Slouching - Bad Habit, But HOW Bad When PG?

[gummibears]

I have a horrible habit of slouching everywhere but mostly at the PC. Wouldn't you know, I freelance, so I'm on here... a lot. Anyway, I think it was either this week (week 18) or for next week that I read not to slouch. Is there any particular reason? I mean obviously we aren't going to crush the baby, but is it just in the interest of saving one's back (which is a good reason to try to stop) or is there more to it?

[MyFullHouse]

I think the main concern about posture has to do with baby positioning.  If your spine/muscles/ligaments are out of whack, there's an increased chance that the baby will have a difficult time getting into an ideal position.

I happen to be a sloucher/recliner.  My last baby and this one were both transverse well into the 3rd trimester.  Eventually, both moved down on their own, but I was busy lining up a chiropractor and doing tons of Spinning Babies exercises in those last few weeks/days while facing possible external versions.  Can I say for certain that my own body positions were the cause? No.  But, if I could go back, I can pretty much guarantee I'd be at least a bit more proactive!

[kawa kamuri]

My back feels better when I don't slouch. I also look better  Do you practice yoga? Pilates? Can you stretch or do something else that makes you more aware of your posture? Change your computer chair? It's an excellent habit to break for pregnancy and beyond. 

[Sheepdoc]

I found that I would curve forward and waddle when I was having small amounts of back pain then keep moving further forward to get away from the pain.  But it only caused more pain.  What made the pain better was to pay attention to posture and stand/walk upright.  I'm not sure why our instincts like to move us into a worse position.

Slouching is a problem not just because of what everyone else has said but also:

Increased strain on spine leads to more degenerative diseases in the long run. 

And not just in your disks but once your back is out of alignment you are pulling other things as well since its all connected. 

Having had back/pelvic issues after knee surgery (but NOT after pregnancy - which is before the knee surgery I had good posture!) every single proffesional feels the need to tell me that my problems are clearly because like every other women who doesn't have a c/s "I blew out my pelvis in childbirth."  NO I DIDN'T.  The problems started weeks after the surgery - 3 years after my last pregnancy.

Anyway I'm currently addicted to the katysays.com website which talks about proper alignment and how to get there.  In additon to her archived posts on birth you may want to read her posts about why kegels are bad. 

[greenmulberry]

I have noticed I am slouching too.

I am partially blaming this on the fact that I had to stop working out at 16 weeks because I had a lot of heavy bleeding, and was told no more exercise, and my lovely back and shoulder muscles I kept toned through light weightlifting several times a week have turned to mush.

I have resumed light work with weights doing various shoulder and back exercises for a few weeks now (currently 32 weeks) as the previous issue seems to be resolved, and it is helping my posture again.

[kitty waltz]

It may help you to retain good posture to put something on your computer chair, something that can basically take the form of a wedge.  At the moment, I am sitting on a folded pair of my husband's jeans!  The shape of the chair assists us slouchers, and altering the angle helps to maintain the proper pelvic positioning.  

[Qbear'smama]

I feel like my bad posture contributed to my DD being posterior last pregnancy; labour was very tough because of her position. I was very slouchy and recline-y. This time, I couldn't slouch because I had back pain and I got in the habit of sitting up straight and I think this one has maintained a much better position, I definitely didn't want to repeat the same habits and have another OP baby.

[gummibears]

Originally Posted by MyFullHouse 

I think the main concern about posture has to do with baby positioning.  If your spine/muscles/ligaments are out of whack, there's an increased chance that the baby will have a difficult time getting into an ideal position.

I happen to be a sloucher/recliner.  My last baby and this one were both transverse well into the 3rd trimester.  Eventually, both moved down on their own, but I was busy lining up a chiropractor and doing tons of Spinning Babies exercises in those last few weeks/days while facing possible external versions.  Can I say for certain that my own body positions were the cause? No.  But, if I could go back, I can pretty much guarantee I'd be at least a bit more proactive!

See, that's something that never occurred to me. Positioning. That does make sense. I have to wonder what I did with DS as I've always had poor posture and he was okay position wise I think. Then again I recall having to give birth on all 4s and now wonder if that might have had something to do with it (though I was never told there was any trouble with his position)

Of course better posture is something good to have anyway, just wanted to almost know a better reason to try harder, I suppose.

Originally Posted by kawa kamuri 

My back feels better when I don't slouch. I also look better  Do you practice yoga? Pilates? Can you stretch or do something else that makes you more aware of your posture? Change your computer chair? It's an excellent habit to break for pregnancy and beyond. 

