What Most Fit Pro's Don't Know About Fitness During and After Pregnancy.
I want to tell you a story that happens way too often.
I was speaking with a new coaching client and she was serious into fitness. I mean serious! She workout for every a day before and during pregnancy. You see, she was a fitness competitor and this was her life.It was something she was passionate about. She loved it!
When she came to be, she explained that she went hard during pregnancy and didn't have any issues (which I was very happy to hear!) and when she returned to the gym she picked up where she left off.
She then started noticing some things out of the ordinary. She started feeling a constant need to pee, her lower back was really bothering her and she experienced pain "down there".
Ignoring what her body was trying to tell her and continuing on with her regular routine, the problem got worse. She went to the doctor and what he told her completely shocked her. She had a pelvic organ prolapse. This basically means that you have one of your pelvic organs coming out of your cervix and through your vagina.
This was someone who was experienced in exercise, well conditioned and this still happened.
It took months to rehab and she had to take a year off her regimen to recover because she didn't take the proper steps during pregnancy and postpartum to recover. She went on to explain that she was working with a personal trainer who didn't let up on her telling her she will "bounce right back" and her doctor said she can train the same way she did before pregnancy. Also something I hear way too much!
People who are not trained to work with pre & postpartum women can be providing inaccurate information and unknowingly putting women at risk. I love that women want to exercise during and after pregnancy! It has more benefits than you can imagine, but you have to remember that your body goes or is going through a lot. You have to remember that just because you feel great and you can do what you were doing before, doesn't mean that you should.
My advice, speak with a professional that is trained in prenatal and postnatal fitness and not someone who just posts really cool looking workouts on social media. Chances are if those routines include jumping, running or anything frontloaded like pushups, planks or even some suspension training movements, they tend to put a lot of intra-abdominal force on your abdomen causing your pelvic organs to press down on your pelvic floor which could lead to pelvic floor dysfunctions like a prolapse (where pelvic organs descend out through your vagina). Even v-sits and crunches are best to avoid for the very same reasons.
Also see a pelvic floor physio during your pregnancy and as a part of your 6-week follow up. They will assess your pelvic floor, look for any pelvic organ prolapse and see if your pelvic floor is functioning properly. From there, they will give you a treatment plan based on your assessment. They may even send you over to me!
Taking care of your body doesn’t mean it looks good, it means that it’s in optimal functioning order and that may need to come first during and after your pregnancy. You may have to skip the high intense workouts for a little while but it will also ensure that you can return or start something more intensive that much sooner.
Love your baby body,
Terrell
Are you in your 3rd trimester of pregnancy or in your first year postpartum? I will be hosting Post-Baby Rehab and registration is now open!
This is the ONLY class in London that is pelvic physio approved and it’s designed to help you regain your core and pelvic floor while helping you build strength and get started back into fitness safely. If you're expecting, this program will get you started on your postpartum recovery.
There are only 5-6 spots available and the last session sold out in two days! Sign up today before your spot is gone.
