Angie Waldman, Ann Arbor, MI (2025)

12/26/2023

Just keepin things real here on Christmas Day. This was the reality of our family photo op on Christmas morning 😅

I hope you had a fantastic day celebrating with your families! I’d love to hear your favorite family tradition on Christmas - tell me about it below!

10/31/2023

Happy Halloween y’all! Missing the Georgia sunshine this year. We got our first official snow of the year tonight 😳🥶

Did it snow where you live? If so, where are you at?

10/17/2023

Symphysis p***s dysfunction (SPD)

🌿What does it feel like?

Pain in the front of your pelvis or radiating pain around to the back of your pelvis, in your lower abdomen, back, perineum (between your v***a and a**s), thigh or leg

🌿Why does this occur?

Poor alignment within the pelvis.

Poor coordination of the muscles of the pelvis - allowing too much movement within the joints of the pelvis which causes discomfort.

A hormone released during pregnancy, called relaxin, which increases joint laxity and can result in more movement of the pelvis. This extra mobility of the joint can lead to pain in some women.

🌿Is it common to experience SPD pain during pregnancy?

It’s estimated that at least 30% of women experience SPD pain during pregnancy.

🌿What movements cause the pain?

You may notice the pain occurs more with certain movements. Some of these include: walking, squatting, bending over forward, getting into and out of the car or bed, ascending or descending stairs, or lifting a single leg.

🌿How does exercise help improve SPD?

Core and pelvic floor connection and strength will help keep your abdominals, back muscles and buttock muscles working which can prevent SPD pain.

Some exercises focus on the asymmetry of the pelvis and can help with stabilization to prevent SPD pain.

✨Avoid movements that cause pain. These include opening your legs and single leg movements like walking, pivoting, lunging, etc. When you can’t avoid movements that aggravate your pain, take them slow and be very mindful of your posture and alignment. Apply ice to the area and rest. When repositioning in bed, place a pillow between your knees and when getting into and out the car, try to keep your knees as close together as possible. If you’re exercising and notice the pain, modify to prevent the pain - decrease range of motion, avoid opening your legs as wide, skip single leg movements with wide ranges of motion, etc.

🌿What exercises can be done to help relieve this pain?
-Pelvic tilts on a stability ball
-Seated ball squeeze
-Bird dogs
-Glute bridge
-Kneeling hovers

***sdysfunction ***s

10/15/2023

🌿Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day🌿

It often feels like I don’t have the words when I sit down to write about this topic. There’s so much to say but words never seem to be enough.

🤍More than anything, I am so sorry for your loss(es). I’m thinking of and praying for each of you who is remembering your baby(s) today too.

Feeling grateful for this rainbow baby of mine and for hope in the future🌈

09/25/2023

🌿Why does my milk look like this after it’s been in the fridge for a day or two?

✨As the temperature of breastmilk goes from body temperature to colder, it starts to separate into the different components. The top white, thick layer is fat. You may notice much more, or less than this amount. And the amount will fluctuate from day to day. This portion of the milk has about 20% fat.

✨Below that, the milk is white because of the casein (protein) and at the bottom, the more clear milk is the more watery component. These portions of the milk have about 1% fat. You may notice the white portion of your milk has a blueish tint - this is totally normal. Casein can have a blue hue - you may notice it more one day from the next. Either way, it is safe for your baby to drink!

So what do you do when you notice your milk has separated like this? Shake it up, warm it if your baby prefers it that way, and offer it to baby. Or you can freeze it. Just be sure to follow safe storage guidelines! Here’s a quick rundown to remind you:

▫️Fresh milk: 4 hours at room temperature (77° F or colder)
▫️Refrigerated milk: up to 4 days
▫️Frozen milk: optimally 6 months, but up to 12 months

05/14/2023

Happy Mother’s Day! So grateful to be called “mama” by these boys.

I hope you feel treasured for the wonderful mama you are today and every day 💝

05/10/2023

🌿Diastasis recti🌿

This is one of those things that gets talked about a lot but there is still a lot of unknowns and misinformation circulating. Don’t worry about closing the gap width-wise. Focus on your ability to generate tension in your linea alba (the connective tissue) between your two large vertical muscles (re**us abdomens) of your abdomen.