My back kinda is icky no matter what, but I do tend to do yoga, but haven't since I got PG. I have a prenatal yoga DVD here that I've yet to put in and try. Might be a good time to pop it in and work on that over the coming weeks/months.

My computer chair is a rather uncomfy kitchen chair and it's all we have at the minute. I'll be doing a great deal of walking soon come January, if doctor clears it. Something like 16 blocks a day 5 days a week. Eeep LOL

Originally Posted by Sheepdoc 

I found that I would curve forward and waddle when I was having small amounts of back pain then keep moving further forward to get away from the pain.  But it only caused more pain.  What made the pain better was to pay attention to posture and stand/walk upright.  I'm not sure why our instincts like to move us into a worse position.

Slouching is a problem not just because of what everyone else has said but also:

Increased strain on spine leads to more degenerative diseases in the long run. 

And not just in your disks but once your back is out of alignment you are pulling other things as well since its all connected. 

Having had back/pelvic issues after knee surgery (but NOT after pregnancy - which is before the knee surgery I had good posture!) every single proffesional feels the need to tell me that my problems are clearly because like every other women who doesn't have a c/s "I blew out my pelvis in childbirth."  NO I DIDN'T.  The problems started weeks after the surgery - 3 years after my last pregnancy.

Anyway I'm currently addicted to the katysays.com website which talks about proper alignment and how to get there.  In additon to her archived posts on birth you may want to read her posts about why kegels are bad. 

I do wonder why we tend to bend in toward the pain rather to straighten against it. Perhaps it's a innate fear that we'll pull something by not giving into it which is silly, I know. Even as a teen I recall having poor posture. It's high time to change it. :P

And I'm headed to that site to see what she's got to say about everything. Thanks for the heads up!

Originally Posted by greenmulberry 

I have noticed I am slouching too.

I am partially blaming this on the fact that I had to stop working out at 16 weeks because I had a lot of heavy bleeding, and was told no more exercise, and my lovely back and shoulder muscles I kept toned through light weightlifting several times a week have turned to mush.

I have resumed light work with weights doing various shoulder and back exercises for a few weeks now (currently 32 weeks) as the previous issue seems to be resolved, and it is helping my posture again.

Yours might have been due to the lack of working out, it sure can't help, can it? I'm glad to hear yours is resolving. I think mine is a matter of mind over matter and being strict. Like my fluid intake which might have brought back my lovely UTI. *Sigh* I'm going to try to be more proactive on the prenatal yoga and see how that helps. DS can do it with me as he likes yoga, too. :)

[gummibears]

Originally Posted by kitty waltz 

It may help you to retain good posture to put something on your computer chair, something that can basically take the form of a wedge.  At the moment, I am sitting on a folded pair of my husband's jeans!  The shape of the chair assists us slouchers, and altering the angle helps to maintain the proper pelvic positioning.  

You make me wonder if my pelvic pain earlier and now is due to that rather than the uti like I've been blaming it on. Then again it only seems present with the infection, so not sure. I'm going to try that. I know before I moved I sat on a pillow folded in half. Not sure it helped in the posture dept, but I suppose it cannot hurt.

Originally Posted by Qbear'smama 

I feel like my bad posture contributed to my DD being posterior last pregnancy; labour was very tough because of her position. I was very slouchy and recline-y. This time, I couldn't slouch because I had back pain and I got in the habit of sitting up straight and I think this one has maintained a much better position, I definitely didn't want to repeat the same habits and have another OP baby.

I was never told through pregnancy DS was in a poor position, but I had a horrible labor with back labor on all 4's. Now I wonder... if it had anything to do with my lifelong poor posture. :( Will have to fix it this time and see what this LO does.

[Smokering]

I have terrible posture too. Can anyone recommend any specific exercises for improving posture? I know "take up yoga" is probably great advice, but let's face it... I won't. One or two discrete exercises, though, I might be able to manage. (Unfortunately, we don't have a computer desk at the moment so the monitor is perched on our (lowish) coffee table, which is actually a hope chest, and I sit on the couch opposite. Really not ideal, especially as I spend far too much time online.)

[kitty waltz]

Originally Posted by gummibears 

Originally Posted by kitty waltz 

It may help you to retain good posture to put something on your computer chair, something that can basically take the form of a wedge.  At the moment, I am sitting on a folded pair of my husband's jeans!  The shape of the chair assists us slouchers, and altering the angle helps to maintain the proper pelvic positioning.  

