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Category Archives: Pregnancy

Moving Through Stage One of Labor

Moving Through Stage One of Labor

By Sara French, ACSM CPT, NASM CNC

December 6, 2024

 

Whether you give birth in a hospital, at a birthing center, or at home, there are things you can do to support your body through labor. Each stage of labor brings different challenges, and the techniques discussed below will hopefully aid in a smooth labor and delivery. The information in this article will apply to women who choose an epidural as well as no epidural. It is important to remember that every woman’s labor experience is different, and the length of each stage will vary. 

Lightning Crotch During Pregnancy

Lightning Crotch During Pregnancy

By Sara French, ACSM CPT, NASM CNC

November 22, 2024

 

What is Lightning Crotch?

Lightning crotch is a very common sensation during pregnancy, especially toward the end. It is often confused with round ligament pain, though there are some distinct differences of which to make note. Women who experience lightning crotch describe the feeling as a sudden sharp or burning pain in the pelvic or vaginal area. Not fun! Round ligament pain is a more dull, aching pain that typically lasts longer than a second. While lightning crotch may happen at any point during pregnancy, it is most likely to occur during the third trimester. Unfortunately, the severity and frequency of lightning crotch varies among women. So if you were hoping to gauge when it would happen for you and how long it would last, I can’t help you there, my friend! Personally, I started experiencing it infrequently around the second trimester. It has definitely ramped up now that I am in my third trimester, and I have noticed that it happens more frequently when my baby goes through growth spurts. It helps to identify patterns like this, so that I can know what to expect and remind myself that it is temporary; it won’t last forever. A moment of pain for a lifetime of glory!

Working Out in the First Trimester

Working Out in the First Trimester

Sara French

August 23, 2024

So you’re in your first trimester of pregnancy. You might be feeling all of the symptoms by now or having no symptoms at all! Either way, you probably have some questions about exercising now that you are pregnant. The research is heavily supportive of exercising during pregnancy. If you are new to exercising, however, there are some guidelines and points to consider before you jump right in. 

Dr. Tinius Runs the 2023 Boston Marathon – 12 Weeks Pregnant

As many of you have read by now, I ran the Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 at 12 weeks pregnant. I have run it one other time back in 2015 (notorious for terrible weather- freezing cold, pouring rain, and non-stop headwind). As soon as I finished it in 2015, I almost immediately said well, I want to do that again, but hopefully on a nicer day so I can really enjoy the experience.