The authors acknowledge the support of both the Health Research Board, Ireland and the SPHeRE programme, Ireland in providing scholarship funding to the corresponding author to complete her doctoral studies. The funding and time frames for the project limited the scope of this study. Another key finding of the study was the perceived benefit for preparation of labour. All study participants identified perceived benefits, and the yoga participants identified these as improved relaxation and reduction of psychological distress; labour preparation; bonding with their baby in utero; and social connectedness with the yoga group peers. The medical file audit found that 60% of all the study participants had a documented history of psychological distress. For those who did participate in the sessions, yoga was found to decrease self-reported distress and increase perceived skills to assist with their labour and the birth of their baby. The third most commonly stated reason was to support birth preparation and wellbeing in pregnancy for the mother and baby. Prenatal yoga is an ideal low-impact fitness routine to start when you’re expecting, even if you’re not used to regularly working out - and it boasts plenty of benefits for you and your baby.

They also spoke about these benefits in the interview, identifying ways in which they were newly attuned to their baby. When asked to describe this feeling after a session, participants spoke of feeling relaxed, including positive emotional responses and physical bodily responses. Eight of the 15 (53.33%) yoga participants perceived the benefits for labour as the most important benefit. To ensure data privacy all participants were assigned a code number with paper and electronic data being stored in secure locations. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Ethical approval was not required for this study as it did not involve conducting experimental research, nor include identifying personal data. Data from The Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH) in Melbourne highlighted that more than half (52%) of maternity patients aged 19 and under-reported living with a mental health condition, and 61% reported a history of depression. Findings from the Southampton Women’s survey.

Effects of prenatal yoga on women’s stress and immune function across pregnancy: A randomized controlled trial. Kingston D, Heaman M, Fell D, Chalmers B, Canadian Perinatal S. Public Hlth Agcy C. comparison of adolescent, young adult, and adult women’s maternity experiences and practices. Therefore, young mothers persistently fall through the gaps, even with assigned and experienced health staff. Some young mothers stated this type of care had a re-traumatising effect. Munirekha B, Jayashree K, Vijayaraghavan R. A study to assess the effectiveness of antenatal exercises and yoga to promote normal vaginal deliveries among antenatal mothers. Yoga during pregnancy: The effects on labor pain and delivery outcomes (A randomized controlled trial). Chuntharapat S, Petpichetchian W, Hatthakit U. Yoga during pregnancy: Effects on maternal comfort, labor pain and birth outcomes. Riley K, Drake E. The Effects of Prenatal Yoga on Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature. The provision of accessible yoga programs for pregnant young women is recommended. Yuvarani G, Manoranjitham R, Tharani G, Kamatchi K, Vaishnavi G. A study to compare the effects of aerobic exercises and yoga on depression and maternal anxiety orienting among primiparous women. Satyapriya M, Nagendra HR, Nagarathna R, Padmalatha V. Effect of integrated yoga on stress and heart rate variability in pregnant women.

Deshpande CS, Rakhshani A, Nagarathna R, Ganpat TS, Kurpad A, Maskar R, et al. Your yoga teacher will want to know your name, how far along you are, any aches and pains you're having, and what body parts or poses you’d like to work on. Common positions in regular yoga - such as those where your feet are spread far apart - may be too stressful for your joints and pelvic area when you’re expecting. Don’t do deep twisting: This may naturally not feel as good as your bump gets bigger, so it’s best to avoid it, Lombardo says. Your center of gravity can be off during pregnancy, and backbends and twists may cause you to fall. Prenatal yoga has been found to help a pregnant person manage stress and anxiety, which can impact the fetus as well. Cramer H, Lauche R, Langhorst J, Yoga for Pregnant Women Dobos G. Are Indian yoga trials more likely to be positive than those from other countries? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. They also reported they felt less pain and more comfortable during and immediately after labor.