Prenatal Exercise
PREGNANCY AND EXERCISE
Congratulations! You're pregnant.
Always check with your GP before beginning to, or continuing with, exercise while pregnant. There are some conditions that make it inadvisable to exercise; three or more miscarriages, maternal heart disease, diabetes, hypotension, placenta previa. Your GP will give you advice on whether you should exercise or not.
8-14 weeks is the period where most miscarriages occur. It is advisable to stop exercising during this period until the pregnancy is well established.
"Ok, all is going well and I want to start exercising."
This is not a time to think about losing weight and becoming super-fit. Your awareness should be on achieving a level of fitness that will benefit you and your baby. It is advisable to ask at each antenatal clinic if it is still all right to continue exercising.
"When should I not exercise?"
If you have any of the symptoms below, or are unsure whether to exercise or not, please consult your GP.
- Any bleeding
- Any pain in the body
- Dizziness and faintness
- Shortness of breath
- High blood pressure
- Feeling unwell or having a high temperature or fever
- Severe Headaches and swelling (always check this with a GP as could indicate pre-eclampsia)
- Incompetent cervix and pubic pain
- Very anaemic
- When you experience Braxton hicks or are in labour.
Here is a link to our Pilates based prenatal exercise classes:
Pregnancy Pilates - and below are some of the exercises that you will be performing in the class.