Birth, Baby!

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Welcome, this is Birth, Baby.

Your hosts are Ciarra Morgan and Samantha Kelly.

Ciarra is a Birth Dula, Hypnobirthing Educator, and Pediatric Sleep Consultant.

Samantha is a Birth Dula, Childbirth Educator, and Lactation Counselor.

Join us as we guide you through your options for your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey.

Today, we're talking about Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness with Kati Junkins-Stark, owner of MoveWithMeMama.

She is a happily married mother of two amazing girls and pregnant with baby number three, Do This Thanksgiving.

Thank you so much for being with us today, Kati.

Thank you, I'm really excited.

Thanks so much for coming on, excited to chat with you.

So tell us, how long have you been working in the field of fitness, and what got you into the perinatal realm?

I graduated in 2016 from Occupational Therapy School, and I went into skilled nursing, and I just knew that that wasn't the passion for me.

And in 2019, when I had my first daughter, I attended a birth fit series hosted by Morgan Eyring.

I realized how special the program that Lindsay Matthews, now Lindsay Cantu created, and how amazing it was to be a part of a community of other like-minded women wanting to move their bodies, and just being able to practice getting out of the house for the first time with a new child and seeing other people, because at that time, at six weeks, you're sitting at home breastfeeding all the time, and it's like your first time getting out and moving about, maybe besides some walks here and there.

It felt so good to me.

I remember being five-and-a-half weeks and having to come to a later class, and I was just so excited to just get up and move again.

After that, I had debated.

I was like, maybe I should do this because I felt so wonderful after, and I could tell all the moms who are so happy.

In skilled nursing, I was helping people, but I realized as my life had changed as a mom, I wanted to be able to help other moms and provide that for other moms.

So in, I believe it was 2022, I finished my, yes, in 2022, I finished my birth, birth fit coaching seminar.

And then in April of that year, I had my very first client with MoveWithMeMama, and I had a private client, and started with some privates just to kind of ease into it.

And then I started doing the, the MoveWithMeMama series, which were four or five weeks, two times a week.

And I remember feeling so empowered after having my first client, and just feeling like I left work, feeling so motivated and empowered, and wanted to keep going with that.

And so now I'm coaching and hosting series at CrossFit 2024 downtown, Postpartum and Prenatal.

That's awesome.

So is MoveWithMeMama your company, like you created it, or is it kind of like a, what's the name of that?

What's the word that I'm looking for?

Franchise.

It is just, it's something I created.

I kind of, I've took a bunch of different courses and kind of put together what I and through all my pregnancies and postpartum journeys of healing and doing the wrong thing the first time around.

And maybe there and putting something together that I thought was the best for my mamas.

I like that you kind of took everything that you liked and threw away the rest.

Sometimes I feel like that with my childbirth ed class.

Sometimes I feel like a childbirth ed, I'm like, I know that this isn't what they taught in if no birthing completely, but I'm adding it because I think it's really important.

So you just mentioned that you kind of realized that you were making some mistakes or some things were wrong.

So what would you say is important to know when someone's pregnant or postpartum and wanting to exercise?

And is there something they should be explicitly staying away from?

Well, I would say the first time I felt good around four and a half weeks, I thought, oh, I can go run sprints.

And that is not the case.

So no, ma'am, nothing actually, I felt heaviness afterwards and luckily nothing had happened.

But I knew in that moment, I was like, they told me to rest and I'm not listening.

And so it's hard for me to sit down.

I love to, I just like to be moving and active.

And so that was a mistake I had made.

So no, no.

But I think that like, you'll get a different answer everywhere, no matter where you read.

I stay away personally from any sort of crunches, postpartum or pregnant.

I also just do that in my regular workouts as well.

I feel like there's so many other wonderful exercises you can be doing to work on your core without having to do them, and I just don't find them necessary.

I would say there's a couple of things I definitely stay away from during pregnancy other than crunches.

I don't do pull-ups that I modify and do like a pull-to-bar or TRX pulls.

I do all my push-ups elevated off a box or a wall.

During pregnancy, I feel like you're the best judge of your own body, so running until it starts to feel uncomfortable to you or if your body starts hurting or it starts not to serve you anymore.

This pregnancy I've been in, I wasn't able to run at all the first trimester, and then one day I just tried to run and I was like, it feels amazing.

