Mat Pilates

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Exercises for your pregnancy

*****Sometimes exercise during pregnancy is strictly forbidden to protect the health of the mother, the baby, or both. Check with your healthcare provider before starting, continuing, or changing an exercise regimen.

If you have any of the following symptoms while exercising, stop immediately and contact your healthcare provider:

vaginal bleeding, dizziness or feeling faint, shortness of breath, headache, chest pain, muscle weakness, calf pain or swelling (which could indicate a blood clot), back or pelvic pain, contractions/preterm labor, decreased fetal movement (learn how to monitor your baby's movements, but bear in mind that the baby's often most quiet when you're most active), fluid leaking from your vagina, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, even while at rest.*****

Transversus Contraction

Quite possibly the most important exercise during and after pregnancy. This exercise will help you “find” your Transversus Abdominus Muscle. This muscle is integral in maintaining and regaining strength during and after pregnancy.

Begin seated with your legs crossed in front of you. Your back is straight, shoulders are down and relaxed. Inhale, allowing your stomach to expand as your diaphragm domes down. Forcefully exhale, as though you were trying to fog a mirror in front of your face, pulling your belly button to your spine, contracting all of your abdominal muscles. The deepest contraction that you feel is your Transversus Abdominus. If you can’t “find” it, laugh. That muscle that gets sore when you laugh really hard? That is your transversus.

This exercise can be done seated, laying on your back, kneeling on all fours, standing, and pretty much any other position you can think of.

Transversus Contraction with Pelvic Tilt

Now that you know where your tranversus is, let’s begin to mobilize your lower back. This will help alleviate some of the pain you may feel towards the end of your pregnancy.

Lay down with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor (if you cannot lay on your back, this exercise can also be done up on all fours). Inhale, exhale and pull your belly button to your spine. Inhale again, maintaining your abdominal contraction, and as you exhale, pull your belly button even lower, pressing your lower back into the mat.

Bridging

Not only does it work your glutes and hamstrings, Bridging keeps helps keep mobility in your low back and combat the extreme lordosis that plagues many women after they have had children.

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip width apart. Now scoot your feet together two or three inches- women always think their hips are wider than they really are. Your back should be in a neutral position with your natural arch underneath your low back, hip bones and pubic bone in a flat plane to the floor.

Beginning with your tail bone, roll you low back into the mat and raise your hips, peeling your vertebrae off the mat one at a time. Raise your hips until you can draw a diagonal line from your shoulders to your knees through your hips, inhale, and exhale as you begin to roll back down, again, one vertebrae t a time.

Repeat 4-5 times.

To make it harder: With your hips high, raise one leg straight up to the ceiling without letting your hips shift. Hold for count of 2, lower down and switch legs.

Your Body's Changing: Abs & Pelvic Floor

Your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles experience the biggest changes during pregnancy.

Abdominal Muscles:

Your abdominal muscles stretch to more 50% longer than their original length while you are pregnant.

Because your abs are the main supporting muscles of your lower back, as they stretch you may experience back pain.

Your rectus abdominus aka “six pack muscle” splits to allow your uterus to have enough room to grow. This split is called “Diastasis Recti”

This split happens in 95% of women- there is nothing you can do to prevent it, but you can keep it from getting bigger than it needs to be.

Exercises such as crunches, and even bending from your waist, can increase the split. See Exercises page for some safe, effective exercises to tone your abs and alleviate back pain during pregnancy.

Pelvic Floor:

Your pelvic floor is made up of 36 muscles that form a “hammock” that all of the organs of your pelvis rest on.

These are the “stop the poo, stop the pee” muscles.

Also known as Kegal muscles.

As your ligaments relax and stretch, the pelvic floor becomes the main supporting muscle for your growing uterus against the effects of gravity.

Exercising your pelvic floor will not only tone the muscle, but because you will have better control over the muscle fibers, you will be able to more effectively relax it during labor.

Your Body's Changing: Muscular Changes

Muscular changes are caused by hormones (relaxin), changes in your center of gravity, and the rate at which your new baby gains weight while growing inside of you.

