Prenatal Health for Mama and Baby

No matter what stage of your prenatal journey you are in—newly pregnant, hoping to get pregnant, or close to the end of your pregnancy—congratulations!

The power of the female body is the most wondrous thing, as it completely adapts and transforms to grow and nourish a baby, all the while still functioning to support mom. There are so many facets to this ever-changing symbiotic relationship between fetus and mother. Gaining an understanding of how you can influence this relationship to benefit both you and your baby is what we’re here to help with. 

The more supported mom is physically, emotionally, and spiritually through pregnancy, the more direct benefits for her baby. Lindsey Tasker Cole is our Physiotherapist and Pelvic Health Therapist who helps a lot of mamas navigate this space. Supporting moms—especially first-time moms—can come in many forms, but let’s focus on prenatal exercise in this blog. Specifically, let’s talk about the benefits of exercise and safe options for mamas to enjoy.

How Prenatal Physical Activity Helps

Research increasingly supports that exercise during pregnancy is beneficial for both the mother and fetus during gestation, with benefits even continuing for the child into adulthood. Exercise during pregnancy is associated with fewer newborn complications and maternal health concerns, including a decreased risk of:

• preeclampsia

• gestational hypertension 

• gestational diabetes 

• C-section

• instrumental delivery

• urinary incontinence

• excessive gestational weight gain

• depression

• improved blood glucose

• decreased lumbopelvic pain

Overall, the benefits of exercise during pregnancy decrease the risk of chronic disease for both mama and child. Measures of growth, development, cognition, and intelligence further show that exercise during pregnancy is more helpful than it is harmful—stimulating healthy growth throughout childhood!

Benefits of Prenatal Exercise for Moms

It’s not uncommon for first-time moms to share things like: “I want to exercise, but I'm scared,” or, “I don't know where to get started."

Rumour may have had it that exercise may not be good during pregnancy, but as we’ve been saying, that’s not the case. Prenatal exercise can:

• improve your mood and self-image

• help ensure appropriate weight gain

• help you relax and reduce stress

• promote better sleep

• increase your muscle tone, strength and endurance

• help build your stamina for labour and delivery

• speed up your recovery after labour and delivery

• help increase your energy levels

A lot of the first-time moms that come into our clinic don’t have issues or any pain points yet, they just want to be proactive. This is so great! We set women up with a home program to help mitigate those things that could happen, educate them with safe movement recommendations, and tailor exercise plans that they’ll enjoy. These exercise plans are intended to be easy to build into your daily life—the easier it is to incorporate into your life, the more likely you are to follow through.

Safe Exercise Tips for Pregnant Women

Yes! According to the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, all women without contraindication (meaning all women who haven’t been medically advised against physical activity during pregnancy) should be physically active throughout pregnancy. This includes women who were previously inactive, diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus, or categorized as overweight or obese.

Check out and try these five guidelines for expecting moms without any contraindications for exercise: 

1. Exercise 150 minutes a week: Pregnant women should aim to enjoy at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week to achieve meaningful health benefits and reductions in pregnancy complications.

2. Set realistic & achievable goals: 150 minutes may feel like a lot, so spread it throughout the week. 150 minutes divided by seven days a week (that’s 20 minutes a day!) is much more palatable for first-time moms to take time for themselves and fit in some movement. 

3. Light movement goes a long way: Yoga and gentle stretching or aerobic and resistance training activities are great options that reap wonderful benefits. Remember to be gentle with yourself: we recommend minimizing high-impact activity, like running for long periods of time, because it's hard on the pelvic floor and could result in incontinence and prolapse. 

4. Add pelvic floor muscle training to your routine: On the topic of incontinence—pelvic floor muscle training can be performed daily to reduce the risk of urinary incontinence. Instruction in proper technique is recommended to obtain optimal benefits (we can help with this!).

5. Listen to your body & modify movements: Your body is going through the most incredible changes, so be sensitive to what it needs. Pregnant women who experience light-headedness, nausea, or generally feel unwell when they exercise flat on their back should modify their exercise position to avoid the supine (flat on your back) position.

First-time moms most often report pain in their pubic symphysis (groin area) and their SI joints (on your lower back, near your hips). The good news is that there are solutions to these common concerns, and we’d love to help you discover them or even stop them before they start! If you’re ever unsure about what is safe, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for personalized coaching on what will work right for you and your body.

There are so many resources available in our community, so you don’t need to feel alone in your pregnancy journey. We believe that it is important for pregnant women to create an exercise plan that is manageable, healthy, and enjoyable in collaboration with their health care team. Our team here at Holistic Physiotherapy & Wellness would be more than happy to provide support at whatever stage you are in. Let’s connect!