Important:

Do you suffer from severe abdominal pain? Have you had a loss of consciousness? Do you have a hemorrhage (if you need more than one sanitary napkin per hour for your bleeding)? Call for help or get taken to the emergency room.

Nothing prepares you for the strong emotions that overwhelm you when you lose your baby. This little being, which you have not yet held in your arms. While our society is happy to talk about pregnancy, childbirth or motherhood, what about the loss of pregnancy? Let’s talk about this difficult ordeal to find the path to healing.

A real taboo related to the loss of pregnancy

Experiencing the loss of a baby, or having a miscarriage, are still very taboo subjects. Unfortunately, this remains a secret for many women, because they do not share this loss with their loved ones. However, this test concerns more than one in four women!

Pregnancy is everywhere: in fertility yoga, prenatal and postnatal. This is why it is very difficult to find an attentive ear, support or even information and advice to overcome this grief. How can you succeed in rebuilding without anyone to help you understand this suffering?

A difficult ordeal to go through

Indeed, every woman will experience this physical and emotional shock differently. Some will feel strong, ready to move forward. While others will experience great sadness, an abyssal emptiness. In addition, some women will need to feel surrounded, while others will feel the need to be alone. They will want to isolate themselves from the world to mourn, to let their bodies recover little by little. In any case, feeling this is quite normal.

When you get pregnant, you know that this ordeal can happen. This is why you do not talk about your pregnancy during the first trimester. Of these famous 14 weeks of pregnancy. You are not prepared to live and feel such pain. It doesn’t matter if it’s at 4, 12 to 20 weeks or come to an end. Where do you learn what happens during and after the loss of pregnancy?

Non-existent information on pregnancy loss

For example: trenches, the “layers” to be changed x times a day, the “layer return”. And don’t forget the possible falls of tension, the stages of mourning, the possible episodes of depression, the disarray of your loved ones, etc.

Also, it is difficult to find clear and accurate information. How to support your body and emotions in a natural way? This, however, essential complement to the care and medical path.

A natural method to heal

As we have seen above, this event concerns more than one in four women. I am one of these “a woman in four”. Even today, I am surprised by the violence of the shock that is both physical, mental and emotional.

The return to my basics and essentials such as yoga, Ayurveda, naturopathy, etc. allowed me to make and regain confidence in the wisdom of my body. In order to better live this period and continue to live with this experience lived by millions of women.

The practice of yoga becomes even more a receptacle to support you. He accompanies you at all the stages you will experience on a physical, mental and emotional level. Similarly, traditional medicines, such as Ayurveda and naturopathy or TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), help you better get through this stage of your life.

Natural methods to care for your body, mind and heart

A restorative yoga brings the necessary rest and cocooning after pregnancy loss. This gentle, caring and round practice supports your nervous system and your well-proven body. This will allow the oxygenation, recovery and circulation of prana or vital energy in your organs, especially the pelvic organs.

Pranayamas or breathing exercises help you stay anchored in the present. They offer you a way to soothe your body, your heart and also your mind. Meditation, on the other hand, can promote acceptance and letting go of life’s events. These events that escape you and that you do not control.

Note that it is very important to receive your doctor’s approval to resume a yoga practice. Also remember at every moment that you alone are in your body. As a result, you know what is good for you and what is not. Don’t put pressure on yourself! You have the right to change your mind. Above all, honor your needs.

Doing yoga the first two weeks after pregnancy loss

Gentle practice of yoga is essential during these first weeks. Indeed, it is necessary to go smoothly, in order to create a safe and sacred space. This not only on the physical level, but also on the emotional level. If you return to a group yoga class, feel totally ready. It may be too early, physically and emotionally, to practice again in a group. So, you feel out of step with the outside world again.

Gentle, relaxing and restorative postures

Your physical sensations also vary. After a miscarriage or termination of pregnancy, your body still has a high level of relaxin. During pregnancy, this hormone helps the ligaments and tendons to accommodate and carry the baby. However, it also creates potential instability in the pelvis, lower back and other delicate joints, such as the wrists. So, it is essential to take your time. Go slowly, gently, to allow the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to regain their pre-pregnancy tone.

