Yoga and the Breastfeeding Mom

Believe what you’ve heard; breastfeeding is a full time gig.  In the first few weeks of my son’s life, I wanted to give up.  He was always hungry, and I was permanently hunched over nursing him.  To all you new mamas out there, don’t give up; it gets so much better!  My son is two and a half months old; he doesn’t cluster feed anymore, and breast feeding no longer hurts.  I do however have to take care of my body to correct the hours spent in a poor posture while breastfeeding.  Thank goodness for yoga!

To open my chest and stretch my upper back,  I practice this restorative heart opener with a block under my shoulder blades and another one under my head.

And when my body is warm, I practice urdhva dhanurasana or wheel pose to fully open the front side of my body and relieve the strain on my back and shoulders.