I have been a Personal Trainer for over 13 years and a Pilates Instructor for 3 years and have specialised in pre/post-natal training. My own training regime consisted of two spinning sessions, one 5k run, one cross training session and two Pilates sessions a week, so when I fell pregnant in October 2011 I was in great shape and had the knowledge to get me through the psychological and physiological changes that were going to happen to my body. From my own knowledge I knew that it was beneficial to continue exercising throughout my pregnancy to keep my posture in check and to keep me fit. The midwives always commented on how strong my core muscle was and the fact that they sometimes could not feel my baby’s head due to my muscles.Also due to my strong core muscles from Pilates my bump was kept very compact and I did not really show until about 26 weeks pregnant. I continued to teach my Pilates, Spinning and Circuit classes and exercise four times a week right up to 36 weeks of pregnancy where I had to stop due to complications. I gave birth to a lovely boy two weeks later by caesarean, 8lbs 3oz.
Due to my caesarean I was not allowed to exercise for 6 weeks which drove me insane but soon as the 6 weeks were up I started practising Pilates again as my lower back and shoulders were very achy due to the pregnancy and the breast feeding position. I could not actually sit in a chair for very long without my lower back hurting. My stomach muscles had also split to allow for the rapid growth of my baby in the final trimester and that was contributing to the back pain.
Within two weeks of giving birth I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight which was fantastic. My back and core muscles strengthened quickly after starting up Pilates again and within 16 weeks my core muscle was back together.
I have received many compliments from my friends and strangers alike saying that they can’t believe I have had a baby or that I am back in shape so quickly but this was all down to exercising prior to and throughout my pregnancy. So you can see
there are many benefits of exercising throughout your pregnancy.
If you are pregnant then you must alter your exercise regime depending on your trimester.It is important that you see a trainer that is a specialist in pre and post-natal exercise like myself to ensure you are training safely for yourself and your
baby.