Thus, it is better to opt for yoga postures or restorative asanas with cozy accessories:

• bolsters;
• bolsters;
• blankets;
• …

Create a physical cocoon in your practice space with soft light, a candle and your favorite relaxing music. Postures, such as the inverted butterfly (Supta Baddhakonasa) or the relaxation posture (Savasana), are a deeply nourishing part of this practice.

A relaxation posture is a posture to restore optimal balance:

• the muscles of the body to relax;
• on the back to relax;
• the nervous system to calm down.

First, lie on your back, your feet on the ground just under your knees. You can leave your knees against each other and your feet slightly apart. Just rest. Then, inhale and allow the ground to support your weight a little more with each exhalation. Let gravity do the support work of this pose. Finally, allow yourself to release everything that needs to be released. This intimate space in your home can create the right space to let go and evacuate all tears, sadness and grief as part of your process.

Meditation for your healing

Meditation practices of acceptance, letting go and self-compassion bring you a lot of necessary benevolence at the moment. You will easily go through emotions such as anger, frustration, sadness or jealousy. However, these emotions felt too long-lasting may hinder your healing process. That’s why it’s important to create a space to mourn and let yourself go emotionally. All this by supporting the process of regeneration and self-regulation of your body, with a lot of benevolence towards yourself.

Practice yoga after stopping bleeding

When you start to heal, your practice gradually evolves to a fluid and gentle rhythm. This allows your body to develop its strength and prana, thus healing your body literally from the inside. Continue to avoid sustained and dynamic practice that can injure vulnerable areas, such as the pelvis and lower back. Organic movements, soft and fluid, invite your body to move with breathing. These gestures are particularly nourishing and adapted.

Go gradually and slowly in your practice. Listen to your body’s signals: pain, discomfort, fatigue, etc. If this is the case, return to a gentler and restorative practice. Also, it is recommended (for a certain period of time) to avoid postures that can cause tension on the abdominal organs, such as:

• closed twists;
• abdominal strengthening exercises;
• deep front flexions;
• dynamic back bends.

Prefer to reintroduce them gradually, according to your desire and feelings. Above all, listen to yourself and don’t force!

Promote gentle postures

Try soft inversions such as Viparita Karani (legs stretched against a wall) and gentle variations of the candle. The latter are beneficial to help your uterus tone up and realign. In addition, they are effective in toning the pelvic floor. As for soft half-deck postures, either active or with a brick or bolster under the sacrum, they will also be beneficial. The reason? Their stabilizing effects (for the pelvis) and their opening and expanding effects of the heart region.

There are also practices targeting the root chakra. These practices help strengthen your stability (both physical and emotional), anchoring and security:

• walk in the forest;
• gardening;
• pottery;
• sit in the grass;
• sit on his yoga mat.

May this gentle and caring approach to yoga help and support you in this stage of your life. Put yourself in this space that yoga offers you. Honor and meet your needs in your healing path, both physically and emotionally.

My online training “fertility, yoga and ayurveda”

My online training brings you authentic, adapted and nourishing practices. They are specially designed for women in the context of fertility and fertility disorders. Also, for women in LDCs, pregnancy loss, etc.

This training is for you if:

• you want to adapt your practice after a pregnancy loss;
• you are passionate about supporting women;
• you are a natural health practitioner;
• you are a health professional;
• you are a yoga teacher and want to offer holistic yoga classes with safe practices.

Indeed, this training takes you further than this article in terms of understanding, practice, teaching and support. I offer you modules, meetings and study sessions by videoconference. This is to improve and deepen your learning in this area of women’s health, fertility and fertility disorders. The training covers topics such as (non-exhaustive list):

• anatomy;
• physiology;
• nutrition;
• naturopathy;
• plants;
• natural care;
• Ayurveda;
• …