Exercise in pregnancy is important not only for the mother but also the baby. It is recommended that throughout pregnancy you should aim for 150 mins of moderate- intensity aerobic activity per week. This can be spread out throughout the week. 

Taking part in physical activity when you are pregnant has many benefits, including:

• helps to control weight gain
• improves fitness
• helps reduce high blood pressure problems
• improves sleep
• helps to prevent diabetes of pregnancy
• improves mood

Exercise can also reduce incidence of a number of common pregnancy complaints, including:

• Pelvic girdle pain
• Low back pain and other musculoskeletal discomfort
• Incontinence

If you’re not active, start gradually! If you’re already active, keep going.

There isn’t specific advice about the best exercise to do when you’re pregnant. Doing something you enjoy is key!

One excellent form of exercise is Pilates. Modified pilates has many different benefits in pregnancy, including helping with improving your postural awareness, enhancing segmental spinal and pelvic stability and therefore reducing the risk of pelvic girdle pain and lower back pain. 

Pilates will also help with maintaining pelvic floor strength and preventing incontinence, especially important as your bump and baby grow throughout your pregnancy. Pilates is a very mindful exercise and can help to reduce stress and anxiety. 

Modifications to exercises are made as your pregnancy progresses, but this does not mean you are not able to get the same benefits from the exercises as you did before. Modifications include after 16 weeks not lying flat on your back, being propped up or doing the exercise in standing, sitting or 4-point kneeling. 

Pilates is a great whole body conditioning exercise as it includes, mobility, strength and stability exercises which can be done using varying equipment to assist movements and to challenge your body in different ways no matter what stage of pregnancy you are at. If you’d like to have 1-2-1 guidance on Pilates during your pregnancy, we have specially trained Pilates Instructors who can support you. Read more here. We also have online classes, which you can do at home in your own time. Find out more here.

Some examples of the types of exercises that may be included in you modified pregnancy pilates are: 

Cat Stretch

1. Starting position: Four point kneeling. Hands slightly forwards of shoulders, elbows soft. Knees hip-distance apart, under hips. Pelvis and lumbar spine in neutral alignment. Head and neck lifted into alignment with the spine. Scapulae set. Neck long.
2. Action: INHALE to prepare.
3. EXHALE and tuck the tailbone then round the spine from the base upwards. Roll the neck and head forwards to segmentally flex the spine into a C shaped curve from the tailbone to the crown of the head.
4. INHALE and hold the position.
5. EXHALE and return commencing from the tailbone and continue to segmentally roll from the tailbone to the crown of the head into slight extension. Allow the scapulae to slide downwards towards the waist and the neck to lengthen.
6. INHALE to hold this position
7. Repeat 6 – 8 times

Thread The Needle

1. Start Position: 4 point kneeling on hands and knees
2. Action: EXHALE and reach the right arm down and under the left shoulder. As you move allow the spine to rotate and stretch through the right side.
3. Once you reach the end of your range, HOLD the position and INHALE as you lift the hand off the floor.
4. EXHALE and return to the start position.
5. REPEAT on the other side.

Tail Swish

1. EXHALE and slide your tail horizontally to the left, drawing your left hip closer to the left shoulder.
2. INHALE and move back to the starting position.
3. Repeat on the other side.

Back Rowing Series: Open Book

1. Starting position: Crook sitting. Neutral lumbo-pelvic position. Centre engaged. Hips adducted, knees slightly flexed (to allow neutral spine position or extended if hamstring length allows), ankles dorsiflexed. Shoulders and elbows flexed to approx. 90°, palms facing inwards, fingers long. Pilates band looped around the feet and the handles threaded through the arms to the elbows.
2. Action: Inhale to prepare.
3. Exhale, horizontally abduct the shoulders, keeping the elbows lifted to approx. shoulder height.
4. Inhale, return to the starting position. Repeat 8 – 10 times.

Leg Pulling Straps

1. Starting position: Side lying. Neutral lumbo-pelvic alignment. Centre engaged. Underneath arm outstretched in alignment with the trunk and head resting on this arm. Underneath hip flexed to approx. 45° and knee flexed to approx. 90°. Top leg lifted to hip height and extended in line with the trunk. One end of Pilates band looped around the uppermost foot and the other end held in the underneath hand.
2. Action: Inhale, flex the uppermost hip and knee to 90o, keeping the uppermost foot lifted to hip height.
3. Exhale and extend the uppermost hip and knee to the starting position.
4. Repeat 8 – 10 times on each leg.

Demi-Plie With Ball 

1. Starting position: Position a Swiss ball against a wall and then stand with your mid to lower back resting against the Swiss ball.
2. Action: INHALE to prepare.
3. EXHALE, flex the hips and knees in a small ROM, maintaining parallel alignment of the lower limb.
4. INHALE and hold.
5. EXHALE, extend the hips and knees to the upright starting position, maintaining parallel alignment of the lower limb.
6. Repeat 6 – 8 times.

Download a handy guide to exercises here – Modified Pilates in Pregnancy Exercises