YOGA IN PREGNANCY Yoga with its dictum of moderation and with its vision of a complete integrated human being has plenty to offer to a mother-to-be and a young mother.

Labour of Love:

TIPS for the final moment:

• The baby need not arrive on the day given to the mother as the estimated date.
  
• The easiest sign of recognizing the moment of labour is a light pain moving from the back to the abdomen. This could occur once every hour in the beginning. Very often this may appear as a tummy upset.
  
• When contractions come in once every twenty minutes and last for sixty seconds or so, it definitely indicates the onset of labour. You can time your contractions by placing your hand on the abdomen and feeling the tightness below your fingers showing that the uterine muscles have contracted.

The first stage of labour lasts from the time the contractions set in to the complete dilation of the cervix or mouth of the uterus. The mother should contact the doctor as soon as the contractions come at 20 minutes interval regularly. It will be advisable to stroll and listen to pleasant music throughout the first stage. Avoid lying down. While walking, when contractions come, remember to actively participate by breathing in deeply and exhaling. Singing and repeating any sound like 'Aum' or any pleasant word would help (as in Recaka i.e. Yogendra Pranayama VIII). At this stage do not eat or drink too much. If feeling hungry eat small quantities of light food.

• Now your baby is on the way out. A joint effort with your baby will occur in the second stage. This is called the stage of expulsion. This stage lasts from 30 minutes to an hour. The mother is advised to start pushing down with each contraction. Remember to breathe in, hold the breath and push down hard as in the case of a difficult bowel movement and exhale. While the contraction is on, take a full breath in and repeat. When there is no contraction, relax and flow with your abdomen rising and falling with every breath.

If tired, try breathing in deeply from the nose and blowing from the mouth.

• When the baby is ready to emerge the muscles around the vagina stretch a great deal. Sometimes the doctor may have to do an episiotomy (a cut in that area) as it spares further pressure on the baby's head and prevents a tear.

Another person is in the room! A gift of God is yours!

Now the third stage begins. The placenta which was providing nourishment to the baby has also to come out. Your effort is not needed now. Relax and do Nispanda Bhava. The hard work of labour is now over. Keep your mind engrossed in pleasant sounds around you.