Pre or Postnatal Appointment

Benefits of Prenatal Exercise

Keeping fit and healthy throughout pregnancy is recommended to improve your and your baby’s health. It can also mean that you have a shorter labour with fewer complications.

Our qualified instructors will design an exercise programme that is safe for you and your baby.

It might seem surprising, but now is a great time to start if you don’t normally exercise much!

Regular exercise can do the following:

  • Help to reduce high blood pressure.
  • Help to reduce the risk of diabetes. For women who have gestational diabetes, exercise may help to control it.
  • Help you adapt to your changing body shape and maintain a healthy weight during and after pregnancy.
  • Help reduce the likelihood of varicose veins, swelling in ankles, feet and hands and back pain.
  • Improve your fitness levels.
  • Improve mood, and reduce depression and anxiety.
  • Improve sleep.
  • Lower the risk of pre-eclampsia, very low birth weight and caesarean birth.
  • Improve your body’s ability to cope by shortening labour length and improving the likelihood of a straightforward labour and recovery after birth.

Exercise is safe for most women but speak to your GP or midwife before exercising during pregnancy if you have any of the following:

  • Known heart problems or lung disease.
  • Known weakness of the cervix or if you’ve had a cervical stitch.
  • A twin or multiple pregnancy.
  • History of premature labour or any signs of premature labour in your pregnancy.
  • Premature waters breaking.
  • Vaginal bleeding that continues throughout your pregnancy.
  • Placenta praevia, which is where the placenta is close to the cervix.
  • Pre-eclampsia.
  • Poorly controlled diabetes, seizures or thyroid disease during pregnancy.
  • Anaemia during pregnancy.
  • Bone or joint problems that affect mobility.
  • An eating disorder.
  • A body mass index higher than 40 or you are very inactive.
  • A smoking habit where you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day.

Benefits of Postnatal Exercise

Exercising after you have your baby can improve your physical and mental wellbeing. It can:

  • Help restore muscle strength and firm up your body
  • Make you less tired because it raises your energy level and improves your sense of wellbeing
  • Promote weight loss
  • Improve your cardiovascular fitness and restore muscle strength
  • Condition your abdominal muscles
  • Improve your mood, relieve stress and help prevent postpartum depression.

When to start postnatal exercises

Gentle exercise (such as walking) can generally be started as soon as comfortable after giving birth. Start when you feel up to it. Some women will feel able to start exercising early. Talk with your doctor or midwife about when is a good time for you to restart an exercise programme.

Six weeks after giving birth, most of the changes that occur during pregnancy will have returned to normal. If you had a caesarean birth, a difficult birth, or complications, it may take a little longer to feel ready to start exercising.

Your lower back and core abdominal muscles will be weaker than they used to be. Your ligaments and joints are also more supple and pliable, so it is easier to injure yourself by stretching or twisting too much.

Our qualified instructors will design a safe and effective exercise programme to help get you back in shape!

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