Power of Posture: Strategies for a Resilient Motherhood Journey

Motherhood, whether it’s being a first-time mom or having your second, third, fourth, etc., child, presents an array of challenges and demands that require significant adjustments. Juggling and managing family responsibilities, work pressures, financial concerns, hormonal changes, and trying to find “me” time whenever possible leads to states of heightened stress, impacting both emotional and physical well-being.

One of the most overlooked factors concerning new moms and expanding their family unit is their posture while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding their newborns. Many new moms tend to adopt a forward head posture with rounded shoulders during these activities. This posture is characterized by hunched shoulders and a bent-forward head, often focused on the baby or a mobile device. While this posture might not seem problematic when done once or twice, it becomes a concern when moms repeat it 8-12 times a day, seven days a week, for months at a time. This posture wires the brain to adapt while also stimulating the “gas pedal” of the sympathetic nervous system.

New scientific findings consistently demonstrate that good posture is a reliable indicator of good health. Poor posture indicates prolonged activation of the sympathetic nervous system, affecting how the body handles gravity and overall posture. It not only signals chronic stress but also reduces the ability to cope with life’s challenges.

By consciously adjusting posture and receiving chiropractic adjustments, mothers can alleviate physical, mental, and emotional stressors and promote a more balanced nervous system response, leading to improved overall health and well-being. Recognizing the critical role of posture in physical, physiological, and psychological well-being, especially during early motherhood, is crucial. While practicing better posture habits at home can be beneficial, professional chiropractic care plays a vital role in addressing underlying structural issues and promoting overall wellness.

Ultimately, understanding and optimizing posture not only alleviate physical strain but also empower mothers to navigate the demands of motherhood with resilience and improved well-being.

At-Home Exercises To Do

• Optimal Posture: Maintain a strong, upright posture while feeding or holding your child. Be aware of where your neck and shoulder position is. Is your neck leaning forward and looking down? Are your shoulders rounded? Is your core not activated? It is wise to open up your chest, pull your shoulders back and activate your core to lift up while breast or bottle feeding.
• Foot Support: If your feet don’t reach the floor comfortably during feeding, use a footstool to maintain proper alignment and reduce strain on your lower back and legs.
• Regular Stretching: Due to the chronic tightness that can come from breast or bottle feeding such as tight chest or hamstrings (from sitting too much), taking time to stretch these muscles out periodically helps keep flexibility within the body.
• Mindful Breaks: Allocate at least 10 minutes each day for mindfulness. This can be breath work to reset your nervous system, quite time to just take a break from life, meditation to reset the mind and calm the nerves. The key point of these breaks is to give your sympathetic nervous system a break from firing so often while also building up your brake pedal system (parasympathetic nervous system).

Grounding and Being Outside:

If the weather allows, I would recommend taking 10-15 minutes (maybe some mindful breaks) and put your bare feet in grass. This is a method called, “Grounding,” and what you are doing is taking negative ions (energy) from the Earth and allowing to have your body reset, especially the electrical and energetic systems of the body. I highly recommend this, especially if you feel anxiousness, anxiety, racing thoughts, nervousness, etc.

By incorporating these refined recommendations into your daily routine, you can cultivate better posture, reduce physical strain, and foster a sense of calm and balance amidst the demands of motherhood.