✨A diastasis IS A NATURAL PART OF PREGNANCY. Need I say that again? It’s natural! Don’t sweat it if you notice that your belly is soft along the midline. What you should watch out for more is soft coning/doming. This reveals a mismanagement of pressure within your abdomen.

Sometimes this can be managed with decreasing the weight used, decreasing your range of motion, or modifying your position. Other times, it’s best to choose a different exercise that targets the same muscles without putting pressure on your abdominal wall.

A diastasis can heal naturally if given appropriate time and not stressed in the meantime. Stay tuned - I’m providing some great movements to help heal a diastasis over the next few days!

If you believe you have a diastasis and are having a hard time managing pressure and generating tension, reach out to a pelvic floor physical therapist for one-on-one help!

05/01/2023

🌿I’ve been hard at work re-vamping my pregnancy fitness programs to give you a very intentional and well-designed program!
 Seriously! I so wish I would’ve written these for my pregnancies.

There’s been a lot of learning going on around here🤓Through countless webinars and reading up on recent studies to learn more about movements and exercises to focus on during pregnancy, I’ve learned more about how to prepare our bodies for the changes it will undergo during pregnancy and also preparation for labor and delivery.

I’m thrilled to announce that this fitness program is coming soon! It’s been a long time coming but I’m just so stinking excited for others to get to do it!

✨Wanna be the first to know when it’s ready? Click the link in my bio or head to my stories to see a little sneak peak and hear more about how you can be one of the first to know when it’s ready.

04/24/2023

🌿I get the question “is this a clogged duct or mastitis” a lot. Hopefully this helps clear the air🤓

If your symptoms are limited to your breast, meaning you have no fever, body aches, fatigue, chills, etc., you are likely struggling with a plugged duct. Continue nursing as usual, use ice on the area, and rest. Avoid pumping excessively or letting too much time pass between nursing sessions.

✨Pro tip: try a different nursing position - particularly one that aims your baby’s chin at the affected area. You may have to get a little creative with this (ie dangle feeding) but this is a great way to get milk moving out of the affected area.

Have you had a plugged duct? What worked for you? Tell us about it below!

Save this post or send it to a friend who may need it!

04/19/2023

✨First and foremost ✨ give yourself grace! You are doing more than anyone else in the room just sitting there while growing your baby. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else’s pregnancy fitness journey. Take each day as it comes and when you feel up for it, move your body.

🌿During the first trimester, you may suffer from nausea, fatigue, and so many other common pregnancy symptoms. It’s okay if you don’t exercise for days at a time because of how you feel. Your body is handling a lot so adding exercise may not be the best thing for it in that moment. But when you do start to feel better, add in some movement. What kind of movement you ask? Do what makes you feel good and that’s safe during pregnancy - if that’s a simple walk, go for a walk. If that’s swimming, get in the water!

You should not need to make any significant modifications to your exercises during your first trimester. You can continue to do exercises you did prior to pregnancy but just lessen the intensity. The talk test is a good indicator - if you can talk during your workout without getting too winded or need to stop, you are good. This is usually a 7-8/10.

Lay a good foundation of core and pelvic floor exercises that you can continue to do throughout your pregnancy and build off of them.

Continued in comments…

04/10/2023

Happy Easter to you and yours! I hope you had a great day celebrating with your people!

11/30/2022

✨Breast size does not determine breast milk output volume.

🌿Breast size is dependent on two things: the amount of fatty tissues and the amount of glandular tissue.

The amount of fatty tissue within your breasts largely determines the size. Fatty tissues do not aid in milk production or transport.

However, glandular tissue is essential for milk production. Glandular tissue is comprised of lobes and ducts which are where milk is produced and how it’s moved for expression of milk.

✨Women with smaller breasts may have just as much if not more glandular tissue as a woman with large breasts. And thus, have just as much ability, if not more, to produce sufficient amounts of milk for their baby.

🌿There are a few types of breasts that have been shown to produce insufficient breastmilk in some women. These would include: breasts that are significantly asymmetrical, tubular, or cone shaped. If you feel you have this breast type, talk to your health care provider but as I always say, see what your body can do! Don’t count yourself out for breastfeeding until you give it a try! Give your body a chance to show you what it can do!

Angie Waldman

12/26/2023

10/31/2023

10/17/2023

10/15/2023

09/25/2023

05/14/2023

05/10/2023

05/01/2023

04/24/2023

04/19/2023

04/10/2023

11/30/2022

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