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Push Prep (Mar/April) Class #5

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Pelvic Health Mastery

8 years ago today, I became a mother for the first

8 years ago today, I became a mother for the first time.

I had no idea what I was stepping into, or how my heart was about to be cracked open.

Here is what motherhood has taught me so far.

1️⃣Suspend judgment — of yourself first, then everyone else. If the other steps feel hard, start here. ✨

2️⃣ You will be humbled — again and again (they will break you...then ask for snacks)

3️⃣ Kids come through you, not for you (they’ll remind you of that… daily)

4️⃣ Advocate for yourself and your children - from the birth room to hospital emergency rooms. No one will do it better than you.

5️⃣ Your intuition is almost always right — even when Google says otherwise

6️⃣ Fed is best (I pumped 9 months, then chose formula…breastfeeding is amazing, but not every kid's latch can be fixed with a tongue tie surgery. Don't be hard on yourself.)

7️⃣ You will do things you swore you’d never do. Surrender to that reality 😆

8️⃣There is no one “right” birth or “right” way to mother. The people who insist that there is have healing to do.

9️⃣ Strength doesn’t always look how you thought it would

🔟 Some seasons feel endless… and then suddenly, they’re gone

And I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you’re in it right now — the newborn fog, the feeding stress, the “am I doing this right?”…

You are.

Even when it doesn’t feel like it.

There is no perfect way to do this.

There is only your way.

And it’s more than enough.

💛
Love
Nikki

#motherhood #motherhoodjourney #thebellemethod #motherdaughterlove #firstborn

Reposting this today from 3 years ago because BBC

Reposting this today from 3 years ago because BBC finally published an article today confirming something many of us in the birth space have been saying for years:

Women were never designed to give birth lying on their backs yet it remains the most common position in modern hospital settings.

For thousands of years, across cultures, women instinctively laboured and birthed in upright positions—squatting, kneeling, leaning forward, or using stools. Why? Because it works with the body, not against it. Gravity helps. The pelvis can open more (by up to ~2.5 cm).

Research shows upright and mobile labour is associated with:
• lower rates of caesarean
• less epidural use
• shorter labours
• fewer assisted births (forceps/vacuum)
• better outcomes for babies

And yet… most women are still encouraged or expected to lie on their backs. Heck, it happened to me with my first birth. I was told I HAD to move to my back "for the doctor" when pushing.

This shift is relatively recent (last 300–400 years) and is often linked to male-led medical practices, including French obstetrician François Mauriceau, who promoted the position largely because it was more convenient for physicians....

Today, guidelines like those from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clearly state that women should be discouraged from lying flat on their backs during the pushing stage and instead supported to choose positions that feel best for them.

And this applies to all births, including those with epidurals.

An epidural may change sensation and mobility, but it does not mean you’re limited to one position.

Birth is not one-size-fits-all.
And your position in labour should never be about convenience for the system.

It should be about you.

Comment PUSHPREP below and I’ll send you a free prenatal workshop to help you feel confident, informed, and ready for your best possible birth.

#thebellemethod #birthprep #laboranddelivery #expectingmom #momtobe

How do these exercises improve bladder leaks? Wel

How do these exercises improve bladder leaks?

Well, they don't just by copying the moves - unless you're connecting them to your breath. That's what this is about.

It's not the choreography that "fixes" these issues - it's your technique. It's how you manage pressure during the movement.

This is what we teach inside Core Restore. The Spring 12-Week session starts online next Tuesday April 7. Join from anywhere. Get unlimited live support, a physio approved weekly on-demand program to follow, weekly meal plans for faster results and a group chat for questions (it's like texting me directly).

Comment TRIAL to get your first week for just $1.

(Shown in the video)
1️⃣Ball Donkey
2️⃣Shoulder Bridge
3️⃣Open Book Fly
4️⃣Single Swan
5️⃣Scarecrow
6️⃣Adductor Squish
7️⃣Kneel Ups

#womenwholift #thebellemethod #bladderleakage #postnatalfitness #perimenopausefitness

COMMENT QUIZ 👇 (2-min quiz to know exactly where t

COMMENT QUIZ 👇
(2-min quiz to know exactly where to start)

If you’re doing isolated kegels sitting in a chair or lying on your back and wondering why nothing is changing…

This is why 👇

Your pelvic floor doesn’t work in isolation.
It works better with movement — with your core, your breath, your whole system.

And research backs this up.

Pelvic floor activation is significantly higher when contractions are paired with movement vs. isolated contractions alone.

Meaning…
👉 Bridges
👉 Knee hovers
👉 Clams
👉 Squats
👉 Lunges

…done with a proper pelvic floor contraction > endless isolated kegels.

Because life doesn’t happen lying down or sitting still.
You need strength that transfers.

This is how you build a pelvic floor that actually supports you
in workouts, in motherhood, in real life.

It’s never too late.
But you do need to train smart.

Comment QUIZ and I’ll help you figure out your next best step

Reference: Bø K, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016.

#thebellemethod #pelvicfloor #bladdersupport #postnatalworkout #kegels

Remember the cue "arms up, ribs down". ✨ Try the

Remember the cue "arms up, ribs down". ✨

Try the Belle Membership it for 7 days for $1. Comment TRIAL for the link and start training now👇

TIP: learn how to separate an overhead reach (aka shoulder extension) from back extension (aka arching your spine). Learn to breathe into your diaphragm first.

When you reach for something over your head, can you do it without arching your back or thrusting your ribs forward?

Try it with me now. Put your phone down and lift both hands overhead like you're dancing the YMCA. What did your ribs want to do? Tell me! 😉

A wider infrasternal rib angle (sign is a permanently tighter bra strap) usually due to the pressure of the growing baby in pregnancy, can cause constant tension on your abdominal fascia and make it harder to improve diastasis.

An inexpensive prop like a flex band is so useful. Tip: gently pull it apart as you bring the band overhead to generate more muscle activation.

This is all inside the 12 week Core Restore course. 5 progressive workouts per week (15-30 min max), nutrition plans, 100 + on demand workouts, stretches, technique tips, pelvic health education, live classes with me and deep dives into exercise for prolapse, incontinence, diastasis, c-section rehab, back pain and full body strengthening.

Try the Belle Membership it for 7 days for $1.
Comment TRIAL for the link. 👇

Also, it is never too late to improve your core and pelvic floor.

#postnatalfitness #diastasisrecti #ribflare #thebellemethod #postnatalpilates

Comment POP for my 10-page prolapse guide (with ex

Comment POP for my 10-page prolapse guide
(with exercises you can actually follow) ✨

Most people with prolapse are told to “just do kegels.”

But your pelvic floor isn’t meant to work alone.

If your glutes aren’t doing their job, your pelvic floor ends up overworking → leading to more pressure, not less.

These 6 exercises help you:
• Build real support
• Reduce pressure
• Feel stronger + more in control

Comment POP and I’ll send you my free 10-page PDF with prolapse rehab exercises 💛

This is all in the Core Restore Course. Next online live class session starts April 7! If you're dealing with prolapse, leaking or diastasis recti - this is your sign. It's never too late to start.

#prolapse #thebellemethod #postnatalfitness #pelvicfloor #postnatalpilates

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