The Benefits of Pilates During Pregnancy
About the Author: Gina is Studio Owner at Be:Poised Pilates. She has been teaching specialist Pilates classes for pregnant and postnatal clients for the past 8 years, and leads the pregnancy and postnatal studio team at Be:Poised Pilates. She has completed an array of in depth training programmes including Pre & Postnatal Pilates Specialist and Diastatsis Recti Recovery with Carolyne Anthony at the Centre for Women’s Fitness, Advanced Pregnancy Wellness Practitioner with Burrel Education, Pre & Postnatal Reformer with APPI and the nationally recognised level 3 award for Pre & Postnatal exercise.
During pregnancy, your body is undergoing many changes. Some you can see, some you can feel and some are happening without you really knowing much about them. Your body will continue to change and adapt as you go through childbirth and throughout the postnatal period.
Your body will face different physical challenges too. From adapting to changes in the body during pregnancy, to the physical demands of childbirth. Once your baby is born there are new physical demands and challenges, such as lifting and carrying your little one in the early years to feeling physically able to run, jump and play with them as they grow.
It sounds cliche but every body really is different. Some people will sail through their pregnancy with a sense of energy and vitality, others may struggle with nausea, fatigue and other pregnancy related symptoms. Even as you are reading this now, some of you may be feeling great, and others may be experiencing aches, pains and niggles that can leave you feeling a little frustrated or down.
Keeping active during your pregnancy is a great way to help keep you feeling strong and able. It can help keep aches and pains at bay, or go some way towards stopping them getting too much worse. It can help you feel prepared to actively birth your baby and physically ready for the labour. It can even help with your postnatal recovery. Keeping active may look different for everyone. Some may feel energised to keep up regular exercise and physical activity throughout the trimesters, whereas for others simply getting out the house for gentle exercise may feel like a big feat in itself. Pilates in Pregnancy can be a great way to help keep you moving well and lighten the load of pregnancy a little. Here is a little bit more information about why, and what to expect from a Pilates for Pregnancy class with Be:Poised Pilates.
What is a Pilates for Pregnancy Class?
Pilates for Pregnancy classes are Pilates classes that have been adapted to suit the pregnant body. This means some exercises may be taken out as they are not suitable for pregnancy, and other exercises may have been modified slightly to better meet the needs of the pregnant body.
In our classes at Be:Poised Pilates we design our Pilates for Pregnancy classes based on two key factors:
What Pilates exercises deliver the most important benefits to someone during their pregnancy, or to help prepare their body for the demands of childbirth / the postnatal period
How are our class participants feeling today, and what do they need right now.
We run a special dedicated Pilates for Pregnancy class at our studios; combining work on the mat with exercises using the Pilates Tower. We design our classes to include exercises from across the Pilates system that we feel offer the greatest benefits for our pregnant clients, and make use of the resistance and support offered by the Pilates Tower in combination with mat exercises that you can learn and practice in the studio and at home.
The Benefits of Pilates for Pregnancy
There are many benefits to attending a Pilates for Pregnancy class regularly, including:
Helping to ease pregnancy related aches and pains
Feeling connected to your body as it changes through pregnancy
Learning how you can support your changing body throughout your pregnancy
Understanding what you are feeling in your body and what you may be able to do to help ease aches and pains or address biomechanical issues
Meet other expectant mums and connect with others as you share experiences
Learn exercises to help you feel strong and confident as you look ahead to childbirth and the postnatal period.
Focussing on the Right Things
You may be wondering why you need a specific Pilates for Pregnancy class. Why can’t you just carry on with your regular Pilates classes? Technically you could - however I generally don’t recommend it for my clients. Yes, I can give you adaptations throughout a regular mat class for exercises that aren’t suitable during pregnancy or more difficult to do well at this stage, but then I have to question whether you are really getting the best in terms of benefits to your body rather than just adapting standard exercises and thus potentially missing out on what your body really needs.
There are specific areas we focus on in our Pilates for Pregnancy classes. For example:
Upper body, postural exercises that will help with strength and posture during pregnancy and prepare you for the postnatal period when you will be lifting, carrying and nursing your little one
Pelvic floor awareness. We integrate this into a lot of our exercises, combining pelvic floor awareness with movement. We firmly believe that setting the foundations well during pregnancy can really benefit you as we look ahead to childbirth and the postnatal period
Breath work, incorporating pelvic floor, abdominal stabilisation, and mobility
Balance and stability. This can feel more challenging as the body changes and centre of gravity shifts. We look at our stabilising systems as a whole, including hips & pelvic, abdominals, lats an.
Mobility: Mobility is more than just stretching. It is working mobility and strength through a range of movement. Our mobility elements target key areas for the pregnant body to help ease aches and pains, without over emphasising stretch without strength and control.
Adaptability is key in a Pilates for Pregnancy class. At Be:Poised Pilates, something I hold as a key value in my teaching and encourage all of my teachers to do is to “teach the body in front of you”. Sometimes that means changing the plan you had in your head for the class to one that better meets the needs of that person or group of people today. This is especially true for pregnancy. You might already be noticing that some days you feel good and full of energy, and others you feel heavy and fatigued. Pregnancy symptoms and pregnancy related conditions can come and go at different times in your pregnancy. Our teachers will always check in with you at the start of class, and teach based on the needs of the individuals in the room on that day.
Work with Us During Your Pregnancy
Our Pregnancy and Postnatal team at Be:Poised Pilates includes me (Gina) and our lovely studio teacher Lauren. We welcome clients to work with us during pregnancy and have different options to meet your needs:
Pilates for Pregnancy Class: This is a small group class, with a maximum of 4 people per class. We combine mat work and Tower work. You do not need any Pilates experience to join this class. We will guide you through everything and show you how to use the equipment safely. You can find out more about this class and book a space on our Pregnancy & Postnatal Page of the website.
Private 1:1 Sessions: We can work with you during your pregnancy on a 1:1 basis in our apparatus studio. Your session may include work on different pieces of apparatus depending on your individual needs, such as the Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Arm Chair and PediPull. You can find out more here on our website, or simply get in touch and we will happily discuss options and availability with you.
Private Group Classes: If you have a group of upto 4 people who would like private group classes together this can be arranged, subject to teacher and studio availability. Choose from a Group Reformer class, or a group mat + Tower class. Get in touch for details and to discuss your needs.
All of our clients working with us during pregnancy also get access to our online Pilates for Pregnancy Client Zone, that includes additional information to help support you through your pregnancy outside of the studio.
We teach all levels during pregnancy. Many who come to us in pregnancy have done no or very little Pilates before, whereas others come to us with more experience. Gina has even supported several local Pilates teachers through their pregnancy and postnatal Pilates journeys. Pilates for Pregnancy is a great leveller as you are continually learning and adapting as your body changes throughout your pregnancy.
Whether you are considering Pilates for the first time during your pregnancy, or you are looking to adapt your previous practice to better suit your body during pregnancy you will receive a warm welcome with us!