Can you continue doing Pilates while you’re pregnant?
The answer is yes, absolutely. Prenatal Pilates is not only safe but very beneficial.
I felt fit and strong during my first pregnancy. I had time to exercise regularly. Every week of my pregnancy was different. Some days I just needed a gentle approach and others I felt strong and capable to work on my strength.
My body bounced back 9 months after my baby was born.
Pilates was always there to help me tune in to my body and connect with my breathing and my baby, to relieve the discomfort of carrying extra weight, pelvic instability, SIJ problems, and pubic symphysis pain.
Pilates was there to strengthen my abdominal wall and my pelvic floor. Likewise, it was also there to help me learn to let go, to work on my balance, endurance, and strength.
Pilates is always there. Pilates is gentle when needed and challenging when you feel strong!
The most powerful tool Pilates can give you is the ability to know your body. It will help you accept the changes, to nurse your aches, to get across a bumpy road. Pilates will support you in your ups and downs and help you get back to the activities you enjoy the most. And, the most important thing, to help you recognise when something doesn’t feel right and to fix it.
Basically, a pregnant woman can feel completely different from one day to the next. Pilates is there to soothe you when aches and pains invade your body, to work on your strength and endurance when you are feeling energetic and strong, and to give you the tools to connect with your body and your breath while being support by knowledgeable, caring and empowering instructors.
~ Andreina Innocenti is an Instructor at The Pilates Centre Mosman and is currently 30 weeks pregnant with her second child.
