.
Adulthood follows and we enter the job market, with the responsibility and ambition to grow professionally and at home. Some of us begin to feel the desire to be mothers; others never get to experience this calling — and that's okay.
The importance of self-knowledge during pregnancy
When a woman becomes pregnant — as cliché as it may seem — everything changes, physically and emotionally, also altering our perspective on life. It is at this time that women seek to know more about their body. Try to eat better, exercise and get more information about childbirth and motherhood, so you can feel and listen to your body.
Knowing our body brings us countless benefits, especially during pregnancy. Perceiving and feeling movement in the body; where our body is located in space; its “delimitations” (for example, the pelvis); going around the iliac bones, understanding where the sacrum, coccyx, etc. are, empowers the woman over her body, helping her learn to “listen” and, most importantly, giving her increased confidence for the moment of childbirth and postpartum.
In most of my consultations, I receive postpartum women who say that they only started to get to know their body better during pregnancy or even after giving birth. It is at this point (or should be) that a woman allows herself to listen and feel.
One of the phrases I constantly reproduce comes from the first page of a book I love, Method for a Gentle Birth , by Gowri Motha: “I have always been intrigued by the fact that many pregnant women spend more time preparing the baby's room than they spend preparing their own. body". It's because?
Something as transformative as pregnancy should be experienced fully. If we must exercise our body, we must also look at this phase, at this beautiful height of women, as an opportunity to look for a type of practice that allows us to get to know our body better and connect us with movement (even if, for example, intense training is already part of the routine).
An extremely important note: you should not make up for “lost time” and start intense training during pregnancy when this was not part of your daily routine before.
A woman must practice physical exercise during pregnancy, and must find a practice that allows her to move and prepare her body for childbirth. For example, at a stage like this, pilates is an excellent alternative, as it is low impact, training body and postural awareness and preparing the body for the changes inherent to pregnancy and childbirth, with pelvic mobility exercises and spine, breathing exercises and strengthening exercises.
The important thing is to fully enjoy your pregnancy, in all its aspects — physical and emotional. You can also look for a pelvic physiotherapist to guide you in self-knowledge of your body, carrying out a careful assessment to prepare you for the special moment that is childbirth.
Text: Ana Sofia Pires, women's physiotherapist, co-founder of the FisioDuasMãos office and founder of the page @fisio_mulher_e_mae .