You make me wonder if my pelvic pain earlier and now is due to that rather than the uti like I've been blaming it on. Then again it only seems present with the infection, so not sure. I'm going to try that. I know before I moved I sat on a pillow folded in half. Not sure it helped in the posture dept, but I suppose it cannot hurt.

Originally Posted by Qbear'smama 

I feel like my bad posture contributed to my DD being posterior last pregnancy; labour was very tough because of her position. I was very slouchy and recline-y. This time, I couldn't slouch because I had back pain and I got in the habit of sitting up straight and I think this one has maintained a much better position, I definitely didn't want to repeat the same habits and have another OP baby.

I was never told through pregnancy DS was in a poor position, but I had a horrible labor with back labor on all 4's. Now I wonder... if it had anything to do with my lifelong poor posture. :( Will have to fix it this time and see what this LO does.

I'm sure the pelvic pain is caused by the uti.  Maintaining proper posture will not affect this, as far as I know.

Keeping your pelvis aligned will maintain the proper positioning for your baby, and also for your own spine.. which prevents/ decreases back pain over time.  You want to keep your knees lower than your hips when seated.  Think of it this way - the heaviest part of a baby is their head and upper back.. so when you are seated with good posture, your uterus is tipped forward.. therefore the baby will settle head down, with its back against your tummy {anterior}.  When you are sitting in a slouched position, your uterus is tipped backwards, and your baby will settle with its back against your back - posterior.  It is never too early to be proactive in this case.  I followed the theory of optimal fetal positioning - and therefore kept good posture -  in my last pregnancy and had a 4 hr labor.  In my first pregnancy, I didn't know anything about this, and I had a posterior breech!

[kitty waltz]

smokering - def check out spinningbabies.com, there are a lot of exercises there, as well as a ton of useful info.

[javilu]

Another thought is that as baby grows, your lungs have less room to expand.  Standing up tall will help you to get a bit more air!

[Sheepdoc]

The pain from the UTI - yes.  But why the UTI?  Mothering had the great article about Mayan womb massage and showed how even when not pregnant when the uterus is tipped one way or the other it puts pressure on/pulls out of alignment the intestines and/or bladder.  Like breastfeeding good posture isn't always the whole answer but its awful darn close to perfect and won't make things worse.  LOL!

[gummibears]

Originally Posted by kitty waltz 

Originally Posted by gummibears 

Originally Posted by kitty waltz 

It may help you to retain good posture to put something on your computer chair, something that can basically take the form of a wedge.  At the moment, I am sitting on a folded pair of my husband's jeans!  The shape of the chair assists us slouchers, and altering the angle helps to maintain the proper pelvic positioning.  

You make me wonder if my pelvic pain earlier and now is due to that rather than the uti like I've been blaming it on. Then again it only seems present with the infection, so not sure. I'm going to try that. I know before I moved I sat on a pillow folded in half. Not sure it helped in the posture dept, but I suppose it cannot hurt.

Originally Posted by Qbear'smama 

I feel like my bad posture contributed to my DD being posterior last pregnancy; labour was very tough because of her position. I was very slouchy and recline-y. This time, I couldn't slouch because I had back pain and I got in the habit of sitting up straight and I think this one has maintained a much better position, I definitely didn't want to repeat the same habits and have another OP baby.

I was never told through pregnancy DS was in a poor position, but I had a horrible labor with back labor on all 4's. Now I wonder... if it had anything to do with my lifelong poor posture. :( Will have to fix it this time and see what this LO does.

I'm sure the pelvic pain is caused by the uti.  Maintaining proper posture will not affect this, as far as I know.

Keeping your pelvis aligned will maintain the proper positioning for your baby, and also for your own spine.. which prevents/ decreases back pain over time.  You want to keep your knees lower than your hips when seated.  Think of it this way - the heaviest part of a baby is their head and upper back.. so when you are seated with good posture, your uterus is tipped forward.. therefore the baby will settle head down, with its back against your tummy {anterior}.  When you are sitting in a slouched position, your uterus is tipped backwards, and your baby will settle with its back against your back - posterior.  It is never too early to be proactive in this case.  I followed the theory of optimal fetal positioning - and therefore kept good posture -  in my last pregnancy and had a 4 hr labor.  In my first pregnancy, I didn't know anything about this, and I had a posterior breech!

It probably is and maybe the occasional BD. This morning I was so in pain I could barely sit. I had just started another round of antibiotics and things seem a bit better now with another does in me. Of course this is hours later, though.

That positioning could explain my bad back pain, too. Point blank I'm gonna have to be very aware of my slouching (and worse hunching!) I think a part of me does it because it's the time I feel LO wiggling and kicking around. When I'm not I don't feel it. It's a reassurrance feeling it, but not at the cost of the pain and the labor difficulties. (This whole slouch = feel baby move more was a recent thing that dawned on me, though.)