This feels great.

I'm five years postpartum and running still doesn't feel good to me.

Yeah.

I was going to say, I don't think that running feels good for me ever, so.

I also don't like crutches.

Well, perfect.

I have all the exercises for you.

I also like elevated push-ups.

Great.

I actually just don't enjoy that much exercise, so maybe I shouldn't do it for me and my health.

I make her go to HotWorks.

I made her go to HotWorks with me once and now she does it with me, well, from afar.

We both do it and we hold each other accountable.

I love that.

Well, I heard you say that you really liked when you did those birth fit classes when you were postpartum, you really liked that you could bring your baby with you.

So I'm guessing that's something that you've incorporated into yours as well.

Is this something where people are bringing their babies postpartum and kind of exercising with their babies?

So they don't actually exercise with their babies unless they want to.

I actually have a babysitter come to class and that could be anyone from an actual babysitter to a lactation consultant, to a doula, to a pediatric physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a pediatric occupational therapist.

And it's kind of nice because then moms get to meet other birth workers in the community and then they have them in mind for future babies.

Or if they have questions about anything, those people are very well educated and they can ask after class, which is really nice.

I really love that you do that because I, Kati has asked me to come and be a baby holder and talk to people, which is so nice.

I'm really excited to do that.

And it's such a nice way for us to get involved as birth workers in the community too.

I love that you ask us to do that because, for example, for me, I just mostly do birth work.

So I'm super excited to get to hold some babies because I don't get to do that much and it feels good.

It feels good.

Yeah.

It's like such a little endorphin boost.

It's nice because then the moms don't have to hire anyone.

They get to bring their baby, feel comfortable.

And I also think just getting out of the house and like I said earlier, I remember like packing all my stuff.

I'm like, what do I pack when I leave the house?

What kind of bag do I bring?

What do I bring?

Any totes?

What do I bring?

So it kind of just gets you practicing that as well.

So not only are you getting to come work out, but you're practicing how to pack your bag when you're leaving, you know, and.

Yeah.

And then the babies are hanging out with other babies, moms are hanging out with other moms.

And I accidentally cut you off earlier.

You said something about massage.

What is, what were you going to say about massage?

Oh yeah.

So I have Michelle from Empowered Beginnings has been coming at the end of some of the classes and giving massages to the moms at the end of class, which is probably their favorite favorite part.

She's amazing.

That's so cool.

It's just so nice as you know, as new moms to be able, you know, like you said, to get out of the house and to do these things, but also just to feel like a human and like somebody cares about you and take care of your body.

And that's just so important to kind of reconnect with yourself, I think.

And also like kind of just take some ownership back over yourself when I think for a lot of times when you're postpartum, it sometimes feels like you belong to your baby or you belong to this postpartum experience.

So being able to have that ownership again is just huge.

Yeah.

And I think it's nice too, because so many of the moms are in the same healing process.

And so to be able to relate and talk to other women who are going through all the same things is fun and we laugh, there's tears sometimes, and it's all just all welcome because…

It's almost like a support group.

Yeah.

It's almost like therapy and exercise.

I always tell people, do something that makes you feel human again.

I love that.

I want people to start to feel like just a servant and I want to make sure that people are in whatever realm that means for them, that they're starting to feel like their identity is not lost and they're doing something for themselves and that's so important for mental health, for everything.

Yeah.

So obviously, I do not enjoy exercise, but I do it anyway.

So why do you think it's important for people to have an exercise routine during pregnancy and postpartum?

I think for me personally and probably across the board, I think mental health is probably the number one reason.

I feel like throughout my life, it's always kind of been the reason why I love it so much is because it's like after I finished and accomplished my workout, I feel so incredible afterwards.

I think it's good too, especially with the classes, you're building community.

Also even if you're just walking with your baby or doing your daily walk, you're out getting some sunshine, which is wonderful for you.

The classes help you prepare for birth and then also heal the body postpartum, which I think is really important.

And I also think that-

Oh, sorry.

You're fine.

I think something that it's good to see also that you're, I mean, at that young, they aren't noticing, but as time goes on, like watching your kids, watch you move and watch you be active can kind of set them up for healthy habits and success for them later on in life.

So I think that that's important.

