I often get asked by expecting moms in my group classes, ‘what should and shouldn’t I be doing when it comes to yoga and exercises.’ The short answer is, do what feels good in your body. If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it! What women can and can’t do during pregnancy depends on a lot of factors, including how fit they were going into pregnancy, how they’re pregnancy is progressing, and if they have any counter-indications. If you weren’t a runner before you got pregnant, now is probably not the time to start! However, it is so important to move your body during your pregnancy. It will reduce aches and pains do to pregnancy, aid in a smooth delivery, and keep you feeling positive mentally and emotionally. So here is a list of do’s and don’ts that everyone can follow:
Do:
Pelvic floor exercises! This is a must for any pre or post natal mama if you don’t want to deal with issues of incontinence (bladder control) down the line. So kegal, and kegal often! I always incorporate pelvic floor exercises into my pre and post natal classes, and usually teach it alone, in conjunction with core exercises, and in a range of shapes. Some women have more sucess accessing their pelvic floor muscles in some positions vs. others, so it’s good to try a few and see what works for you. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, if you are doing a pee and you go to stop mid flow, these are the muscles that allow you to stop. It’s a sensation of lifting in and up, and connects to your lower abdominal muscles. Go ahead, try a kegal now why you’re reading this!
Hip mobility. As our bellies grow and exert more weight on our hips, it helps to stretch and move our hips in a range of directions to prevent pain. Working on hip mobility now will also help keep you more comfortable during delivery. I’m not going to say it will make it easier, but your tight hips will be one less thing to worry about while getting into positions to get baby out! While I will advocate for maintaining a healthy range of motion for your hips during pregnancy, please don’t overdo it! If you couldn’t do the splits before you were pregnant, now is not the time to learn! While pregnant and brestfeeding our bodies produce a hormone called relaxin, which makes your ligaments looser. While this is very helpful during delivery, you do need to be a little bit more careful when stretching. Go for the 80% rule, and don’t feel like you need to push to the very end of your range.
Breathing exercises are great during pregnancy! If you’re new to any type of controlled breath, sama vriti is a nice place to start. It is the practice of equal inhales and exhales, where you count in your head while you’re breathing. I like to do a 5 count, but you can make it shorter or longer as you need. Practiced breathing helps expand your ribcage and reduce pain, calms your mind down and reduces anxiety, and is great to use during delivery.
Hands and knees, and down dog. We all know that we want babies head to be facing down. If it’s not, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a C section. Now I’m not saying there is anything wrong with having a C section, it is an amazing medical advance that has saved so many babies and mamas. But, if you are trying for a vaginal birth, you need babas head down. Now I’m not saying if you do down dog this is a done deal, but, practicing poses where you’re giving baby the opportunity to move around in there, will enable the little bugger to orient himself with his head down. Doing cat cow stretches, down dog, or any movements on your hands and knees, or where you have your hips higher than your heart, are great to practice.
Don’ts
Tons of core exercise. I say tons, because there is some gray area here. I’ve seen pregnant women who were very comfortable doing plank pose late in their pregnancy. Personally, I didn’t feel comfortable in this pose after around 5/6 months. As mentioned, listen to your body and see what feels right. This being said, please avoid full sit ups, or any other shape that is squishing or contracting your belly, or feels like you’re pushing your belly out. Some women think that they will recover more quickly if they keep their core strong during pregnancy, but the opposite can happen. As our bellies grow our abdominals move apart at the midline. If we’re working really hard to strengthen our core muscles at this time, then they can be more likely to tear. This will then lead to abdominal separation during postnatal, and can make your recovery more difficult. When doing any core exercises, keep it easy and simple. Bird dogs are a good one, and dead bugs on your back. How you’re going to feel doing these exercises will change as your pregnancy progresses, so be sure to listen to your body each day, and modify as needed.
Closed twists. This includes any shapes where you’re twisting towards your front leg (like in low lunge) and it feels like you’re squishing your belly. A good rule of thumb here is don’t squish your belly! Don’t worry, your baby will be fine, he or she is swimming in a big cushy sack of fluid. It will just be uncomfortable for you, and could lead to strain or pain if you push it. Open twists where you’re twisting through your spine but not squishing your belly are a good alternative.
Anything where you’re lying on your belly. This might seem quite obvious, but worth mentioning. If your yoga teacher is teaching a class where you are on your belly (bow pose, superman, etc) a nice modification is doing a similar exercise on your hands and knees.
I hope this was helpful! When you enter any exercise class its a great idea to tell your teacher that you’re pregnant. If you’re early on and feeling shy about it, you can approach the teacher before class so you don’t need to announce it to everyone! Even if your instructor isn’t trained in prenatal, they will be sure not to encourage you into shapes that might be uncomfortable. And if you can, try to find a prenatal class near you. Not only will you have a trained professional guiding you, but it’s such a nice opportunity to connect with other mamas to be. Enjoy the process, and keep moving mama. Listen to that amazing body of yours, and do what feels right for you that day. If you have any questions or need some extra support, I’d love to hear from you <3
If you’d like to learn more about how to approach exercise postpartum, check out my FREE 5 Day Postpartum Checklist
Sending love!
Emma