A Fresh View on Childbirth: Spinning Babies® andBody Ready Method
Kata Rácz
One of the cornerstones of ‘Pregnant In Belgium’ is to empower pregnant expats to have a positive experience. That starts by seeking out prenatal education which informs and promotes trust in their body to birth their baby. There’s lots of choice out there! In this article, Kata Rácz, a doula offering birth preparation as a ‘Body Ready Method’ Pro, and a certified Spinning Babies® Parent Educator living in Vlaams Braabant—explains why pain in pregnancy is not normal and how proactive birth preparation can bring more comfort during pregnancy while paving the way for a smoother birth.
Birth is a normal, healthy process that sometimes requires medical intervention. Yet, in our modern society, birth is often approached as a medical event that occasionally happens naturally. Let’s flip this narrative and explore a fresh perspective on childbirth!
During childbirth, the mother’s “task” is dilation, while the baby’s “task” is rotation and descent through the pelvis — a beautifully synchronized tandem effort, your first joint activity! However, the traditional (medical) birth approach focuses on the mother’s task...on centimeters. How much is the cervix dilated? What is the speed of dilation? But, Spinning Babies® and the Body Ready Method (BRM) ask a different question: Where is the baby? By answering this, we can focus on creating space in the pelvis for the baby to navigate smoothly. When the baby’s rotation is easier, the entire birth process can become smoother and more comfortable.
Creating Space for a Smoother Birth
Spinning Babies® and BRM utilize tailored movements and positions to create space in the pelvis where the baby needs it most. The real magic, however, happens during pregnancy through proactive preparation – getting “body ready” for birth. Addressing imbalances, tension, and compensation patterns in the pregnant body can significantly improve comfort during pregnancy and increase the likelihood of an easier birth. Activities that create balance in the body also reduce common discomforts, such as pelvic pain or back pain, which are often accepted as a “normal” part of pregnancy but are signals that something isn’t quite right.
Pain in Pregnancy: Common but Not Normal
In today’s society, pregnancy pain is often brushed off as inevitable. However, pain is a cry of the body that something is not fully right! Tight muscles, overlengthened tissues, reduced mobility, and compensatory patterns can all contribute to discomfort. These very common misalignment issues are mainly rooted in our modern lifestyle and are typically present pre-pregnancy as well, but they only come to the surface when the body is under the extra load of a growing baby. Rest is a common recommendation, but unfortunately it does not address the underlying issues and can sometimes worsen the discomfort. Instead, Spinning Babies® and the Body Ready Method address exactly these underlying problems by fostering balance, alignment, and functional movement — not just for pregnancy and birth, but for a functional life as well.
How Do Spinning Babies® and BRM Help?
Both Spinning Babies® and the Body Ready Method are rooted in the same idea: supporting the birthing parent’s body in achieving optimal function for pregnancy and birth through movement.
Spinning Babies® offers a more compact “one-size-fits-most” program designed to address the most common misalignments through a daily movement routine. It teaches parents to create space with tailored positioning during labor and birth at the various levels of the pelvis. During the three-hour Spinning Babies® Parent Class, parents learn body-balancing techniques and movements, smart resting positions, and practice birth positions to optimize space at various pelvic levels. These classes are really fun and empowering, equipping parents with tools to actively shape their birth experience.
The Body Ready Method (BRM) takes things a step further and can perfectly complement a Spinning Babies® Parent Class by offering a highly individualized program. Beginning with a full-body assessment and a 50-minute individual intake session, this approach identifies specific imbalances and recommends tailored exercises. Progress is monitored through follow-up sessions, and the program can be supplemented with an online prenatal exercise routine focusing on strength and alignment, as well as a postpartum recovery program focusing on core and pelvic floor recovery.
The earlier you begin BRM, the better. Starting these balancing activities sooner increases the impact of the proactive approach and reduces the need for reactive measures and medical intervention.
Both Spinning Babies® and BRM are gaining popularity at a rapid pace, even among medical professionals, as global experiences confirm that addressing alignment and improving function early in pregnancy through tailored movement can reduce the need for medical interventions during birth, improve birth outcomes, and make birth a more positive experience for parents.
Visit Kata Rácz’s website at www.myroundbelly.be to learn more and sign up for an upcoming Spinning Babies® Parent Class or schedule an individual Body Ready Method session.
Spinning Babies® Parent Classes are live sessions in English in Kampenhout.
