Hey there! Roxanne is officially six weeks postpartum. Baby Harvey is definitely giving me baby fever lol… but he is the last MamasteFit baby. We promise. Maybe...

She is starting to emerge from her postpartum bubble and rejoin the world again, so it felt like the perfect time to share her birth story.

You can watch Roxanne share Harvey’s birth story on YouTube here or listen to the full podcast episode here.​

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From Roxanne:​
​"Thank you everyone for following on my pregnancy journey with Harvey and being so supportive in the final weeks of my pregnancy! It really helped me feel less alone with such an amazing support team cheering me on!

Thank you all for all the love after Harvey was born and for those who contributed to the meal train fund! It helped make postpartum so much easier without having to meal plan."

Pregnancy and Birth Prep

Throughout Roxanne’s pregnancy, she consistently followed our Prenatal Strength Program. It was especially helpful during her second trimester when she began midwifery clinic rotations and was on her feet for long hours. In her previous pregnancies, she struggled more with pubic bone pain, but this time she was able to stay relatively pain free.

On days she did not complete a full strength workout, she focused on 10 to 15 minutes of our Birth Prep Circuit.​

Last summer, I added two new exercises to the Birth Prep Circuit.

Originally, the circuit included six movements that targeted common areas of tension during pregnancy. During pregnancy, there is often a tendency to live in spinal extension and external rotation. When we get stuck in those positions, it can reduce pelvic mobility, increase pelvic floor tension, and influence how much space is available for baby to navigate the pelvis.

​Our Birth Prep Circuit includes movements that help you come out of extension into a more rounded back position. This can support engagement and create more space in the lower portion of the pelvis. The circuit also includes internal rotation focused movements to create space in the lower midpelvis and in the back portion of the pelvic floor.

But it was still missing something.

That missing piece became clear during my pregnancy with Zoe in 2024.

I was working closely with our pelvic floor physical therapist, Hayley Kava, and we discovered that my right anterior pelvic floor was very overactive. That overactivity was contributing to bladder urgency and decreasing space in my posterior pelvic inlet, making it harder for baby to engage.

We did internal release work and added targeted exercises to offload the anterior pelvic floor.

And that is where the new additions to our Birth Prep Circuit came from.

The circuit now includes two exercises that specifically address tension in the right anterior quadrant of the pelvic floor. After adding these movements, we began receiving more messages from clients who were consistently doing the Birth Prep Circuit and then experienced labors that progressed faster than expected. Ours included.

Did the Birth Prep Circuit contribute to Roxanne’s fastest labor yet? Or was it simply because it was her fourth baby?

We cannot say for sure.

But I am confident that it helped her stay more comfortable during pregnancy and supported a more balanced, mobile pelvis going into labor.

You can grab our free Birth Prep Circuit guide here or watch the full follow along workout video here.​

The Birth Prep Circuit is included as the warm up for every prenatal workout starting at week 20 inside our Prenatal Strength Program and our Prenatal On Demand Program.​

Both programs sync to your current week of pregnancy, so you can start at any time. You can choose lifetime access for this pregnancy and future pregnancies or select the monthly option and use it for as long as you need.

One of the things that makes our programs different is that we actively coach in person clients at our North Carolina gym while building and refining these workouts. We also collaborate closely with pelvic floor physical therapists to bridge clinical insight with real world strength training.

Over the next few weeks, we will be diving deeper into the pelvic floor for pregnancy, birth prep and the postpartum (I'm currently doing a five part series on Instagram), Roxanne's postpartum recovery, and so much more! Thanks for reading, see you next week!

Gina

Stay Strong in Pregnancy and Motherhood!

MamasteFit is one of the only fitness training facilities in the country that exclusively works with in-person prenatal and postnatal fitness clients—and also provides hands-on birth support. Our prenatal and postpartum fitness programs aren’t random “safe” modifications pulled from the internet; they’re designed specifically for this stage of life, tested and refined with our in-person clients, and approved by our in-house pelvic floor physical therapists.

Our prenatal programs were created to keep you strong and pain-free throughout pregnancy with specialty exercises to help you prepare for birth with pelvic opening, pelvic floor, and birth prep movements.

Our postpartum programs were carefully designed with our in-person fitness clients and pelvic floor PTs to ensure there is a smooth transition from rehab and recovery to fitness. Many PTs recommend our programs for both pregnancy and postpartum because of how seamless they integrate with someone's 1-1 PT!