Keep Moving Mama!
Benefits of Exercise in Pregnancy and Postpartum
By Melissa Morris, PT, DPT, Cert-CMFA
As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I love encouraging women, especially moms, to find a form of exercise that they love. Even outside of the pregnancy and postpartum seasons, exercise has a powerful effect on our body’s health and wellbeing.
Every woman’s body and pregnancy is different. It is important to discuss individual exercise guidelines for pregnancy and postpartum with your provider (ob-gyn, midwife, or physical therapist) before starting a new routine.
Otherwise, if you are healthy and have a normal pregnancy, you are safe to continue or start exercise during pregnancy. Physical activity does not increase your risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, or early delivery. This includes many forms of activity: yoga, running, HIIT, or strength training.
When considering exercise in pregnancy and postpartum, it is important to keep in mind the significant changes in your body during both pregnancy and postpartum. These changes occur in every body system in order to help safely develop and deliver your baby. Exercise in pregnancy and postpartum can help to manage some of the risks and potential side effects associated with these transitions in your body.
The benefits of exercise in pregnancy include:
Reduced maternal weight gain
Reduced pain in hips, pelvis, and low back
Decreased risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension
Less likely to need a C-section
Reduced risk of postpartum depression
Potentially reduced length of labor in 1st and 2nd stages
It is possible that while pregnant, you may be able to continue exercising as normal up to a certain point. After that, the changes in your body may require you to modify or reduce the intensity of exercise. If you are able, try to continue to move in some way in those final weeks, such as walking or yoga, in order to maximize the benefits of physical activity in pregnancy.
Once your baby arrives, fitting in regular exercise becomes a whole new challenge. It can be a difficult balance between learning to care for your sweet little one and trying to take care of your own body after delivery. However, I will encourage you to try to fit physical activity into your day, even if it is broken up into multiple short sessions during nap times. It is worth it.
The benefits of exercise in postpartum include:
Boost in energy
Manages weight after pregnancy
May help prevent postpartum depression
Relieves stress
Improves sleep
In both pregnancy and postpartum, the recommended level of physical activity per week is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity plus at least 2 days of muscle strengthening activity.
Let’s take a look at some of the signs that indicate when to stop or modify exercise in pregnancy and postpartum. If you experience any of the following symptoms, please stop and consult a healthcare provider:
Pelvic pain or heaviness
Leaking (pee, poop, or gas)
Bleeding or leaking fluid from vagina
Bulging feeling at opening of vagina
Persistent shortness of breath
Feeling dizzy or faint
Regular, painful contractions of uterus
Again, if you have a moderate or high-risk pregnancy or delivery, please consult your doctor for more specific exercise guidelines.
Here’s the final important point: there are no “safe” or “unsafe” exercises for pregnant or postpartum women. Instead, your body will give you warning signs (listed above) that tell you your body may not tolerate certain movements at this time and need to modify those movements until you are ready. A physical therapist can help you identify strategies and modifications to continue exercise in pregnancy and return to exercise safely postpartum.
If you have any questions about how to keep exercising in pregnancy and postpartum, contact pelvic floor physical therapist, Dr. Melissa, at Ascent Physical Therapy & Performance to learn more and address any pelvic floor symptoms with exercise! Email: info@ascentptp.com Phone: 425-200-5085
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Learn more about Melissa Morris and her work at Ascent Physical Therapy
