F@ck Squatting

I've never been able to touch my heels to the ground while in a full squatting position, yoga style, despite years of yoga.  I think it has something to do with my hip flexors being too tight or too weak or lacking some kind of mobility.  It's never really been an issue in yoga classes I've taken.  When I was doing fertility yoga, the pose was supposed to activate the organs in the pelvic region and open my hips or something like that.  And it was somewhat comfortable, or I should say, not uncomfortable, and even though I couldn't touch my heels to the ground I could still hold the position for quite a while.

Prenatal yoga, I have found, is all about squatting.  As is the Bradley Method and all the books I have read for natural childbirth.  I constantly hear and read, "Practice your sqaut pose everyday to prepare for labor and birth."  Since about 20 weeks, I've been having hip pain at night.  Totally normal.  However, it has been progressing into intense cramping of my hip flexor muscles when I roll over in bed. And I find my entire pelvis to feel increasingly stiff as my belly grows and my ligaments stretch and loosen. I do not feel a good or relaxing stretch when I squat. 

In my Tuesday prenatal yoga class we use the squat possition to do kegels.  This teacher thinks that I would actually want to push during labor in a full squat when I can barely touch my heels to the ground.  She also thinks that, as a class, we like to hang out in a squatting position because it is so comfortable and relaxing.  If squatting was only somewhat comfortable before pregnancy, it has become the most uncomfortable and tortuous position for me during pregnancy.  Not only do I feel like I am crushing the baby (no, I do not have small hips at all), but my quads, hamstrings and calf muscles seem to work so hard that I end up sweating and wanting to cry.  It is at this point in the class that I often excuse myself to the restroom just to get out of squats. 

Because I hate squatting.   I asked my teacher about the effect squatting may be having on my hip flexors and their role in my hip pain. Her response, "Oh, no! Squats are the best thing for hip pain.  What you are experiencing is totally normal.  You just need to open your hips."  So I squatted on Tuesday.  Without doing the kegels however, because I can barely breathe when I squat now, let alone tighten my pelvic floor at the same time.  And I squatted on Saturday, as well.  On Saturday, I found that I could touch my heels to the ground for about 20 seconds before I wanted to cry.  Even coming to a standing position out of the 20 second squat was difficult.

Later that evening, I was trying on some maternity clothes that a friend had passed on to me when I started having shooting pains in my pubic bone.  I lay down on the bed for a few minutes because I didn't know what the shooting pains were.  When I got back up it hurt to shift weight from one foot to the other. Walking, or taking a couple steps rather, caused pain in my entire pubic and front pelvis area. I needed F to take off my pants because the movement required to do so by myself hurt too much.

I rested for the remainder of the evening and the next day.  The shooting pain went away, but I still have a stiffness and soreness in my pubic area.   I have to get up from sitting or laying positions very carefully so as not to aggravate my pubic bone.  It still hurts when I shift weight from one foot to the other to get dressed.

I called the midwife for advice yesterday. She told me that my pubic bone may be starting to loosen and the strain during squatting can make the discomfort during loosening worse and lead to pain or something more chronic called Pubic Symphysis Diastasis.  A symptom of which, is pain when shifting weight from one foot the other.  I already have an appointment scheduled for next Monday so I am to limit my activities, except for short walks and swimming, and to keep my knees together as much as possible until then, when, we'll reassess the pain.

I'm also considering ordering a maternity belt or some kind of pelvic support belt to try and keep my pelvis more stabilized.  Baby seems fine and doesn't seem to notice my pain as he continues to hang out and squirm in a really low position.  As my uterus expands upward, I often ask him what he's still doing way down there, and wonder if I would be more comfortable if he would just move up for 10 or so more weeks.

So goodbye squats!  No more squatting for me!  Who would have thought pre-natal yoga would hurt so much and be so wrong for someone who has relied on yoga for so long to feel good?  I should have listened to Our Bodies, Ourselves: squatting is great for the pushing stage of labor, BUT if it feels uncomfortable for you, forget squats and try other positions. So reasonable, huh?

Thank you for not making me feel like I won't be able to have a natural birth if I can't breathe and push in a squatting position.