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EXPECTANT MOTHERS practice the pelvic rock, which helps tone up muscles. This is s done by tightening muscles
around thighs and buttocks, and pull pelvis: upward. |

by Guillermo Lam

“Imagine yourself at: the seashore... You see a

great wav

e begin to gather up far out from shore.

—Itis obviously going to pass over you. There is -no
escape. As it approaches you it grows higher and»
higher, gathering force. If you turn and run you

will be. knocked down and pounded by the surf. ;

“You. -must observe. .its

fixed on it every second. As it
approaches you, you. swim
above it, for your calm has
given’ you the energy and
mental alertness necessary.

You smile, and experience ©
_the pleasant thrill of victory.

It was in this victorious
frame of mind, described in a
nurse’s manual, that the 10
expectant mothers lay relax-
ed,cushioned by light greyish
mats, on the carpeted floor of
the building at 136 West 14th
Street, in North Vancouver.

The only one on. her feet
was Pre-natal Coordinator

s .-Jill Rhynard,.: .23,.
course calmly with your eyes ~

of the
Health Services. Dept. who.
has been helping the
mothers prepare for birth,
most of them to experience it |
for the first time. She has:
been guiding the mothers
through their _ breathing

exercises - called Psychopro-

: cS ewe |
. phylaxis,: a MEtniGGa wneresy

they are trained to concen-
trate on-a breathing pattern
to take their minds. off pain
usually accompanying. con-
tractions during labor.

FIRST CHILD

‘Dressed in a dark blouse
‘and white cotton. trousers

Valerie Madock, a_partici-

ocr eabaaaen 8 9 be

Departs venernne) Taner otetene® :

LYING.ON ONE’S SIDE takes pressure off the spine,
providing # more comfortable position for moms.

clenched. right fist,
serves as a focal point to.

food, or

"pant carrying her first child,

anes throuah her ‘hreathina
eet DP BELER  -s ee

oven
exercises,

MN Rae

eassasey

with deliberate

gasps.of air and exhaling at

regular intervals. While she
does this she extends “her
which

simulate pain lesser in
degree’ .than. that during
labor: we ,

Interviewed during a break

in. ‘an afternoon session

Madock says: ‘‘I think I’ve —

been able to build up my
confidence. I feel prepared to
use some of the things I’ve
learned.’’ |

Madock ‘has - proven for
herself that by concentrating
on the breathing, she has
been able to divert her

attention from pain, for

example the one produced by
the clenched fist. -

In the first of a series of
three prenatal courses the
women learn about the
physical changes taking
place in their body, of the
month by month develop-
ment of baby, ‘mother’s
nutrition, breast feeding and
stages of labor, among
others. .

Symptoms they experience
include the absence of the
menstrual flow; tenderness
and fulness of the breasts,
likes or dislikes for certain
even increased
hunger pangs. Other symp-
toms might be _ frequent
urination, and
nausea or morning sickness.

PUSHES PELVIS

There are also suggestions
for posture, which Madock
and her fellow participants
find in a number of handouts
provided. For example one
pamphlet says:

‘During: pregnancy; the

increasing weight of the.

uterus tips forward against
the wall of the abdomen.
Avoid pushing the pelvis
forward to compensate, be-
cause this increases the
curvature of the spine and
puts unnecessary weight on
the spinal) muscles © and

. possibly

ligaments, causing | _back-

As part of the exercises,
supervised. by Rhynard, the

women do the pelvic rock, by.
tightening the buttock, mus-
cles and: rotating .the pelvis

upward, carrying’ the fetus

~ over. the pelvis: All:this is.
done lying: down, however, .

this position is suggested
even wher: sitting, climbing
stairs or squatting to open a

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drawer. ‘“‘Hold your head
straighten shoulders —

high,
and lift your rib cage,’
another point suggests.

FLOATING POSITION

The reasons for the physi-
cal changes are explained by
Rhynard in relation to the
stage of fetal development.

In the third month the baby

is in‘a ‘floating’ position,

weighing about an ounce and.

3 inches long. By the sixth
month, the mother’s abdo-
men continues . to enlarge,
and the baby, which is about
one-foot-long, begins — to
move more vigorously.

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14th & Lonsdale

126 East 14th St.,
North Vancouver

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As the child prepares for
birth, it has moved down
lower into the abdomen. It is

about six to seven pounds

and is about 20 inches long.

Most of the ladies attend-
ing the sessions say before

they learned about what
childbirth involves, they
were apprehensive.

Warns | -Rhynard: “We

don’t tell: moms that child-
birth is going to be easy.
They must realize that pain is

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