And there's also-

You sleep better, reduces back pain and if you're doing it correctly and being guided correctly, it's going to reduce back pain and swelling and increase muscle tone, strength, your endurance and your mood and many other things.

So that's really nice.

When we did that event together about a year ago, we had a little event at a South Austin chiropractor's office and Kati was nice enough to do a little exercise routine for the families that came.

And it was so neat to-

her daughters were there too.

And it was so neat to watch her daughters watch her exercise and have them trying to do it.

And they saw little dumbbells sitting somewhere and they're trying to pick them up and do the exercises and modeling that behavior is so important.

And one of my favorite things is that about the first five reasons you gave for why people should have a prenatal and postpartum exercise routine had nothing to do with physical strength.

It had to do with how important it is for the mind, how important it is for community, you're getting community, all of those things.

And yes, it is really helpful that it helps with, you know, preparing your body for birth.

And in our birth classes, we do talk about exercise for toning the body so that you can have more endurance in labor.

But I just love that that that wasn't even top of mind for you when you're explaining the lie.

I feel like there's too much focus on that.

And that's not what I want my class to ever be about.

I think it's really I feel like that's everyone's like postpartum body, postpartum body and get my body back and like, hey, let me get myself back, you know, feel like like you're saying I feel like myself again.

And that's what I want.

And also just we're exhausted after we've had a baby.

And if there's like that moment where you get to go laugh with other moms or relate to someone else and move your body and think it's really, really important.

Yeah, I mean, it's it's it's definitely, definitely huge.

I know for me on the days that I go do my workouts, I'm a lot more productive when I actually do workout, even if I just complain the whole time and text Ciarra after I really hate her.

But accurate.

I take care of both of us.

I convinced a couple of my friends to come do a race with me.

And after I'm a terrorist, I'm a terrorist.

And then afterwards, I was I had finished and I said, oh, I don't know if I'm going to have any friends left after this.

My dear sweet husband is currently trying to get all of his friends to go do like a half marathon with him.

And he keeps asking me, like, don't you want to come do it too?

I'm like, absolutely, I do not.

I will stand on the sidelines with the children.

We'll cheer you on.

It'll be great.

I'll watch for you and all your friends can go do it and it'll be super fun.

We're really happy for you.

Yeah, exactly.

But it is good.

I know for me, I have a lot of back pain.

And a lot of shoulder issues.

And my chiropractor actually told me that I need to be working on some exercises that are specifically going to be helping my back and my shoulders.

And so I've been working on those things.

And I found that a lot of improvement, which is something I just didn't really connect, which obviously it makes sense if you build the muscle, then it's going to be less likely to be injured.

But it was something that I hadn't considered as someone who has had chronic back pain for most of my life.

And that's another thing people don't consider is that your body, postpartum, even from like, if you choose to breastfeed, the positions you're getting into to breastfeed, although we say bring the baby to the breast and not the breast of the baby, people are constantly moving their bodies to try to figure out the easiest way for their baby to eat and it wrecks your back or you're holding your baby on one hip.

Like getting it out and exercising is going to help so much with those little aches and pain.

Yes, I agree.

And then also I do a bunch of stretches during warm up and mobility that all open up the chest and hips and all the things that hurt postpartum.

Definitely coming to the class, I'm like, I do not want anyone to be in any sort of pain.

My goal is to make you not be in pain.

So if it means body weight or doing something that doesn't serve you in that moment, I'm like, nope, if it hurts one time, we're done, we're moving on to the next, we'll do something else.

I feel like you don't want to hurt anymore.

We've hurt for 10 months a year.

I know there's nothing really one size fits all, but are there any specific exercises where you're like, I really think that everybody should try to do these prenatally or I really think everyone should try to do these postpartum?

Would there be like one maybe for each that you're like, you should do these?

Diaphragmatic breathing, for sure, and walking, I would say would be my top.

There's also so many.

I know.

I knew that that would be a hard question to answer, but I didn't expect breathing to be one of your answers, so that's pretty cool.

And if you have any links you want to send us for anything, we would be happy to put those in the show notes.

What do you think is kind of the biggest misunderstanding out there surrounding kind of fitness in the prenatal and postpartum period?

I feel like for me, I think if you do five or ten minutes of something, it's still better than nothing.

And I think that people are intimidated by like, oh, I've got to go to the gym, and then I've got to do something for an extended period of time.

