Benefits of Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness

Motherhood comes with new emotions, new purpose, new sense of self, new schedules, and a new body. This body has been stretched, strained, shifted and transformed. During pregnancy, the body has a 50% increase in blood volume, grows an entirely new organ (the placenta), the uterus expands to almost 5 times its normal size, and a hormone called relaxin causes your ligaments to soften and stretch in preparation for childbirth. These are just a few of the big changes your body undergoes in just 9 months. It’s no wonder prenatal and postpartum physical therapy and personal training have become increasingly more common over the past few years. 

Pregnancy

Pregnancy often comes with an assortment of aches and pains including backaches, sciatic nerve pain, pelvic girdle pain, round ligament pain, and leg cramps just to name a few. Working out can be difficult during pregnancy due to these issues and other symptoms such as nausea, headaches, dizziness while lying down, and extreme fatigue. This is why it is so important to seek out professional help to ensure proper techniques as well as safety if you choose to remain active and exercise throughout your pregnancy. 

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, it is generally safe to work out during pregnancy as long as your pregnancy is considered “normal” and you are considered healthy, but it is always best to first discuss exercise with your OB-GYN. Regular exercise during pregnancy benefits you and your baby in these key ways:

• Reduces back pain

• Eases constipation

• May decrease your risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and cesarean birth

• Promotes healthy weight gain during pregnancy

• Improves your overall fitness and strengthens your heart and blood vessels

• Prepares you for the physical demands of labor 

• Prepares you for the physical demands of motherhood 

• Improves mental health by increasing endorphins

• Assists in easier postpartum recovery

• Improved posture

• Improved circulation

• Prevention and management of urinary incontinence 

• Reduced risk of anxiety and depression

With all of these benefits, it is difficult to understand why we are just recently promoting exercise during pregnancy. Personally, over the past 4 years, I have been pregnant and postpartum twice. (yes, we did the two under two thing). My two pregnancies, although very close together, came with completely different challenges. I had a solid workout routine established prior to becoming pregnant with my first. I went to the gym 5-6 times a week for an hour to an hour and a half to complete both cardio and weight lifting. After becoming pregnant, this quickly changed. My first trimester came with extreme fatigue and nausea, my second trimester welcomed round ligament pain and extreme SI joint pain, and my third trimester brought heart palpitations, discomfort, and significantly lower lung capacity. Through these changes, I was able to adjust and adapt my routine to continue walking and lifting weights while doing my best to also reverse several of these symptoms through focused core strengthening, postural strengthening, and breathing techniques. 

My second pregnancy came with different challenges in the third trimester that caused my doctors to restrict my activity to avoid bed rest or pre-term labor. This was difficult mentally for me as I was limited to extremely light stretching and diaphragmatic breathing techniques only. Looking back now, I am thankful I was able to do even that much, as it was still beneficial going forward. My second labor and delivery was much more difficult for me due to lack of strength and energy. Postpartum recovery was more difficult as well this time around, and I credit this to the lack of exercise in comparison with my first. 

Postpartum

Postpartum exercise can apply to women at any stage of motherhood. You should never feel like it is “too late” even if it has been several years since having a baby. Any time is the right time to choose to start caring for and healing your body. Pelvic pain, incontinence, diastasis, and back pain are some of the most common issues postpartum, and all of these can be improved or corrected with the proper exercise routine. Exercising after baby can improve your physical and mental wellbeing. Some benefits include:

• Helping restore muscle strength

• Increase in energy levels

• Learning proper body dynamics for demands of motherhood such as lifting, carrying, and feeding your baby

• Weight loss 

• Improved bladder/bowel control

• Decreased back and pelvic pain

• Rehabbing abdominal and pelvic floor muscles

• Improved cardiovascular fitness

• Improved mood

• Relieving stress

• Decreased risk of postpartum depression

  
  

Final Thoughts

If you are ready to take the step toward caring for your body safely through pregnancy and/or postpartum, we would love to help. Schedule a Prenatal/Postpartum Physical Therapy or Personal Training appointment with us by calling 308.777.2476.

Remember, it’s never too late to start healing. 

–Brittany Gohl PTA, CPT, Prenatal/Postpartum Fitness Specialist