Today I'm going to talk about a major area of tension for pregnant women - the throat and neck. Now, anyone who works at a desk or drives a lot (just two potential causes) knows about neck tension. It may creep up into the back of your head, sneak up and into your jaw, or even slide across the tops of your shoulders. As your baby and your body grow, the added weight "up front" can cause your shoulders to slump forward and down, causing even more tension.
What's a mama to do?
Prevention comes first. Ask yourself:
- Am I staying warm enough? If I'm cold most of the time, am I scrunching my shoulders up as I try to warm up? Is my bedroom warm enough when I sleep?
- How's my posture throughout the day? Do I slump forward at my desk, letting my upper back collapse? When I'm standing, does it feel like my heart-center (just behind your sternum) is caving in?
- Do I grind my teeth or clench my jaw? Jaw tension can aid and abet neck and throat tension (it's a chicken-or-the-egg situation).
Now that you've assessed, here are some suggestions to remedy the situation:
- Stretch throughout the day! When it comes to stretching, it is really helpful to do a little bit here and there. Give yourself a "body break" - make it simple by doing a shoulder, upper back, or neck stretch every time you get up to use the bathroom. That way you don't have to schedule your stretching, and you know you'll have lots of opportunity! ;)
- Notice if your muscles feel tense. Practice observing how your muscles feel. You can touch them to assess if they feel hard, even when you think you're relaxing them. Neck muscles are notorious for staying tense even when we lie down for sleep...they know their job is to hold your head up, and they seem to "forget" that they, too, should rest! If at first you can't relax your areas of tension, keep practicing with kindness and compassion. These are muscles that work hard, and they're responding to many changes over little time. Be patient, but persistent.
- Take time every day to relax. If you're noticing that your muscles are tense even when you think you're at ease, and you're practicing relaxing them but the going seems slow, make sure to add in a 15 - 30 minute period of relaxation to each day. Make it a time when you can lie comfortably (legs up the wall pose, side-laying Shavasana, whatever is comfortable for you on that day), tune in to your heart and your baby, and let go of the business of your day. This will train your nervous system to relax, which will help your muscles get the relaxation message better, too!
- Gently rub raw sesame oil into your sore muscles at least daily. This will not only feel good, but the raw sesame is a safe and useful anti-inflammatory. You could also try applying warmth to the area, using a heating pad that you heat up in the oven or microwave.
Yawning is a great way to relax and stretch your throat and jaw!
Energetically, the throat is closely related to the pelvic floor and up into the birth canal. You could think of your birth canal as another throat. If your throat/neck is tight, chances are you also have tension in your pelvic floor/birth canal. This is why it is so important to relax your throat during delivery! We often don't realize the tension that creeps up, but the sounds you make will give it away. If you're making high-pitched sounds, there's tension.
Try it now. Make an "eek" noise, like a little scream, and notice how your throat feels.
Now make an OM sound, nice and low-pitched. If you aren't familiar with OM, then make a low-pitched humming sound. Do you feel the difference? Did you notice that the sound vibrates in your head, throat, chest, lower abdomen, or maybe all of those areas?
During delivery, making low-pitched moans and groans helps keep tension out of the throat. This, in turn, facilitates the opening of the birth canal as your baby descends. You may have experienced support people (such as a doula) who encourage you to make lower sounds as you get closer to delivery. Now you know why!
As with any physical preparation for childbirth, it is helpful to practice relaxing your neck throughout pregnancy. If you have persistent neck tension, talk to your yoga teacher, prenatal massage therapist, or chiropractor about additional ways you can treat it naturally.
Safety note: There are pressure points along the tops of your shoulders, just where a friend's thumbs would work as they massage your upper trapezius, which can trigger contractions. That is why I recommend avoiding deep massage in that area during pregnancy.
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