"DREAD THE MUM SNEEZE? INCONTINENCE IS A REAL ISSUE, PARTICULARLY POST BIRTH FOR MANY WOMEN."

Pilates, which is centred on safely strengthening your core muscles and pelvis, will not only provide your pregnant body with the support it needs to carry the growing weight of your baby, but also to birth him with greater ease and restore your muscle tone postnatally.

Your Core

Swimming

(4-point kneeling) such as ‘Planks’, and modifications on exercises like, ‘The Hundred’ and ‘Teaser’ that work to hold in and engage your core statically, rather like a corset. Aim for at least two to three 30-45 minute sessions per week.

An excellent exercise to perform during and after pregnancy. Starting from a 4-point kneeling position, engage abdominals and hug baby in to support lower back. Alternate lifting opposite arm to leg in line with torso before coming back to 4-point kneeling.

Your Pelvis

The Hundred (Modified) term. baby hits centred unsupported

Imagine your uterus as the size of an orange in pre-pregnancy, deeply embedded in your pelvis. As your baby grows, your uterus will expand to accommodate him, stretching to the size of a watermelon and spanning from the floor of your pelvis to your ribs once you have reached full term. As baby grows, he naturally hits your transverse abdominal muscle centred in the middle of your stomach, which is often referred to as the ‘six-pack muscle’. But with no further room for growth, your body must adapt. More often then not, this results in your transverse abdominal muscles parting ways down the middle in order to make way for your uterus to push through. This is known a, ‘Diastasis Recti’ and can leave women feeling unsupported post birth, due to loss of muscle tone at their core. This can, in turn, lead to lower back pain and poor posture.

Abdominal strengthening exercises, pre, during and post pregnancy will certainly help to alleviate this problem by keeping those central muscles strong enough to withstand these changes as well as restore any damage after birth by knitting those muscles back together. One detrimental mistake many mothers make in order to rectify this problem postpartum is to strengthen this area with abdominal crunches and this is a big nono. Crunches will only strengthen that doming your uterus has created in pregnancy, leaving you with a very toned but pregnant looking tummy postpartum! Opt for isometric Pilates exercises the your problem

Dreadthemumsneeze?Incontinenceisarealissue, particularly post birth for many women. Imagine your pelvic floor as the shape of a hammock at the base of your pelvis. Its role in pregnancy is to support the weight of your growing baby for 9 months. With the average weight of a baby totalling 7.3lbs at birth, alongside the added mass of amniotic fluid and placenta coming in at almost 3 extra pounds, plus any fat the mother may gain, it is no wonder the floor of your pelvis looses some of its elasticity and strength. Exercises such as, ‘Kegels’ will help restore and tone this problem area and should be performed daily during and postpregnancy. A Kegel; known as a pelvic floor exercise is basically the sensation of imagining you are stopping yourself from urinating, holding and then releasing. This muscle contraction should be performed 10-15 times, 3x a day. There are plentiful reasons to practice Pilates during this time, including the strength it offers the surrounding muscles of your pelvis in order to eliminate Pelvic Girdle Pain, a troublesome symptom that affects 1 in 5 women during pregnancy. But finally, why not try it for its for its therapeutic benefits. Classed as a, ‘Mind and Body’ form of exercise, it offers calming breathing techniques that offer mums-tobe relaxation methods before and during birth.

This exercise should be performed during the first trimester only and then after birth. Keeping the legs bent, feet firmly on the floor, flex up through the upper torso and hold. Begin pulsing your arms by your sides as if pushing the space between your palms and the floor. Stay lifted and contracted throughout.

Side Plank (Modified)

Lateral exercises are great for prenatal women as they strengthen the core from a safe and comfortable starting point without putting the pregnant woman on her back, which can cause a lack of oxygen to her and baby. Keeping knees bent and legs together, lift and lower hips to work the obliques.

By choosing to work-out with a pre and postnatally qualified Pilates or fitness instructor that understands the anatomical changes your body goes through during pregnancy and childbirth, you will feel assured that you are giving your body the best possible chances of care and restoration it needs. 

Plank

This should be performed postnatally but it can be modified by placing the knees down during pregnancy. It engages, strengthens and flattens the abdominals. Hold for 1 minute and increase time as your progress. Don’t sink into your shoulders and keep your abdominals engaged to support your lower back.