Neck and shoulder muscles become tight, contributing to occurrence of headaches and carpal tunnel

Increased breast size strains pectoral muscles and may cause slight slouch in shoulder

Ribs expand as uterus grows and pushes organs up and out of the way

Weight of uterus causes your pelvis to tilt forward on your hips, changing your center of gravity. This may cause you to walk with your legs farther apart and feet turned out (pregnancy waddle)

Your knees may become hyper-extended as you try to offset the change in center of gravity

Ankle sprains are common as ligaments relax

Calf muscles become short and tight, causing muscle cramps when you point your toes and while you sleep at night.

Your Body's Changing: Postural Changes

Postural Changes

As your baby grows, your tummy will tend to pull your body forward, increasing the curve in your lower (lumbar) spine. This change will be offset by changes in other portions of your spine, which will effect other portions of your anatomy.

Center of Gravity

Prior to becoming pregnant, your center of gravity was somewhere around vertebrae S2- the portion of your spine just above your tailbone. As your uterus grows, it will cause your center of gravity to shift higher and forward to account for the weight of the baby in the front of your body.

Head & Neck:

Your head and neck may begin to curve forward, especially as your work at a desk. Your neck muscles will get more stiff and tight, which can lead to headaches. Postpartum, caring for your baby may increase these issues.

Upper spine & shoulders:

The curve in your thoracic (upper) spine will increase to help offset the increased curve in your lower back. This can cause your shoulders to droop forward. As your uterus puts pressure on your rib cage, your 1st rib will get closer to your collar bone, which can cause the nerves that run down your arms to become compressed and lead to carpel tunnel. To prevent this, practice pulling your shoulders back when you sit- don’t let them ride up by your ears.

Lumbar Spine:

As we’ve said, the natural curve of your lumbar spine will increase as your baby grows. Your low back and hip flexor muscles become tight, while your gluteus (butt) muscles stretch along with your abdominal and pelvic floor. While you cannot prevent the increased loradodic curve, the exercises on this website will help combat these changes most effectively.

Your Body's Changing: Physiological Changes

Changes in your bodily functions

Cardiovascular:

Blood vessels relax to allow for greater blood flow.

By the 2nd trimester, your blood volume will increase by 40%. This is what causes the “puffy” look some women get.

Your heart rate increases by 10-15 beats per minute, resulting in decreased endurance. This is why you can get easily winded.

Decreased Blood Pressure can cause dizziness and make your heart race.

Respiratory

Contrary to popular belief, your lung capacity does not change. Growth of your uterus will cause you to begin to breath through your rib cage rather than in your tummy. (Costal vs. diaphragmatic breathing)

You increase oxygen consumption by 40-50%.

You will be more sensitive to carbon dioxide.

You may begin to hyperventilate.

Gastro-Intestinal Changes

Your intestines are made up of the same type of muscle as your uterus. The same hormone (progesterone) that cause your uterus not to contract, causes your intestinal track to slow down.

Your growing uterus invades the intestinal space.

You may experience constipation, acid reflux, gas and indigestion.

Changes in Metabolism:

Being pregnant burns an additional 300 calories per day over your regular needs. Your body will produce more heat, so you need to be careful not to over-heat. Weight gain of 20-40 lbs in common in single births, 50-70 lbs is common in multiple births.

Skin Changes:

Increased blood flow to the skin will help cool your body more efficiently (making you sweat more.)

You may experience “Cholasma” which is increased pigmentation in the skin, especially on your face.

You may get stretch marks or spider veins. This is hereditary, no lotion or oil can prevent it.

Nails and hair grow stronger and faster.

Your Body's Changing!

Congratulations! Your pregnant! Now you're thinking:

What the heck is happening to my body?????

The short version:

Your belly’s getting bigger, causing the curve in your lumbar spine to increase. The increased curve in your lumbar spine is causing your thoracic (upper) spine to curve too. Your neck muscles get sore and tight. Your uterus puts pressure on your lungs, making it harder to breath. You have to learn to “breath through your ribs.” Your abs stretch to over 50% of their original length, and your six pack muscle splits down the middle. Your pelvic floor muscles are getting stretched. Your legs turn out and you might start walking bow-legged to maintain balance.

Click on the links below to learn more:

Physiological Changes

Postural Changes

Muscular Changes

Abs & Pelvic Floor