How can I stay fit during pregnancy?

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Ali Burlingham, founder of WaterBumps, a pre and post natal aquatic exercise therapy, answers our questions on maintaining fitness throughout pregnancy.  

1.      What exercise can we do during the various stages of pregnancy and what are the benefits of staying fit during pregnancy?

The benefits of staying healthy are huge with the key ones being; it can make you feel better and less tired, it increases the blood and oxygen flow to the placenta and in turn is great for your baby’s growth and development, it can help with – reducing stress and depression, headaches, backache, cramps, sleep can improve, worries about latter stages of pregnancy and it can be a very social thing meeting other mums-to-be, even creating new friends for the rest of the journey and beyond.

What exercise you do really depends on what you were doing before your pregnancy. In the first trimester if you are not used to exercising then it is recommended you start gently and build up slowly – walking is always a great place to start. If you are used to exercising then continue as normal, but listen to your body – if it is uncomfortable stop and get professional advice. If you have an instructor, make sure he/she knows you are pregnant, and of course avoid contact sports!

In the second trimester make sure you can have a conversation when exercising – if you are breathless then you are working too hard! If you are used to exercising keep going, just adapt classes and skills if you feel they are too hard or make you too tired. Avoid lying on your back and no stomach crunches or sit ups!!

In the last trimester any gentle exercise is great – swimming, walking or cycling in the gym.

Throughout all the trimesters always ensure you drink plenty of water, keep a dialogue with instructors and most importantly listen to your body – if it is uncomfortable stop and get professional advice. Swimming or aqua-natal is a great form of exercise in pregnancy – see next question for why.

2.      What are the benefits of exercising in the water during pregnancy and after birth?

Exercise in water is particularly good in pregnancy as this supportive, buoyant environment enables you to exercise safely by reducing the stress on weight-bearing joints, bones and muscles, while also providing the correct support for your growing bump. And you’ll love the feeling of weightlessness you get in water as your pregnancy progresses!  After the birth of your baby gentle water based exercise continues to support joints, can relieve back pain and can help your body recover from the birth. Both pre and postnatal water based exercise can help improve circulation, increase muscle tone and build stamina and alongside the physical benefits, exercise has emotional and physiological benefits too. It boosts the release of endorphins, giving you a stronger sense of well-being, better sleep patterns and higher energy levels – all of which will help you to relax and cope with the changes that pregnancy and motherhood bring.

3.      Pregnancy changes abdominal muscles. How do we care for these and re-strengthen our core safely, post birth?

Deep diaphragmatic breathing is one way to help rebuild your abdominal muscles and strengthen your pelvic floor. This can be done by inhaling and then extending the exhalation, while also drawing the abdominal muscles in towards the spine, bringing the pelvic floor up. This is a safe and gentle way to get that toned tummy you have missed throughout your pregnancy. This can also be carried out in water alongside other exercise, such as aqua-natal classes and swimming. If you have had a separation of the tummy muscles (called Diastasis Recti) it is recommended you take professional advice on how to lessen this gap before you start any further exercise.

4.      At what point can we begin exercising as we may have done previously, before pregnancy?

You may be keen to get back into shape and feel well enough to go back to exercise, however, you have just had a baby! It takes 9 months of preparing to have baby and then the process of delivering your baby on top of that, means it will take time to be back to how you were before your pregnancy!  Your pelvic floor may be weaker, joints may be loose, your lower back may be painful/ache or you may still be healing if recovering from a caesarean section. With all this taken into account, the exercises you do need to be gentle and designed to ease your body back into exercise. People recover at different rates.  If you were fit before your pregnancy and you maintained some fitness throughout, this means you may return to pre pregnancy exercise earlier than others.  Listen to your body and if in doubt ask a post natal health professional for advice.

5.      As our baby grows, how can we ensure that we stay strong – picking them up, bending and carrying them?

It is important to look after your back after the birth of a baby and this includes as baby grows and gets older. In your first few months after a baby your pelvic joints can take a while to get back to pre-pregnancy state and you can easily strain your back in this period. It is suggested that you do not carry or lift anything heavier than your baby for as long as you can. Some great back advice from the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Women’s Health (ACPWH 2013) suggests:

·         Always try to bend your knees
·         Tighten your pelvic floor muscles
·         Breathe out as you lift

For more information, please phone WaterBumps on 01275 400 800 or email: metime@waterbumps.co.uk to book your free taster class. www.waterbumps.co.uk