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Gotta get into shape for pregnancy, labour...and after

by Skylar Hill-Jackson
published in Ontario Fitness Council Membership Matters, 2001.

There are lots of women ‘out there’ who don’t fit exercising into their busy lifestyles until they become pregnant and think “I gotta get into shape for this!” And there are many more women with no interest in fitness until after the birth of their baby when they feel societal pressure to snap back to their original weight and shape.

The pre and postnatal period is as good an excuse as any for women to start a fitness program.

Exercise modifications
Noticing a pregnant woman in a general fitness class a fitness leader will ask if the participant has notified her physician about taking fitness classes. The instructor will then offer exercise modifications and will assume the pregnant woman knows what she can and can not do, and that she will adjust her fitness level within the class structure. The energy and dynamics of the class may change as the fitness leader may feel responsible for keeping the pregnant woman safe during the workout.

Generally, it is not recommended that a pregnant woman begin a new fitness activity. However, a woman will continue with her regular fitness program when she becomes pregnant only until she feels ‘uncomfortable’ with some of the exercises, and/or ‘uncomfortable’ with being the only pregnant woman in the class. After four months the woman will often leave her regular fitness class for these two reasons and because she wants to share her pregnancy experience with other pregnant women.

On the other hand, a new mother may want to begin a fitness program soon after the birth because she wants to feel better about her ‘body-out-of-control’. But she does not want to be separated from her baby who is usually too young to be placed in the fitness centre baby-sitting facility. For these women--the newly pregnant woman with no fitness routine, the pregnant woman no longer comfortable with her regular fitness program and the new mother who wants to ‘get back into shape’--there are a variety of speciality pre/postnatal fitness programs available.

Coping with fear
A pregnant woman has several fears: how to cope with her weight gain and physical discomforts like low back pain, and how to develop the endurance and strength required to manage the period of labour, which averages about 15 hours.

From three months until her due date a pregnant woman can take any one or more of the following programs:
  • Prenatal aquafit: the water resistance and buoyancy strengthen a pregnant woman’s body, improve circulation, massage and relax working muscles.
  • Prenatal fitness: muscle endurance, low impact aerobics and stretch & strengthen.
  • Prenatal yoga: breathing and postures strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, relieve tension in joints, increase energy and reduce stress.

For a new mother there are important body image issues: not fitting into her regular clothing, fat distribution in strange places, and sluggish weight remaining from the pregnancy. A new mother is encouraged to begin simple pelvic floor exercises and modified abdominal work within the first week following birth and it is recommended the new mother (with her baby) join a postpartum fitness program 4-6 weeks following the birth:

  • Postpartum fitness: muscle endurance, low impact aerobics, abdominal work, and stretch & strength.
  • Yoga with baby: yoga postures for the new mother, yoga postures for the baby, yoga postures modified to include the baby, breath work and relaxation techniques.
  • Stroller fitness: low impact aerobic workout while moving through the park pushing the baby in a stroller, using picnic tables as equipment for push ups, leg lifts, abdominal work and stretches.

And to make it a family affair during the prenatal and/or postpartum period a woman can get her partner involved in fitness by joining:

  • Couples prenatal yoga workshops: yoga postures, breathing, vocal toning, relaxation and massage in preparation for the labour and birth.
  • Family yoga for new parents and babies: yoga techniques, including the babies (6-18 months).

In the last two years general interest in yoga has exploded. All the programs listed here have been designed so that previous fitness or yoga experience is not necessary.

“Fitness during pregnancy is as necessary a component as nutrition and prenatal education are to ensure a healthy pregnancy, healthy woman and baby, and healthy postpartum recovery” says James F. Clapp III, MD, author of Exercising Through Your Pregnancy.