I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Laura Carroll, the fabulous women's health Chartered Physiotherapist at Live Well Waterford Clinic. As the body changes dramatically during pregnancy, it can have such an impact on how a lady feels, sleeps and manages a normal daily routine. 

As an anatomy nerd, I was so excited to get this chance to sit down and chat with Laura, to uncover some of the reasons why Pregnant women suffer from so many ailments like rib pain, leaking while sneezing or coughing, and pelvic pain. I found it so incredibly insightful and I know you will too! Even if you aren't suffering from any major ailments, Laura gives advice on how to prevent the onset of physical difficulties during pregnancy.

The main 4 things we should all be doing more of are:

1. Breathing correctly
2. Excellent posture
3. Movement classes suitable for pregnancy
4. Good bladder and bowel health

We talk about all of them inside the interview!

As I feel so strongly about keeping physically...

I'm so fascinated by the holistic world of herbal medicine and alternative therapy. When I got the chance to interview Marina Kesso, Herbalist and Naturopath, I was so excited! She's an incredible lady and helps so many Pregnant women, and new mamas cope with their ailments, and improves the quality of their lifestyle, all through the wonders of Herbal Medicine and Naturopathy. 

HP: Marina, thanks so much for your time today. Can I ask how you got into the Herbal Medicine world?

MK: Thanks so much Helen, I'm thrilled to chat to you. I was living on a small farm in Leitrim, growing lots of different herbs and plants for years. Living on the farm, we tried to live sustainably and ate only what was in season. Even though my background is Fine Arts, herbs and plants were a big passion. Living in the countryside, lots of locals knew I grew them on the farm, so they kept coming to me to get different plants for them. It came to a point where I wanted to know more about...

Pretty much every pregnant woman suffers from some form of back pain. Here are 5 simple exercises to do daily which will relieve back pain. Also listen out for my 2 tips to help prevent back ache too!

Exercises start at 2mins 50 sec.

Enjoy

x 

If you would like to learn more about freeing yourself from discomfort in Pregnancy, feeling strong, sleeping soundly, and feeling prepared for your labour, check out our comprehensive Online Prenatal Program.

Pelvic Pain in Pregnancy can be pretty rotten. I experienced it for a while on my 2nd baby, but worked my way through it with some strengthening and stabilizing movements like these. 

Try to practice daily for best results. Take a look at the 7 - Week Online Prenatal Program for lots more detail to help you through your pregnancy and delivery. 

Please share & like if you find them useful!

Big love 

xx Helen xx

Ahhh you wake up in the morning after an interrupted night's sleep to find that you can barely move. You have shooting pain in your backside (one side in particular) and when you attempt to put weight on your leg, you shudder. Anything sound familiar Mama-To-Be? Sciatica...or more specifically, sciatic pain.

'Sciatica' is pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg. Typically, sciatica affects only one side of your body.* Pregnancy doesn't 'cause' it but it can make it worse.

In pregnancy, as baby grows and we gain weight, the back is put under more pressure, the uterus often presses down onto the nerve, the posture is affected, and we have more fluid in the body. All combined can lead to a compression of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the entire body, and inflammation, pain and numbness...