Identifying Areas That Need Work
When you think of your arms, you might immediately think of how they look in sleeveless dresses or you might think of strength issues. But truth be told, many of us neglect our arms and pregnant women are no different. Let's look at the different areas of the arm, how they work, and what you can do to make the most out of your arm muscles for fitness and fashion.
Chest Muscles
Women aren't often thought of as having chest muscles. But we do! Ours are simply covered with the breast tissue that helps us nurture our children afterbirth. The chest muscles are comprised of two muscles:pectoralis major and pectoralis minor.
The pectoralis major is a fan-shaped muscle near the surface that runs horizontally from the middle of your clavicle, or collarbone, to your upper arm. It also encompasses the area from your sternum or breastbone diagonally to the upper arm. This muscle helps you move your arms upward, inward, and across your body.
Working out your chest muscles will not cause you to bulk up. While you will have firmer muscles under your breasts, very few women look like the typical bodybuilder. This will also not significantly change the shape of your breasts, nor interfere with breastfeeding.
Essential
Stretching, particularly before and after feeding your baby, will help release tension in your arms and back. Massage is also a great idea. It's a great way to pamper the new mom, but is also very good for releasing that tension. This can be done by anyone, including a professional masseur or masseuse.
Biceps and Triceps
When you think of arm muscles, the two that are most prominent are the triceps and the biceps, the main muscles in your arms. There are other muscles involved in working out your arms, but focusing on the biceps and triceps will ensure that all these muscles are worked as well.
When working out your arms, it is important to remember to work both the biceps in the front and the triceps in the back equally. If you fail to do this, the muscles are going to develop differently, causing you problems down the road. These muscles work together in an important fashion. Think about bending your arm at the elbow, as your biceps contract to bend the elbow. What happens to the triceps in the rear of your arm? The triceps naturally stretch. This give-and-take is an important balance to visualize and understand.
Your Back and Shoulder Muscles
While you might not think of these muscles as being part of your arms, the chest and back muscles are primary movement makers of your arms. Keeping them strong and healthy will help you with your arm movements and strength. Your back muscles also include the latissimus dorsi, the trapezius muscles, and the rhomboid muscles.
These muscles also assist in holding your body erect. They help provide you support and will help in nursing your baby. Often, a good massage of the upper back before or after a nursing session will be helpful and will feel great.
Forearms
Your forearms are important to pay attention to as well, though we usually forget this portion of the body very quickly. After all, what do the forearms really do for you? They do plenty. The strength of your forearms will determine how strong your grip will be, provides stabilization for your wrists, and provides you with protection from injury of the arm and hand.
As in other chapters, stretching the forearm can be very important, particularly if you use your hands or wrists much in computer work, fine motor skills with your hands, or simply while feeding your baby. The forearms will bear the brunt of all of your arm work.
Alert
When working your arms, you need to be sure that you are not extending your arms forcefully or completely. This can actually injure your arm muscles. When doing your exercises, remember to stop just short of a full extension and to use smooth movements to prevent injury.
Hands
Some of the more frequent problems pregnant women experience in their hands are carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive motion syndrome. Both of these problems are more common in pregnancy. The reason you will see these flare up during pregnancy is because of the added swelling of your tissues.
You may notice a tingling sensation or numbness in your hands and fingers. This can be particularly bad if you work with your hands. If you type a lot at the computer, you are particularly at risk for suffering during pregnancy. If you work at a job where you do the same repetitive motion over and over, then you are also at risk for one of these problems.
However, the good news is that, most of the time, birth will help cure some of your problems with carpal tunnel and repetitive motion syndromes. This is because your body fluid levels will go back to your pre-pregnancy state and relieve some of the added swelling on nerves and the like in your arms and hands. Obviously, if it flares up during pregnancy, you can expect to see it again later in life, during pregnancy or just as you naturally age.
