Why is Important to Exercise Safely During Pregnancy and After the Birth ?

The standard response from medical professionals is to wait until 6 weeks after giving birth to resume a normal exercise schedule. However, many new mums have reported how this didn’t work for them. This isn’t a surprise because many things can happen to a woman after giving birth, and this can last for months or even years after giving birth. 

Let’s look at a few of them  

• Trauma and scarring after the birth – Many women face scarring after the birth especially if they have had a C section. It takes time for these scars to heal, and the skin often feels stiff around the area as it repairs. Therefore, carrying out normal exercise in these areas can lead to discomfort and also further damage to the scarred area.  

• New mums can also experience perineal, (between the vagina and anus), tears to some extent during childbirth as well as tears inside the vagina or other parts of the vulva, including the labia. Gentle, progressive exercises can help with the recovery (as we provide), but incorrect exercises can be dangerous. It is quite common for example for Trainers to give new mums squats to help them tone their legs after birth, which can put too much strain on recovering scars.  

• New mums can also experience nerve damage after birth. Nerve damage can heal quite naturally over-time, but it is important to note that muscle reaction may be slower and that you may experience referred pain (pain in other areas of the body). In this case, a long-term recovery programme over a period of 6-12 months would be ideal to allow effective healing whilst developing full health again. 

• It’s also important to remember that new mums can experience PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Adapting to looking after a new life can take time and the birth itself can leave mental strain also. Often, exercise programmes for new mums should be gentle and progressive. They should focus on releasing stress and developing a positive mindset more than rapid toning of the body. The baby can also suffer trauma in the birth such as bruising or fractures in the delivery. Again, the mother needs a progressive exercise programme and possibly one she can do with the new baby to bring joy and bonding early on.   

• Joint stability – During pregnancy the body releases a hormone called Relaxin to make the joints looser. It does this to create more space for the baby and to make the birth easier. Normal joint stability can take much longer than 6 weeks to recover, which means that lifting heavy weights or carrying out movements that put too much pressure on the joints can be dangerous.

• Pelvic floor prolapse – Pelvic organ prolapse is when one or more of the organs in the pelvis slip down from their normal position and bulge into the vagina. This can happen as the muscles around the pelvic floor loosen. This can happen with the womb, bowel, bladder or top of the vagina. In this case, specific pelvic floor exercises are essential, building from very basic exercises and developing gradually.

• Locchia – Lochia is vaginal discharge after childbirth and consists of blood, mucus, uterine tissue and other materials from your uterus. Bleeding can be heavy for the first few days, but it usually tapers off over several weeks. New mums suffering from this can feel more tired due to the iron loss and also because blood transports oxygen to the muscles. A good practice here (apart from following our progressive exercises) is to measure heart rate during training. By keeping the heart rate training zone low in the first few weeks (nothing above 130 beats per minute), you can make sure you don’t over-strain the body and increase your fitness levels steadily and safely.

• Stomach muscle separation – During pregnancy the stomach muscles separate to allow more space for the baby. Once the baby is born, it takes at least 6 weeks for the muscles to rebind and even longer for them to regain the strength needed for strenuous exercise. Women who have done sit ups during this period, (due to Trainers advising it), often experience lumps around their stomach caused by muscle damage. We will guide you in pelvic floor strengthening in the early stages – moving onto gentle muscles activation around the stomach at the correct point. Each exercise will gradually progress onto something slightly harder – working on the same body area.

• Increased blood flow – During pregnancy, the woman’s heart works harder. As the foetus grows, the heart must pump more blood to the uterus. The uterus can receive one fifth of the woman’s pre-pregnancy blood supply in the third trimester. During pregnancy, the amount of blood pumped by the heart increases by 30 to 50%. Because of the increasing demand of the uterus, the mother can feel more tired. Blood can be diverted from the muscles to the foetus making muscle strain a greater risk. The heart rate can sometimes raise rapidly in the mother to meet the new demands of blood flow. It’s important therefore to monitor the heart rate during pregnancy and especially during exercise. We will help you work within safe heart rate zones and guide you on recovery.

• Rib angle and breathing changes – The rib angle can change in pregnant women due to the growing foetus and this in turn can affect their breathing patterns. This is not necessarily dangerous, but it can make ordinary tasks seem much harder due to breathlessness and discomfort. It’s always important to remember that each person is unique, and each pregnancy is unique. If you feel more breathless at times, it’s ok to rest and carry out relaxation exercises. It can also be beneficial to carry out safe stretching exercises around the lungs to release tight muscles. We will guide you in this.

In ‘Pregnant Women and New Mums’, you will be able to exercise with real pregnant women and real new mums, carrying out safe exercises. You will see women at different stages of pregnancy and new mums with new babies and older babies. Remember if you’re a new mum, there are also exercises you can carry out holding the child and exercises you can do with the child right next to you.

Working With Groups

We are experts in working with groups in the following area  

• Exercising in pregnancy 

• Exercising post partum 

• Exercising as a new mum 

• Parent and Child Exercise

If you would like us to give a presentation, help train your workforce or help set online programmes, please contact us any time. We can  give huge discounts for group use of the app and develop specialist software for specific use and analysis.