Whereas it's like, if you have five to ten minutes to take for yourself, it's better than doing absolutely nothing that day.

And, Andra, if you're...

I also think that there's, like I said earlier, so much focus on getting your body back and your pre-baby body back.

And I think people-

I hate that.

Yes, I know.

I do too.

Your body is never going to be exactly the same as before you had a baby.

It is never going to be the same.

But it's beautiful and strong in a new way.

Yeah, and that's okay.

Yeah.

And that's okay.

It's a different phase.

You're not going to have this 22-year-old body that you had.

It's just different.

We've grown.

So when we've had a baby, I think-

Grown humans.

We've grown humans.

So I think that whole focus kind of needs to shift and to make more so like focusing on your mental wellness instead.

And also just giving yourself grace for the days that you need it.

And some days you're not going to feel great.

And you might just want to go for a 15-minute walk.

And that's movement.

Just somehow finding some sort of movement in your day, I think, is the most important.

And then also the heart rate thing.

I feel like a lot of doctors used to scare women about working out.

Like I know my mother didn't work out during her entire pregnancy because she was scared of her heart rate going up above 140.

And they've actually finally debunked that myth, which is so wonderful.

But I also think the women, when we are working out, if something doesn't serve you or you feel dizzy or something hurts, like I said, you have to just listen to your body and not push through anything.

It's a moment to kind of surrender because your body is different, you know?

That is such a big thing that people do before you ever have kids, or maybe when you're, you know, healed and between kids find that that is the biggest thing, right?

People are like pushing themselves way past comfortable and really trying to build and all of those things.

But you do have to give yourself grace, especially in that prenatal and postpartum period.

And I love that that you're not focusing on getting your body back because we had one client that had done so much therapy before being with us.

And I always say in my classes, please do not try to pretend you shouldn't have a postpartum body when you're postpartum.

And she commented, she was like, no, I sure am not.

She was like, I'm gonna embrace being postpartum when I'm postpartum because I earned this body.

And I was like, darn right you did.

I wish that more of us felt that way and didn't feel like, some of us feel like we owe our partners to look a certain way and we don't.

We just don't.

And the reality is there's a physiological reason that our bodies look the way that they do.

And we need extra fat stored when we're breastfeeding and our bodies are soft and cushy so that we can hold our babies.

And yes, there is a little bit of a dagger to the heart when your toddler climbs up and squishes your belly and says, mommy, it's so squishy and soft.

It's a little, it hurts a little bit, but there's a reason for that.

They're snuggling up there and that grew an entire human being.

So I think just giving yourself grace, there's reasons that our bodies look the way that they do and that's okay.

And we need to love the body that we're in when we're in it.

Yeah, and I think too, it can take, everyone's so different.

It can take people six months, a year, two years, and it doesn't matter what it is for you as long as you're content and happy and you're still taking care of yourself and giving time for yourself for self care.

I think that that's really, really important.

Absolutely, absolutely.

So do you have any last pieces of advice for pregnant people or postpartum people who are looking at fitness?

Can I guess?

Oh yeah, go ahead.

Move.

Move, yeah.

Just move.

Even if it's five minutes, you could do some diaphragmatic breath on your floor in the living room in complete silence if you don't have other children or animals around.

I love the name of your company just because it says exactly what it is that you do.

And I love that.

Can you tell us kind of where people can find you if they wanted to get services with you?

Yes, I'm on Instagram at MoveWithMeMama and I have a website which is under construction, hopefully done soon.

It's movewithmemama.com or you can email me at MoveWithMeMama at gmail.com.

And we will put those in the show notes too.

Thank you so much for being with us today, Kati.

This was great.

Yeah, thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

It was fun.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and I'm sure we'll see you soon.

Can't wait to find out if it's a girl or a boy.

I know.

What do we think?

What do we think?

Boy, okay.

Teen boy.

We'll put it in the show notes, what she has eventually.

I'm feeling boy too.

I don't know why.

We'll see.

I'll take it.

It's different.

It's a different pregnancy, but they're all different.

We're putting it out into the universe for you.

Sounds good.

All right, we'll talk soon, Kati.

All right, have a good day.

Thank you for joining us on Birth, Baby!

Thanks again to Longing for Orpheus for our music.

You can look him up on Spotify.

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See you next week.