Exercising during Pregnancy and bored?
Are you hearing far too many birth prep stories? Just dying to move your body and feel some little bit of effort? Maybe feeling a sense of you despite being pregnant?
What is it about being pregnant that can immediately transport us into a alternative universe of exercise. Don’t do this. Stop all of that. Be careful. Chill out. Let’s all talk about our heartburn, crampy legs and wind.
Then we might stretch a little.
And now relaxation for 20 minutes.
I’ll never forget my experience of exercise when I fell pregnant by surprise while travelling in Vancouver.
We had taken a year out to travel before ‘settling down’. We had done 6 months and were planning at least a year in Canada and possibly more.
The week before I realised I was pregnant I careered down a snowy slope on a ‘magic carpet’ ( a plastic piece of sheeting). I couldn’t understand the tiredness I felt afterwards.
Anyway, fast forward a few weeks and I was emailing the yoga studio I had been attending to see about Yoga for pregnancy. They didnt do pregnancy classes. You just attended the mainstream class and modified as you grew. They were happy for me to attend as normal.
I continued to be super active all be it slowed down by extreme fatigue and nausea, camping down the west coast of America on our way home. I felt good as I arrived back in Ireland in my second trimester.
I joined a pregnancy yoga class with a local studio and then began to yawn my way through the course. Not all yoga courses are like this I realise but for some reason this one was really boring.
My real low point was after a session where we spent about 20 minutes at the start of class listening to the instructor tell us about her week, her husband’s toenail infection ( yes I know TMI) and her own pains and aches ( no word of a lie).
We stretched our calves, did a few frustratingly gentle moves and then down we went for relaxation.
I was so annoyed. I never went back. I found another class but it was still extremely birth focussed. And while I knew this was helpful. I didn’t necessarily feel I needed this to be the sole focus of my exercise class.
There had to be more… and in 2012 when pregnant with my first born, less than ten years ago there really was a lack of options that were a little more challenging while still being safe.
While working in Milltown Physiotherapy, an opportunity came up to add some pregnancy pilates classes to my diary along with my already popular Postnatal classes and I jumped at the chance. They were already full in the clinic and my colleague was at capacity. So I had a chance to bring this into my schedule. It was tricky- I had to race to the nearby hall to accomodate it with two or three fitballs in the boot of the car, do a class and then race back to clinic to see a few more clients. But I embraced the chance to get experience in this area. I made a point of not talking too much at the beginning but having a brief chat about our goal for the class. And then we moved. We modified for those with pelvic pain and I knew I was making such a difference to women throughout their pregnancy.
In 2021 I completed my Advanced Pregnancy Wellness Practioner course with @burrelleducation and this was a game changer for me. Pregnant women need to get strong and stay strong during pregnancy. Not only for labour but for AFTERWARDS! And guess what? It was okay to introduce new movements, different functional movement, resistance, full body stretches all while taking attention to pelvic floor and core.
Pilates at Elaine Barry Physio Clinic
Last January an extra room in the building where my clinic space came up. It was only 6 months into my full time business and it felt early to take on more. But it was perfect. Adjoined to my space, bright and already with wooden flooring, I actually couldn’t believe this was presenting itself. I decided to take it and start with my own set of Pre and Postnatal Pilates classes.
Small, bespoke classes with the objective of offering personalised, indivualised care to women has always been part of my dream. And it is happening. Women attend for Prenatal Pilates, possibly a prenatal pelvic floor check if they are concerned about anything, they are then returning for Postnatal strengthening.
As I see women, connecting with each other as they walk out in the evening and even meeting up outside of class, I have such a warm feeling about it all. Connecting women, giving them support, making them feel strong and empowered over and over again it what it has always been about for me and is even stronger since I have opened Elaine Barry Physio.
More recently I have completed The Belle Method Push Prep Course to keep adding to my knowledge and offerings for women. I adore the ethos that runs through this course. Let us teach women how to use their core for delivery. Let’s teach women the concepts of core and pelvic floor that work for them not against them during pregnancy.
So what are amazing benefits of Functional Pilates Strengthening during pregnancy?
Here is what i see…
As women progress through their pregnancy this is what I notice.
Women get stronger! They may start stiff, sore and struggling a little with their changing bodies. Then they learn through repitition and weekly supervised progression that they can achieve more variety of movements, increase their range of stretch, manage more exercises in a class. Pain has reduced in women. Posture improves. They are sleeping better and feeling positive about delivery. We introduce different themes each week amd have a small Q& A but I insist on 45 minutes of good movement. If we have time we decompress with a guided relaxation at the end of the session.
And here is what the most research paper is saying;
‘Pilates exercise during pregnancy improved the labour process and increased maternal satisfaction of childbirth process without causing complcations for the mother and baby’ Ghandali 2021
Enough said.
JOIN ME IN 2023.
For more on Pilates during pregnancy ( in person and online) please contact Elaine by email elainebarryphysio@gmail.com