Originally Posted by javilu 

Another thought is that as baby grows, your lungs have less room to expand.  Standing up tall will help you to get a bit more air!

You know, I just noticed the short of breath thing this week and looked at DH and said it's awful early for that, but still it's there. I have noticed at those times I do try to lengthen my spine and stand/sit well because that decrease of air naturally does that. Early or not, I guess I'll take that as nature's little reminder.

[greenmulberry]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

I have terrible posture too. Can anyone recommend any specific exercises for improving posture? I know "take up yoga" is probably great advice, but let's face it... I won't. One or two discrete exercises, though, I might be able to manage. (Unfortunately, we don't have a computer desk at the moment so the monitor is perched on our (lowish) coffee table, which is actually a hope chest, and I sit on the couch opposite. Really not ideal, especially as I spend far too much time online.)

Dead rows with dumbells are good for building upper back muscle, which helps you stand up straight naturally.

When I first started working out and included those I was amazed one day to find I was standing tall and straight naturally, and it felt good! I used to do a fitness class that included dead rows. I plan to pick that up again after the baby.

For now, I keep a set of light weights in my room in a convenient spot, and a couple times a week pick them up and do one or two sets of ten  ( mine are 5 pounds, but if you never ever work out, maybe three or 4  would be good).

Here is a video of how to do them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnc8JL_KjSI   Of course this is a muscle guy using a lot of weights,  but you can do these with very lights weights. Make sure you have your legs spread some, to keep you balance and give your tummy somewhere to go as you bend over.

[carrierwright]

I'm so glad someone pointed out the baby's positioning. Sadie's explanation was wonderful of how posture can affect baby's positioning. Some exercises to counteract bad posture and help the baby's position are: pelvic rocks (you can find online). These done a few times per day can give baby room to move up out of the pelvis and help him rotate w/the heaviest part of his head (the back) towards the belly. Also simply tailor sitting with your back supported upright throughout the day helps keep the pelvis tipped forward! Happy pregnancy~

[Jenne]

SHEEPDOC! Thank you for the katysays.com referral! I just ordered 2 DVDs (Women's Pelvic Floor and Back Pain) and CANNOT wait until they arrive! I'm so thrilled. I have a feeling that this, 2011, will be the year with decreased lower back pain. What she says makes sense and yet no doctor, massage therapist, chiropractor, or back pain relief website has ever explained it or what to do about it! I'm also hoping that the pelvic floor video will give me more exercises for a speedy delivery (pun intended). Anyway...THANK YOU!!!

Jenne

[altoidmandy]

I had a posterior baby last time, and my midwife recommended sitting on a balance ball (I have a desk job, so I sit a lot).  I thought it was uncomfortable and didn't bother- wound up with a posterior baby and a long, hard labor.  This time I bought one of those balance ball chairs as soon as I started having pelvic pain at about 20 weeks.  The pain has cleared up completely and the chair is really comfy.  I'm not sure that you would need to shell out the big bucks for one of those chairs (I needed one to be high enough to type at my desk), but you might want to try sitting on a $10 balance ball while you are working.

[gummibears]

Originally Posted by altoidmandy 

I had a posterior baby last time, and my midwife recommended sitting on a balance ball (I have a desk job, so I sit a lot).  I thought it was uncomfortable and didn't bother- wound up with a posterior baby and a long, hard labor.  This time I bought one of those balance ball chairs as soon as I started having pelvic pain at about 20 weeks.  The pain has cleared up completely and the chair is really comfy.  I'm not sure that you would need to shell out the big bucks for one of those chairs (I needed one to be high enough to type at my desk), but you might want to try sitting on a $10 balance ball while you are working.

Over the vacation I finally pieced it together that DS was posterior, too. Can you believe I never was told? Or if I was I didn't know what it meant. Now my labor with him makes sense. I asked DH if he was face up or down and he said he was face up. Now them having me flip every which way with him in the birth canal and them saying he was sleeping makes all the sense in the world.

As a result, I did buy a ball. Haven't taken it out since I got back from vacation (where it was bought) but I'm going to try that. Anything to avoid another repeat labor with a "sunny side" up kiddo. If it happens, well, at least I know that I tried to avoid it. Hopefully it'll be high enough for me as I type on a dining room table turned desk. It's pretty high.

When I see my midwife I'll mention it to her, too. My last appt with my current HCP is tomorrow, so I should be seeing her somewhat soon.