There’s no way around it: Getting pregnant will turn your world upside down. But there’s a lot of conflicting info out there about whether it’s safe to turn YOURSELF upside down during pregnancy. I’m talking about yoga inversions, of course.

Many people advise against doing them while you’re pregnant, but then you see videos of these amazing, super moms handstanding with the most impressive baby bumps.

Are they putting themselves and their babies at risk? Or do they know something you don’t? What gives?

What Is a Yoga Inversion?

Before I unpack it for you, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what, exactly, an inversion IS. An inversion is any position where the heart is higher than the head.

That means that technically poses like Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) and Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) are inversions.

And while I’ve heard a few people say that pregnant women should avoid even these mild inversions, most of the experts I’ve talked to agree that Downward Facing Dog  and Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) are both safe and can be helpful for pregnant women.

(Though, pregnant mamas will want to modify by keeping their feet at least hip-distance apart to avoiding squishing the baby. And, of course, mama’s intuition always ALWAYS trumps any other “rule.” If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it!)

Inversions During Pregnancy? What’s Safe

Kristin McGee, a yoga and Pilates teacher in NYC, says she felt comfortable practicing inversions during her pregnancy since she’d been practicing for 20 years already. “Inversions actually felt quite good and took the pressure off my feet!,” she says.

Most of the time when people ask if inversions are safe during pregnancy, they are talking about the more dramatic inversions like Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), Salambasana (Headstand), Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand), and Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand). If those poses are a part of your regular practice do you have to immediately banish them as soon as you see two lines on a pregnancy test?

Erin DiNicola from Charleston, SC practicing Headstand variations at a wall at 23 weeks pregnant

Nope. It’s usually safe to continue doing the activities that you were doing before you became pregnant–including yoga inversions–as long as you continue to feel good in that position.

(Do I need to say it again? Listen to your body’s intuition first! If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it no matter what your teacher says or what you read in blogs like this one!)

Of course, I’d never recommend someone take up a practice of Handstand mid-pregnancy. For that reason, I would never ever teach them to my group prenatal yoga classes.

Many moms in a prenatal yoga class are getting their first taste of the practice, and these lovely mamas would probably be better served to keep their feet on the floor.

Taking up a Handstand practice mid-pregnancy is a bad idea for the same reason that putting on ice skates and taking to a skating rink for the first time during pregnancy is a bad idea. Almost no one learns to ice skate without falling a time or two, and the same is true for inversions like Handstand, Headstand, and Forearm Balance.

Barbara Denowh practicing Handstand at 28 weeks pregnant

Trust Your Intuition First

However, if you’ve been doing it for years and you feel safe and secure going upside down, it’s probably to continue for as long as you feel it’s a good idea. But please take precautions to make sure you won’t fall. Remember that during pregnancy your center of gravity shifts so much so quickly that your balance might be questionable.

• Enlist the help of a partner (or better yet an experienced yoga teacher) to spot you
• Move close to a wall just in case you need a little extra support or start to topple

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, but I did ask my OBGyn about this during my last pregnancy. Her response: “I think strong mamas should go for it!” Though, ask your own doctor or midwife for sure–some will be more conservative than others and there may be something going on with your pregnancy that would make it risky.)

“It made me feel capable, strong, and normal,” said Barbara Denowh, a yoga teacher and studio owner in Montana.  “I had ‘permission’ from my doctor and doula. After 31 weeks it no longer felt good so I stopped.”

“Also to be noted, I had a strong inversion practice before I was pregnant. I didn’t get knocked up and then think, ‘Hey, going upside down would be a cool photo.”

Will Inversions During Pregnancy Cause Baby to Turn Breech?

Leslie Schmidt from Athens, Georgia gets help from her teacher to balance in Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance) at 35 weeks pregnant.

Will going upside down cause your baby to turn breech? It’s unlikely. (In fact, poses like Downward-Facing Dog practiced often throughout pregnancy can even encourage little ones to go head down and start to prepare for their exit.)

Just to be safe, I recommend that mamas hold their inversions (yes, even Down Dog) for no longer than about 5 breaths at a time, especially when they get toward the end of their pregnancies.

As an extra precaution, I also suggest that mamas take inversions (even the mild ones!) off the table if her baby had been breech, but turned head-down (YAY!) toward the end of a pregnancy.

It’s unlikely that the baby would turn again, but why risk it?

Alternatives for Common Inversions During Pregnancy

So, let’s say you’ve decided that inversions aren’t for you during your pregnancy, but you still want to reap the benefits. After all, taking some of the pressure off of your joints and setting yourself up so that gravity’s pull is creating more space in your body is kind of awesome when you’re pregnant.

Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)

I always offer Puppy Pose (still a mild inversion, BTW, but with less pressure on the wrists for mamas with Carpel Tunnel issues) and Child’s Pose as options in lieu of Downward-Facing Dog. They’re good ways to get a bit of rest in and stretch the spine without doing anything too crazy different than the rest of the class–even if you’re not a prenatal-focused class.

What about Handstand, Headstand, Forearm Balance, and Shoulderstand? Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose) is ahhhhh-mazing. Just use a thick bolster or stack of blankets to elevate your hips or build a ramp with a bolster and two blocks. (See Pregnancy Yoga: How to Use Yoga Props to Get Comfy for Restorative Yoga Poses)

Yoga and Motherhood: It’s Not a Competition

The next time you see an amazing pregnant mama going upside down, please take a deep breath, realize that you are exactly where you need to be in this moment (wherever that may be), and try just being happy with that.

Please, be happy for her for doing what feels right for her, too. If doing yoga inversions during pregnancy help her to feel strong, confident, and capable–great! Do the things that make you feel that way, too, and leave the rest.

The only thing worse that forcing yourself into yoga poses that don’t work for your body (at any phase of life) is stressing yourself out about it.

You are making a miracle, after all. And that’s way more awe-inspiring than any particular yoga pose.

Did you feel comfortable practicing inversions during pregnancy? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments below!