Exercise in Pregnancy

Moving and staying active is good for you when you’re pregnant. It keeps you healthy and can make you feel better. But, it’s not the time to start hard workouts. Keep doing what you did before, or try easy activities like swimming or pregnancy yoga.

Be careful not to fall or hurt yourself. Drink lots of water and don’t twist your body too much. Always warm up and cool down to keep safe.

If you join a class, tell the teacher you are pregnant. If something feels wrong, stop and talk to your doctor or midwife.

Find more information about activity here! Find Your Active | The APF (activepregnancyfoundation.org)

Pelvic Floor Exercises:

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that help hold up your bladder, uterus, and bowel. When you are pregnant, your baby gets bigger, and these muscles have to work harder. By the end of pregnancy, your pelvic floor muscles are holding about twice the weight of your baby.

Taking care of your pelvic floor when you are pregnant is important because:

  • It can help you not leak (wee or poo) when you laugh or sneeze.
  • It gives your growing baby more support.
  • It can help make labour and birth easier and reduce your chance of tearing during birth
  • It can help you feel better after your baby is born.

There are 2 ways to squeeze your pelvic floor exercises:

Long Squeezes:

  • Take a breath in and then out.
  • When you breathe out, squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles. Hold it for 8-10 seconds, then relax.
  • Let the muscles relax before the next breath.
  • Do your long squeezes again. Rest between each one until your muscles feel tired.
  • Do this 8 – 10 times, twice a day.
  • Try to hold for 10 seconds, and repeat 10 times.

Short Squeezes:

  • Squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles fast and strong. Then relax and lower them right away.
  • Do this 8 times, twice a day.
  • If 8 times is too hard, start with 4 or 6 times.

You can do these exercises in different ways. It might be easier to do them when you are lying down or sitting. As your muscles get stronger, try doing the exercises standing, squatting, or lunging. Eventually, you can do your exercises while walking or doing other exercises. Make sure to focus on the exercise.

Start doing pelvic floor exercises as soon as you find out you are pregnant as they can help you feel better during pregnancy and after your baby is born. Do them several times a day for the best results.

Download the NHS Squeezy app to help you with an exercise guide and to set reminders

Home Page – Squeezy (squeezyapp.com)