Why Athletes Have Harder Births And How to Down-Train Your Pelvic Floor For A Fast Birth
Okay so I've been wanting to have this conversation with Krisha for SO long and she did not disappoint.
If you're an athlete who's been training your whole life and you're pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, you need to watch this before you go into labor.
Because everything you've been doing to be a good athlete? It's working against you for birth. Krisha Crosley is a former Division 1 volleyball player, doula, and founder of Train for Birth Academy. She sat down with me and completely blew my mind with things I honestly should have already known as a pelvic floor specialist.
Here's the thing nobody talks about: when you're an athlete, you train everything to be UP and TIGHT. But birth requires the complete opposite—DOWN and OUT, low and loose. Your pelvic floor needs to literally get out of the way so your baby can come out. If it stays like a wall?
Baby keeps bumping their head and you end up with a C-section.
And then she told me about the 80-hour labor. EIGHTY hours. Where she grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen and delivered a 10.2 pound baby out of a 5-foot woman. I was speechless.
Since creating Train for Birth, her first-time moms are having babies in under 8 hours. Her second and third-time moms? She's literally racing to get there in time.
In this episode we cover:
→ Why athletes need to train DOWN not up for birth
→ How to down-train your pelvic floor (and why Kegels are working against you)
→ The ice cream and dark closet trick that gets stalled labor moving (not joking)
→ VBAC after multiple C-sections—yes even after THREE cesareans
→ Why stopping exercise during pregnancy is the worst thing you can do
→ How to make your partner an active participant in birth
→ Postpartum recovery done the right way (bleeding is your guide)
→ The four things you can control in labor that will make or break your experience
→ Why your uterus does all the work (not you)
This is one of those episodes I immediately wanted to share with every pregnant woman I know.
Watch the full thing and then go follow Krisha because she is an incredible resource.
🔗 TRAIN WITH KRISHA:
Instagram: @serenitylifedoula
Website: trainforbirth.com
🔗 COME SAY HI TO ME:
Instagram: @thefemaleathletedoc
Website: threesixtywellness.co
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts: The Female Blueprint
Are you an athlete who's pregnant or planning to be? Or have you had a birth experience that makes you wish you'd known this sooner? Drop it below! We want to hear your story.
